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Welcome to The Society ofRegistered Professional AdjustersThe Society of Registered Professional Adjusters is the organization implemented to oversee the qualifications and designations of Registered Professional Adjusters (RPA). The Society was formed by industry professionals that felt continuing education was critical and that there needed to be a designation that recognized the professionalism of an adjuster. The Board of Directors is made up of insurance company top management and support organizations, independent claims adjusters, and attorneys that work directly with the industry. It is the first and only designation formed by and for the insurance claims professional. The Society is a non-profit organization and supported by volunteers and member donations. RPA designees have demonstrated excellence and proficiency in the insurance claims field, have met Continuing Education Requirements (CE's), comply with ethics standards imposed by the RPA, and have sustained a level of competence...something all current member designees must demonstrate and something that all insurers should demand. The Society is not a social club and continuing membership demands compliance with requirements detailed on this website. The designation is not available to entry level claims persons. Members must be actively involved in the insurance claims industry and is open to insurance company and independent claims adjusters. If you meet the requirements of the RPA, apply for membership, take and pass the exam, and become a RPA designee...the sign of the professional adjuster! Top of page
How We Were Founded - and Why Before 1996, members of the California Association of Independent Insurance Adjusters were discussing the lack of standards for professional excellence, education, and ethics among the ranks of professional claims adjusters. They felt that anyone could
claim to be an insurance adjuster, and that companies employing adjusters
had no standard means by which to measure their professional competence.
A Steering Committee was established, consisting of Gil Malmgren, Malmgren
Group, Oakland, California: Peter Evans, D.L. Glaze/ASU Group, Novato,
California: Daniel G. Price, CPCU, Pacific Claims Service, Inc, San
Diego, California; John Joiner, Rooney & Anderson, Eureka, California; Robert
L. Gresham, Jr. CPCU, R.L. Gresham & Company, Las Vegas, Nevada;
and Eugene Riggs, AIC, Napa, California. After much soul searching, they
formed the RPA, now known as the Society of Registered Professional Adjusters. Not a "social club" From the beginning, RPA had tangible professional underpinnings. Far from creating a social club, Malmgren, Evans, Price, and their peers set out to shape a serious organization focused on ensuring the professional excellence of its recognized members. Over time, a national group
of founding members established criteria under which claims adjusters
could be awarded the "RPA Designation," the formal recognition
that the adjuster meets all the established criteria for professional
distinction. Strict Requirements for the RPA Designation Professional adjusters are awarded the RPA Designation after a set minimum number of years of service as professional adjusters. They also must successfully complete a number of yearly Continuing Education courses and pass a highly sophisticated, professionally administered comprehensive three-hour examination. Specific requirements are here. By early 2002, when this site was launched, RPA had awarded the coveted "RPA Designation" to over 1300 adjusters worldwide.
Meet Our Board of Directors RPA Chairman of the Board Mike Csom has spent 37 years in the claims business. Retired as Chairman of The ASU Group in 2001, he is past president of the NAIIA. He is presently active as permanent conference chair of NAIIA, and the PLRB planning committee. Mr. Csom is a graduate of New Haven College with advanced study at Western Michigan University.
RPA
President Southwest Claims Service, Inc.
Mr. Jackson is the past President of the California Association of Independent Insurance Adjusters (CAIIA), the organization that spearheaded development of the RPA organization, he has a commitment to the elevation of the claims adjuster community through education and mentoring. He was instrumental in the recent implementation of the SEED program (Seminar for the Evaluation of Earthquake Damage in compliance with CCR §2695), coordinated the education program, and was one of a team of instructors that provided education to the claims community throughout the state of California . He was also part of a team assembled by the California DOI to write the new test for claims agent (adjuster) licensing. Having sat on the original CAIIA Board of Directors that authorized the formation of the RPA, he has a personal interest in seeing that the vision of the organization be embraced and honored. He is also the webmaster for the RPA website.
RPA Secretary
Donna Popow: joined the American Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America in 2002. As a Director of Curriculum, she maintains the textbooks, course guides, and examinations for the Introduction to Claims course and the Associate in Claims (AIC) designation program. Ms. Popow also serves as the Director of Intellectual Property for the Institutes. Before joining the Institutes, Donna was vice president and litigation manager, Home Office Claims, for the Marine Office of America Corporation/CNA in Monmouth Junction, N.J. Her previous positions include serving as a claims consultant for The Graham Company in Philadelphia, Pa.; managing attorney for the law firm of Lewis and Wood, also in Philadelphia; and deputy executive director of the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund, New Jersey Department of Insurance, Trenton, N.J. Donna has also held claims-related positions with Hanover Insurance Company in Piscataway, N.J.; Accredited Movers, a franchise of North American Van Lines in Parsippany, N.J.; and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in South Plainfield, N.J. Donna earned an A.B. degree from Franklin and Marshall College in 1977. She received the Insurance Institute of America's Certificate in General Insurance in 1983 and became a Property Claims Law Associate in 1985. She was awarded her J.D. by Seton Hall Law School in 1988 and was admitted to the Bar in New Jersey and Pennsylvania the same year. Donna earned IIA's AIC designation in 2002, and the American Institute's Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU®) designation in 2003.
RPA Treasurer Property Claim Services After graduating from Rutgers College, Mr. Kerney began his career as an independent adjuster and value appraiser with GAB Business Services, Inc. He has been with Property Claim Services (PCS) since 1981. At PCS, he has been responsible for catastrophe identification, loss estimating, and catastrophe response and mitigation activities. He manages PCS divisional operations while remaining involved with catastrophe issues affecting both the private and public sectors. Kearney holds the professional designation of Associate In Claims (AIC) from the Insurance Institute of America. He is a member of the Loss Executives Association and currently serves as that organization's President. He is a member of the Response and Recovery Committee of the Institute for Business and Home Safety. In addition, Kearney is an associate member of the National Emergency Management Association, and he serves on NEMA's Private Sector Committee.
Doug Houser,
General Counsel
Houser is frequently involved in the resolution of complex disputes involving large claims. For example, he is acting as arbitrator in the $64 million claim for the Ted Williams tunnel collapse in Boston. Houser has tried cases in 20 different states and been involved in hundreds of trials, mediations and arbitrations in North America, Asia, the United Kingdom, Europe and South America. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and American Law Institute. He is on the Board of Trustees for Willamette University, a member of the Board of Directors of NIKE, Inc., and on the Board of Overseers of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice.
Anthony
"Tony" Clark Assistant
Vice President, Property Claims Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Tony has responsibility for supervision of several Executive General Adjusters and the management of major losses both domestic and international. He is also a member of the Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Business Income Task Force responding to major losses internationally. Before joining Allianz Global, Tony was with VeriClaim, CNA, and Continental Insurance Company. During more than 30 years in
the industry, Tony has handled many classes of property
losses with the major divisions being Manufacturing Risks, Hospitals and
Nursing Care Facilities,
Charlie Donohue--Board Member
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Gary Kerney
