Executive Team

Chairman

Thomas Newgarden

Mr. Newgarden is an analytics-driven insurance executive with over 30 years of experience, leading efforts to profitably grow carriers across the property and casualty spectrum, with a primary focus on personal lines. His areas of expertise include predictive modeling/data science, product management/development segmentation, Insurtech/business development, underwriting, and actuarial disciplines. Mr. Newgarden played an instrumental role in the successful acquisition and rehabilitation of National General Insurance (formerly GMAC insurance), including Executive Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer, Chief Analytics Officer, and President of National General Preferred, culminating in the successful sale to Allstate Insurance. Prior to National General, Mr. Newgarden enjoyed similar achievements in profitable growth as Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer at AIG Private Client Group, Senior Vice President of Personal Lines at Safeco Insurance, and Vice President of Underwriting at Plymouth Rock Assurance. Since leaving Allstate in 2022, Mr. Newgarden has primarily worked as a consultant and advisor to carriers and other insurance entities including Jerry Insurance and Aspire General Insurance. Previously, his Board experience included the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, among others. Mr. Newgarden graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics/mathematics from Binghamton University.

President

Meryl Golden

Ms. Golden joined Kingstone in September of 2019 as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In October of 2021, Ms. Golden was elected President.  

Ms. Golden brings over 25 years of insurance experience to Kingstone and will drive strategic priorities and accountability initiatives.  She was head of business development at Arity’s Insurance Solutions, and served in Northeast  Regional General Management positions at Liberty Mutual and Progressive Insurance.  Ms. Golden was also General Manager at Earnix, North America and Management Committee Advisor at Bridgewater Associates.  

Ms. Golden received her MBA from University of Chicago and Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania.  She is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

 

SVP, Chief Actuary

Sarah Chen

Ms. Chen joined Kingstone in November of 2020 as the company’s Chief Actuary. Ms. Chen is responsible for the reserving, pricing, financial planning, financial reporting and analysis, reinsurance management, and product management functions of the company.

Ms. Chen brings more than a decade of experience in personal lines pricing, reserving and other actuarial responsibilities. Most recently, she was a Senior Pricing Manager at Homesite, a subsidiary of American Family, where she was responsible for ratemaking for their ~$2 billion homeowners, renters, and condo book. Previously she was an Actuarial Manager at Plymouth Rock, a northeast regional insurer focused on auto and home. Ms. Chen also worked at XL Insurance, the Hartford and Travelers in various actuarial roles.

Ms. Chen is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a CFA charterholder. She has a M.S., Applied Mathematics from Brown University and a B.S., Mathematics from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

 

 

Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Jennifer Gravelle 

Ms. Gravelle joined Kingstone in January 2023 as the company’s Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Gravelle is responsible for managing Kingstone’s finance and accounting operations.

Ms. Gravelle brings 20+ years of leadership experience in the P&C insurance industry and expertise in coastal-focused property insurance. She most recently served as CFO of Slide Insurance, and previously served as CFO of both Allied Trust Insurance Company and Olympus Insurance Company, and as Controller at HomeWise Insurance Group.

Ms. Gravelle earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Champlain College.

 Secretary and General Counsel

Thomas G. Seccia, Jr.

Thom joined Kingstone Insurance Company in 2008 and serves as its Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Corporate Secretary, General Counsel, and General Manager.  He also serves as a Director for Kingstone Insurance Company, Chairman of its Nominating Committee, and as a Director for the Underwriters Rating Board.  Furthermore, he serves as Assistant Secretary for Kingstone Companies, Inc. and is a member of the New York Insurance Association Legal Committee.

His prior employment includes 14 years with a New York-based property casualty insurance company, serving the company’s various regulatory, reinsurance, and risk management needs.  In addition, he spent four years litigating with insurance defense firms in New York City and on Long Island. 

Thom was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Nassau County.  He is a graduate of Chaminade High School and received a BA from the University of Richmond in 1989.  He earned a JD from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in 2004.  He holds CPCU, AIC, AU, ARM, ARe, AIS, ARC, AIM, AIT, API, AAI, AMIM, and ACP insurance designations.  He was admitted to the NYS Bar and the USDC for the Eastern and Southern Districts of NY in 2004 and is a NYS Notary Public. 

Vice President, Operations

Shannon Matty-Provvisiero

Ms. Provvisiero joined Kingstone in 2009 and currently serves as Director and Vice President, Operations. In this role she is responsible for the enhanced performance of the Underwriting, Customer Service, Billing and the Filing Service teams within Kingstone.

She previously served as VP, Business Transformation and Experience. In this role she was responsible for new product system design, programming and implementation, with a large focus on user experience. She has also served as VP of Marketing and Agency Relations, where she led the New York Marketing team and was responsible for growth, profitability, distribution, and producer relationships. Ms. Provvisiero was responsible for developing the Customer Service department at KICO, and successfully built a strong team focusing on increasing the customer experience through technology and improved products and relationships. Before being promoted to Vice President in 2016, Ms. Provvisiero served KICO as it's New York State Marketing and Customer Relations, Manager. She has taken the lead on many key company projects during her tenure with Kingstone.

Ms. Provvisiero has over 15 years of insurance industry experience holding various positions involving underwriting, claims, and sales on both the carrier and agency side. Ms. Provvisiero holds a Bachelor's degree from SUNY Old Westbury and maintains her P & C Broker and Agent license in multiple states throughout the northeast.

Vice President, Chief Technology Officer

Sara Mikulski

Ms. Mikulski joined Kingstone in June 2022 as the company’s Vice President, Chief Technology Officer. Ms. Mikulski is responsible for managing our IT organization and accountable for the company’s systems and data strategy, IT security, infrastructure, development, support, and vendor management.

Ms. Mikulski brings 15+ years of experience in the IT arena, leading effective teams and enhancing IT operations. Most recently, she was the Deputy CIO at UPC Insurance, where she was responsible for the delivery of numerous projects aimed at consolidation of platforms and reduction of technical debt. She also held leadership and technical IT positions within the insurance industry at Esurance. Ms. Mikulski also worked at several other companies in various IT-focused roles.

Ms. Mikulski has a B.S. in Information Technology from University of Phoenix.

Senior Vice President, Chief Claims Officer 

David Fernandez

David Fernandez joined Kingstone in November 2023 as Senior Vice President, Chief Claims Officer. Mr. Fernandez is responsible for all aspects of claims including accuracy, customer service, and efficiency. 

Mr. Fernandez brings over 25 years of insurance experience leading claims strategy and execution to Kingstone. Most recently, he was Vice President of Claims for Point32Health. Previously, he held senior claims positions at Progressive and Liberty Mutual where he led organizations of over 1,000 claims professionals and spearheaded numerous transformation initiatives. Mr. Fernandez also served as Vice President of Claims Digital Transformation at Unum. 

Mr. Fernandez earned his B.A. from Colby College and MBA from Babson College.   

Senior Marketing Manager

Christine Porter

Ms. Porter joined Kingstone in 2018 and currently services as the Senior Marketing Manager. In this role she is responsible for managing the New York Marketing team, and is responsible for profitability, growth, distribution, and producer relationships. In addition, she is responsible for the New England states.  

Ms. Porter brings over 25 years of insurance experience to Kingstone. She was the director of sales at a large RI independent agency, a senior sales representative for Travelers Insurance and worked as a claim’s rep and sales manager at Progressive Insurance for over 12 years.

Ms. Porter has a B.A in English Literature from Worcester State University.