JOHN MERCHANT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CYBER and Professional Liability

John has been in the insurance industry for over 18 years, primarily focused on Cyber and Technology Risk. Prior to joining Falcon, John held various underwriting, product development and business development roles at Optio Insurance Services, Nationwide E&S/S, and The Hartford. He also spent over two years at a predictive analytics and cyber modeling start-up where he learned what a “zero-inflated negative binomial” was and how to use it in conversations.  

Fun Fact: John played rugby in college with Dave Lynders. John was better.

ANDREW MENGER

SVP, HEAD OF COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT LIABILITY

Andrew has over 25 years in the insurance industry and has held multiple leadership positions with a focus on commercial management liability. He was most recently Vice President and Management Liability Team Lead for the East Region at Berkshire Hathaway. He is admitted to the NY State Bar and graduated from Fordham University (Master of Business Administration), St. John's University (Juris Doctor), and Fordham University (Bachelor of Science Business Administration). 

Andrew is a native of Queens but now resides in Garden City, Long Island. When Andrew is not underwriting, he spends time with his wife and kids or can be found boating off Fire Island during the warm months.

Fun Fact: Andrew is a lifelong Rangers Fan, but roots for all New York sports teams, EXCEPT the Islanders.

TIM BARRY

SVP, HEAD OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Tim leads the Financial Institutions business for Falcon Risk Services.  He brings 8 years of underwriting experience and 5 years of equity trading experience. Prior to joining Falcon, Tim led the Asset Management practice at Everest Insurance. He began his insurance career at Zurich after a 5-year trading career with Cowen & Co. and Dahlman Rose.

Tim graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, where he started 4 years as safety on the football team. He was born and raised in New Jersey, and currently lives there with his wife and 3 children. 

Fun Fact: Tim is an avid golfer and a fan of basically every sport.

Danielle Cirillo

SVP, Head of Private Company Management Liability

Danielle serves as the Head of Private Company D&O at Falcon and brings over 12 years of private company underwriting experience. Prior to joining Falcon, Danielle oversaw the Private/Non-Profit Group for the Northeast and West Coast at Westchester, Chubb. Prior to Chubb, she was at AIG where she started her career. She brings experience with technical underwriting and provides solutions for out-of-the-box risks.

Danielle graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in Finance and Marketing. With two young children, Danielle does not have any free time, but she loves to dream about the day she will again. She was born and raised in New Jersey where she still lives with her husband and 2 children.

Fun Fact: Danielle has traveled to over 15 countries and has skydived in 2 of them.

Mary Spicer

SVP, Head of Cyber and Technology

Mary has over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, beginning her career on the broker side at Aon working on the lawyers' E&O team. She transitioned over to the underwriting side in 2015,  writing cyber at Freedom Specialty under the tutelage of Craig Landi and John Merchant.  From there she held multiple cyber underwriting positions, with her most recent being an AVP on the Sompo Cyber/Technology team. Mary studied Business Management at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Fun Fact: Mary was a member of the Gettysburg College Women's basketball team, which reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament in 2010. She currently ranks 5th in career assists on Gettysburg's all-time leader list, even while missing an entire season to a season-ending injury.

Edward Perrine

SVP, Head of Professional Indemnity

Edward has over 10 years of experience across both the Management and Professional Liability lines of business, with a focus on E&O and Cyber. Prior to joining Falcon Risk Services, Edward held several roles at Markel Corporation, Argo Group, and most recently, Canopius Group. He received his BA in History and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an MBA in Finance and Global Business from Rutgers Business School. 

Fun Fact: Edward grew up spending summers in Sweden on his grandfather's farm where he developed his passions for gardening and woodworking. 

Mike Sacco

SVP, Head of Architects & Engineers and West Region Leader

Mike Sacco leads the Architects & Engineers Professional Liability business line for Falcon, as well as serves as our West Region Leader, where he is responsible for driving the growth of our Management and Professional Liability products in the West. He has over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, working in both the carrier and brokerage capacity. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Professional Liability at Verus Specialty Insurance, leading all professional liability products. Prior to that, he was Director of Underwriting Management at Argo Pro, where he was responsible for the Architects & Engineers, Contractors, Miscellaneous Professional, and Real Estate related products.

Mike graduated from Menlo College with a B.A. in History, where he played 4 years of football as an offensive lineman and won All-Northwest Conference honors. He also received his M.S. in Communications from San Jose State University. Mike was born and raised in California but moved to Arizona in 2022, where his favorite thing to do is be outside in the water with his fiancée and Golden Retriever.

Fun Fact: Although he had a blessed childhood as a San Francisco 49ers fan, they have been the biggest late winter heartbreak in his adult life.

Mike O'Connor

VICE PRESIDENT, Head of Central Zone

Mike is Head of Central Zone, actively developing relationships and underwriting for the region. Prior to joining Falcon, he served as Vice President of Public Company Liability at Argo Pro. Mike has been working in the insurance industry for over 16 years and started his career on the brokerage side working for Alliant Insurance Services. After 7 years, he decided to make the switch to the carrier side and worked on the Public Company team at Travelers for several years before joining Argo’s Financial Institutions business unit.  In 2020, Mike moved from New York to Houston to help build out Argo’s Management Liability presence in Texas.

When Mike isn’t working, he spends his time on the water boating with his family or in the backyard barbequing.

Fun Fact: Mike is a huge Matthew McConaughey fan. He will rigorously defend the finer points of Fools Gold and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Brian Loughran

Underwriting Manager, Commercial Management Liability

Brian is an experienced commercial underwriter with nearly six years of insurance experience. His background is focused on underwriting Private and Public D&O, EPL, Fiduciary, and Private Equity GPL. Prior to joining Falcon Risk Services, he held roles at Axis Capital, Argo Group, and Zurich North America. Brian received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Farmingdale State College.

Fun Fact: The biggest risk Brian ever took was skydiving, but he vows to never jump out of a perfectly good plane again.

John Werner

Underwriting Manager, Commercial Management Liability

John is now an underwriting manager at Falcon Risk Services focusing on underwriting various coverages in the commercial management liability lines of business. He joined the industry in 2017 and was most recently a Senior Underwriter at Zurich, where he also focused on Public and large Private D&O, EPL, Fiduciary, and Transactional Reps & Warranties.

John holds his Master's degree in Management-International Business from Durham University (United Kingdom) and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Marywood University. Every year, John and his siblings organize an annual charity event to benefit the Melanoma Research Foundation in their late mother's honor. 

Fun Fact: John earned the nickname "Johnny Potatas" from his family at a young age due to his love for mashed potatoes. This love has broadened to any way a potato can be served. John recommends you start ordering your french fries  "well done."

Paul Pan

Vice President, Financial Institutions

Paul has 4+ years of experience in the insurance industry, most recently at Argo Pro where he played an integral role in building and managing their FI business. Prior to that, having spent over a decade as a trader in various capacities in Fixed Income at UBS, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in financial services and risk management.

Paul played HS and college lacrosse and is an avid rock climber and outdoorsman. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Chemistry/Computer Science.

Fun Fact: Paul hosts 21 chickens in his backyard, if anyone needs fresh eggs or advice on how to maintain a happy flock, Paul is the one to ask.

Sarah Bacon

Vice President, Cyber and Technology

Sarah currently serves as a Vice President of Underwriting for the Cyber and Technology E&O team. She was previously at Axis Capital Insurance Company in a similar position. Sarah has been in the insurance industry for over ten years and started her career at Zurich Insurance in Schaumburg, Illinois within the Property CAT (claims) department. She later transitioned to Zurich’s New York office for an international underwriting specialist position handling property, energy, and marine risks. Sarah holds a double Master’s Degree in Business/Finance and Human Resources.

Fun Fact: Sarah runs marathons – for fun! Her next marathon takes place in Barcelona in 2023.

Colin Coburn

Underwriting Manager, Private Company Management Liability

Colin is a senior underwriter focusing on private company management liability risks. Prior to joining Falcon, Colin was a Product Development Consultant at Nationwide, where he initially joined as a Claims Specialist for Private Company Management Liability.

Colin received his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University in 2011. He went on to pursue his J.D., which he received in 2015 from St. John’s University School of Law.

Fun Fact: Colin and his father are seeing the Boston Red Sox play in every MLB stadium. So far they have visited 15 stadiums.

Rob Hernandez

Senior Underwriter, Cyber and Technology

Rob is a certified Management Liability Insurance Specialist with over ten years of combined experience in underwriting management and analysis, cybersecurity and insurance claims and investigations. He was a Bank Examination Technician at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (U.S. Treasury Department) for several years where he specialized in Cyber Security Risk Assessments at International Financial Institutions. Robert is leveraging his regulatory and leadership experience for the benefit of Falcon Risk Services and our stakeholders.

Fun Fact: Rob is active in several organizations that benefit veterans. He is also a former US Army paratrooper and combat veteran.

Cody Olszewski

Senior Underwriter, Financial Institutions

Cody is a senior underwriter on the Financial Institutions Team. Prior to joining Falcon, he did a stint at Allied World Assurance Company’s Financial Institutions Team as well as a tour of duty at AIG’s Financial Institutions Practice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in risk management and insurance from St. John’s University’s Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science. He maintains his Charted Property Casualty Underwriter designation from the Institutes.  

When he is not underwriting, Cody is either running, golfing, playing basketball, or watching whichever New York sports team is playing. 

Fun Fact: While he does not often advertise it, since he was nine years old, Cody has been an avid trombone player. He may even play for/with you if you ask. 

Katy Kadisak

Underwriter, Cyber and Technology

Katy was promoted to underwriter for the Cyber and Technology team, having started at Falcon as an Underwriting Assistant. She has been in the insurance industry for a short time, having made the switch during the pandemic. Before she joined Falcon, she worked as a Property Claims Specialist for about a year and a half, which provided a good experience in reviewing and becoming familiar with insurance policies. 

Katy received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Boise State University. She is a proud alumna and a firm believer that the blue football field makes #1.

Fun Fact: Katy is a huge Swifty and can name almost any Taylor Swift song within the first few seconds of hearing it.

Martina Barrionuevo

Senior Underwriter, Private Company Management Liability

Martina joins us as underwriter for the Private Company Management Liability line. She has over 5 years of experience in the insurance industry. Most recently, she held a similar position as underwriter at Everest, focusing primarily on private commercial business. Prior to that, she was at Validus working in Political Risk.

Martina received her Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising from SUNY Oneonta. In her free time, she enjoys cuddling up with her dog and watching the Real Housewives.

Fun Fact: Martina is a geography buff and can place all the countries on a map in North America, South America, and Africa! She's still working on mastering Asia, Europe, and Oceania. 

Rob Balkam

Underwriter, Architects & Engineers

Rob is an underwriter supporting the Architects & Engineers team. He joined Falcon as an Underwriting Assistant after deciding to make a career change. Prior to joining Falcon, Rob spent 12 years working in various management roles in retail. The consistent nature of insurance, along with work-life balance, appealed to Rob and ultimately drove his decision to make the change. He recently welcomed a newborn son, Jaxon, into the world and utilizes his home time in his other new role, Dad.

Rob received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Farmingdale State College in 2016 and is a Long Island native.

Fun Fact: Rob is a sport junky. He plays on a men’s softball team and a men’s basketball team once a week. When he’s not playing team sports, he enjoys working out, hiking, going to the beach, or out on the water on a jet ski.

John Sanders

Underwriter, Private Company Management Liability

John is currently an underwriter as part of the Private Company Management Liability Team. He was recently promoted from an Underwriting Assistant. Although he is new to the insurance industry, John is very eager to learn and progress his career quickly. Before joining Falcon, he worked primarily in the public sector, serving in the U.S. Army, as a Youth Corrections Officer, and most recently as a county Assistant Emergency Manager.

John received his Bachelor of Science in Strategic Studies and Master of Arts in Diplomacy from Norwich University. He is proud of his alma mater’s heritage and that he was able to complete these programs while serving his country.

Fun Fact: John is fascinated with the sports and celebratory events surrounding bulls around the world. So much so, he has ridden two bulls and participated in the toirada à corda, or bullfight by rope, in Portugal. One day he hopes to be able to participate in the running of the bulls in Spain.

Frank Ambrosio

Underwriting Manager, Private Company Management Liability

Frank is an Underwriting Manager specializing in private company management liability. Prior to joining Falcon, Frank was a Senior Claims Specialist at Nationwide Management Liability and Specialty before he moved over to the underwriting world as a Senior Underwriter at Nationwide. 

Frank received his Bachelor's Degree from SUNY Binghamton and went on to receive his J.D. from St. John's University School of Law. In his spare time, Frank likes to hit the gym and play softball. 

Fun Fact: Frank has seen every episode of Seinfeld more times that he can count. 

Jillian Ruppenstein

Senior Underwriter, Private Company Management Liability

Jillian is a Senior Underwriter within the private company management liability team. Jillian holds over 5 years of insurance experience, most recently as a Senior Underwriter of Private Management Liability at Argo. Prior to insurance, she worked in college admission and event production, producing running events through the SF Bay Area and the Mavericks Surf Contest. 

Jillian received her BA in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and a MA in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco. In her free time, she can be found outdoors running trails throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Fun Fact: Jillian was an All-American swimmer and played a year on the men's water polo team in college. 

Freddy Shashaty

Senior Underwriter, Financial Institutions

Freddy joins us as Senior Underwriter on the Financial Institutions team. Prior to joining Falcon, he was in the banking industry for over 17 years. His focus was AML/KYC Compliance Operations and in Cash Management Sales. He made the switch from banking to insurance as a way to learn and explore a new industry and to build on his skills he developed throughout his career. 

Freddy is born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and decided to stay local to study at Brooklyn College.

Outside of work, you can find Freddy attending one of his daughter's many sporting events. He is also on a volleyball and bowling team.

Fun Fact: Even though Freddy was born an athlete, he hopes to have his golf score lower than his IQ one day. 

Jamie DiBella

Underwriter, Miscellaneous Professional Liability

Jamie joins Falcon as an underwriter on the Miscellaneous Professional Liability team. For the last two years, she was an E&O Underwriter at Verus Specialty Insurance and prior to that, she held various positions at WR Berkley Corporation, working in both the Internal Audit and Underwriting and Analytics departments.

Jamie graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with a minor in Psychology.

Outside of work, you can find Jamie spending her free time taking her dog, Mae, on hiking adventures, taking day trips to their local beach, or reading a new book from any genre. If time and weather permits, she'll also squeeze in weekend trips to ski locally.

Fun Fact: Jamie is currently pursuing her CPCU certification.

Melody Law

Underwriting Assistant, Cyber & Technology

Melody is an Underwriting Assistant at Falcon Risk Services. Although Melody is new to the insurance industry, she does have mortgage underwriting experience from her previous job. Moreover, she is excited for what's to come and eager to learn more about insurance.

Melody graduated from Boston University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics. Like her name, Melody loves music and has learned 4 instruments in her lifetime so far: piano, violin, clarinet, and guitar. She also loves to sing and rarely lets a day pass without singing in the shower.

Fun Fact: Melody is a huge fan of K-pop boy group Stray Kids. She was lucky enough to have seen them in concert on her birthday.

Reid Orza

Underwriting Assistant, Financial Institutions & Commercial Management Liability

Reid is an Underwriting Assistant at Falcon Risk Services, where he supports the Financial Institutions and Commercial Management Liability teams. Prior to joining Falcon, Reid was a Professional Liability Claims Assistant at Chubb Insurance Company.

He graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He enjoys watching sports and staying active in his free time.

Fun Fact: Reid is huge fan of TV shows and Movies – his favorite TV show is The Wire. He tries to keep up with all the latest content, as well as add the classics to his collection. 

Emily Yonce

Underwriting Assistant, A&E Professional Liability and Private Company Management Liability

Emily is an Underwriting Assistant, supporting both the Architects & Engineers Professional Liability team as well as the Private Company Management Liability team. Prior to joining Falcon, she was an Underwriting Assistant for the Management Liability team at Argo Group US.

Emily graduated from Illinois State University as part of the "Covid" Class of 2020, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Organizational & Leadership Communication.

Outside of work, she spends her Saturday mornings volunteering with a trash cleanup group called 'The Garbage Gals'.

Fun Fact: Emily was the youngest student to obtain her private pilot's license from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana at just 17 years old.