Effective July 29, 2022, the Mississippi State Rating Bureau Board of Directors announces the retirement of Joe Shumaker and Gary Kettleman.
Mr. Shumaker served with the Bureau for over forty-two (42) years and as Manager since November 2006. Mr. Shumaker first joined the Bureau in 1980. He previously served as Superintendent of the Public Protection Department and was appointed Assistant Manager in 1998. Mr. Shumaker assumed the role of Manager during the turbulent times following Hurricane Katrina, successfully leading the Bureau, the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association, and the Mississippi Residential Property Insurance Underwriting Association thru the aftermath. Mr. Shumaker is recognized not only in Mississippi but also around the country as a leader in the residual property insurance markets as well as affairs and matters of Bureaus generally. We know you will join us in extending congratulations to Mr. Shumaker on a job well done and our sincere good wishes that his days of retirement are filled with happiness and good health.
We are also pleased to announce the appointment of Lee Harrell to succeed Mr. Shumaker as Manager. Mr. Harrell has been serving as General Counsel for the Bureau since February of 2021. Prior to that Mr. Harrell worked with a regional law firm chairing their Insurance Regulatory Law Group and before that was Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel for the MS Department of Insurance. Mr. Harrell has represented insurance industry clients in all fifty states and multiple foreign jurisdictions.
The Bureau is also announcing the retirement of Gary Kettleman. Mr. Kettleman is Superintendent of the Sprinklered Building Division of the Bureau. Mr. Kettleman first
joined the Bureau in 1981 and served the Bureau for 41 years. Mr. Kettleman was first appointed Superintendent of the Sprinklered Building Division in 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Kettleman was promoted as the Inspection Supervisor in 1998 for the Sprinklered Department. We want to ask you to join us in extending congratulations to Mr. Kettleman on his tenure and a job well done. We want to extend to him best wishes and good luck as he moves into his retirement.
The Bureau is also pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin McWilliams to succeed Mr. Kettleman as the Superintendent of the Sprinklered Building Division. Mr. McWilliams
served with the Bureau for a combined 17 years. He first joined the Bureau as a field rating representative in 1998 but left for a brief time-period before rejoining the Bureau in 2003. He’s served as the Assistant Superintendent of the Sprinklered Building Division since 2017. With the appointments of Mr. Harrell and Mr. McWilliams, we believe that the Bureau, the insurance
industry and the customers of the Bureau, MWUA and MRPIUA will continue to be well served. We ask that you continue to support these two gentlemen and the entire Bureau staff.