Kara Skinner

CEO
Integrity Surety LLC

Kara Skinner is a third-generation surety professional with an extensive background in surety, helping clients understand and obtain surety credit. Over the years, Kara has worked with many surety companies, retail agents, obligees, attorneys, engineers, and contractors. She has managed the surety bond department of a major insurance wholesale brokerage. Kara is a past President of the Surety Association of Washington, a member of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers, and an active member of several committees of other insurance and construction organizations. In this episode of the In The Know podcast, Chris Hampshire and Kara dive into all things surety, including the process of how it works and how the 4,000-year history of surety is shaping the future of the industry.

 
Ben Boas

Risk Management and Insurance graduate, University of South Carolina
Markel Underwriting Trainee Program (UTP) participant
Markel Specialty’s Mid-Atlantic Environmental team in Richmond, VA

Ben Boas is an Underwriting Trainee for Markel Specialty’s Environmental team in Richmond, VA. He graduated from the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business in 2023 with a degree in Risk Management and Insurance, with a concentration in Business Analytics. Throughout his academic career, Ben completed various internships with Wholesale & Specialty groups as well as the Philadelphia Insurance Companies. He served as the University of South Carolina’s Gamma Iota Sigma chapter president and was a CPCU Society student member. He currently holds an ARM designation from The Institutes and is pursuing both his CPCU and ASLI designations. In this episode of the In The Know podcast, Chris Hampshire and Ben discuss his internship opportunities, how writing has impacted his career, and his experiences as a member of Gen Z entering the insurance industry.

 

Connor Thomson, CPCU, WRP

Law Clerk, Stickley Law, LLC
Law Student at Villanova University

Connor Thomson is a second-year law student at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. After graduating summa cum laude with University Honors from Saint Joseph’s University’s Maguire Academy of Insurance and Risk Management in 2022, he matriculated to Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. In March 2023, at the age of twenty-three, Connor earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation and began his tenure at Stickley Law, LLC, a boutique insurance defense firm that specializes in fighting fraud. In this episode of the In The Know podcast, Chris Hampshire and Connor consider what Gen-Z is looking for in the insurance industry, what compelled Connor to earn his CPCU designation at such a young age, and what the future of the insurance industry could look like.