Charles P. Kwolek Jr. CPA, CFE, CPCU, AIS, CLU, ChFC, PMP, CGMA
President and CEO
Charles P. Kwolek Jr. serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of AIPSO, a national organization providing management, professional, and technical services for residual markets of the property and casualty insurance industry. He leads a team of more than 500 AIPSO employees countrywide who are dedicated to delivering quality services to AIPSO customers, including almost all state automobile insurance plans, several property plans, and others in the insurance industry. Prior to joining AIPSO as vice president and team leader of Field Operations in 1994, Mr. Kwolek worked for eight years in the State of Rhode Island’s Department of Business Regulation. He held the positions of deputy chief and chief insurance examiner before rising to the position of associate director and superintendent of insurance. Mr. Kwolek also has eight years of public accounting experience. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Providence College.
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Frank J. Pensabene API, AIS
Senior Vice President and COO
Frank J. Pensabene leads the home office and regional/remote office staff responsible for the delivery of all AIPSO services, regulatory and industry affairs, customer liaison, regional office management, and management team leadership. He also directs AIPSO’s Insurance Operations. Mr. Pensabene joined AIPSO in April 1999 as the resident manager of its Mt. Laurel, New Jersey regional office, and was promoted to director of Field Operations in 2006. In 2011, he was promoted to Director, CAIP Services & Field Operations, and promoted again in 2014 to Vice President of Field Operations. Named AIPSO’s Chief Operating Officer in 2020, Mr. Pensabene is responsible for all operations throughout the organization. Prior to joining AIPSO, he worked at General Accident Insurance for more than 30 years; the last twelve as manager of that company’s Automobile Insurance Plan (AIP) department. Mr. Pensabene is a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.
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Joseph Agresta PMP
Vice President–Information Systems & Processing Services and CIO
Joseph Agresta is responsible for managing AIPSO's automated environment in both its home office and regional offices, as well as systems development, data verification and processing, and statistical report production. He also directs staff responsible for telecommunications, building services, and mail functions. A member of AIPSO staff since 1977, Mr. Agresta served in a variety of roles in the ISPS department before his promotion to vice president in 1992. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Binghamton University in New York.
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Amy L. Hicks FCAS, MAAA
Vice President–Actuarial Services and Chief Actuary
Amy L. Hicks directs the AIPSO staff responsible for providing actuarial services to Automobile Insurance Plans and several property insurance mechanisms. She joined AIPSO in 1991 as a member of the Commercial Actuarial unit. She transferred the following year to the Private Passenger Actuarial unit, where she rose to the position of assistant actuary, responsible for private passenger automobile rate filings in all jurisdictions where AIPSO sets rates. Ms. Hicks was promoted to vice president in 2013. She graduated cum laude from Bryant University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a special concentration in applied actuarial mathematics.
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Robert S. Powers JD
Vice President–Legal and Compliance Services, General Counsel and Secretary
Robert S. Powers supervises AIPSO’s Legal and Compliance Services department. He previously served as deputy chief legal counsel to the State of Rhode Island’s Department of Business Regulation, responsible for regulations governing insurance, banking, real estate, securities, and related areas. Before that, he served in private practice with a major Providence law firm. Mr. Powers received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, and his Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, LA. He is a member of the Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
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Adam LaFlamme
Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Adam LaFlamme serves as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), leading initiatives to enhance technology and streamline software engineering strategies. Before joining AIPSO, he was Head of Software Engineering for Middle and Large Commercial Market IT at The Hartford, spearheading efficiency measures, performance improvements, and digital transformation efforts (which resulted in savings of $4 million annually and reduced average system response times by 50% while significantly improving the quality and stability of their platforms). He also held several leadership positions at Insurity, including VP of Development, where he implemented enterprise architecture and digital capabilities, and earned the Agile Transformation Leader award in 2018. He began his career at James McGuinness and Associates and MassMutual Financial Group, focused on technology modernization prior to Y2K, E2E (end to end) engineering practices, and project leadership. Adam holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with minors in economics and management and is a certified Scrum Master and SAFe Agilist.
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Barry Zalcman
Vice President–Insurance Operations
Barry Zalcman directs all of AIPSO’s Insurance Operations, including oversight of policy processing systems, underwriting, and state/federal regulatory requirements implementation. Barry has over 35 years of insurance industry experience, including 17 years at Travelers as Vice President of Commercial Lines auto overseeing a $2B portfolio where he developed new products, created operational/platform efficiencies, and evaluated underwriting strategies. He also served as Head of Product for AIG, responsible for a $1.5B admitted/non-admitted portfolio. Barry has served on multiple governing committees overseeing residual market operations as a representative of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Connecticut.
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Michelle A. Cunniff APA, CPP
Senior Director and Chief of Human Resources
Michelle A. Cunniff oversees the delivery of employee services including recruiting, compensation, performance management, employee benefits and organizational learning programs. She works with senior leadership to ensure compliance with company policies and related federal and state employment laws. Ms. Cunniff joined AIPSO as an internal auditor in 1998. She was promoted to Human Resource Services (HRS) in 2002 as a human resources manager where she managed a variety of HRS functions. Ms. Cunniff was selected to lead the HRS department as HRS director in 2014, and was elevated to senior director and chief of human resources in 2024. Prior to joining AIPSO, she held commercial underwriting, premium auditing and management positions with Aetna Casualty & Surety and The Beacon Mutual Insurance Company. Ms. Cunniff is a retired military officer from the Rhode Island Air National Guard and had leadership roles in the Personnel and Equal Opportunity career fields. She double majored in Insurance and Management from the University of Rhode Island and completed the URI Honors Program, and holds a Master’s degree in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Mary S. Farnum MBA, CIA, CISA, CFE, CRMA, CRISC, CDPSE
Senior Director and Chief of Audit Services
Mary S. Farnum directs the financial, operational, system and compliance audits of various AIPSO home office and Plan functions. She also directs the servicing carrier compliance audits of various residual market mechanisms. Ms. Farnum joined AIPSO’s Audit Services department in 1994 as a staff auditor, and was promoted to the positions of senior auditor, audit supervisor, manager, and director before her elevation to senior director and chief of Audit Services in 2024. Prior to joining AIPSO, she served as a field auditor for a Fortune 500 ranked retailer, a senior financial auditor and department officer for a Rhode Island banking institution, and an internal review specialist for the FDIC division of Depositor and Asset Services. Ms. Farnum holds a Bachelor of Science degree in financial accounting from Rhode Island College, and a Masters degree in business administration from Johnson & Wales University.
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Kevin M. Leeman CPA, CPCU, PMP, CGMA
Senior Director and Chief of Financial Operations
Kevin M. Leeman leads the Financial & Investment Services staff that performs accounting, budget, and investment functions for AIPSO, all AIPSO-managed Plans, and several residual market mechanisms. He joined AIPSO in 1990 as accounting manager, assuming overall responsibility for the maintenance of financial records, preparation of statutory financial statements, completion of annual audits, and investment of cash. He was promoted to director of Financial & Investment Services in 1995. Mr. Leeman was named senior director and chief of financial operations in 2024. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rhode Island, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.
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