Responsibilities
Tim Svoboda is passionate about data-driven decision-making. As an expert in risk financing strategies, Tim equips clients with the tools they need to evaluate options such as captives, risk retention groups, and commercial market alternatives. As a trusted advisor, Tim guides clients through entire the captive’s life cycle: from feasibility and implementation until dissolution or divestiture. Tim is a member of the Alternative Risk Practice and aids the expansion of Conner Strong & Buckelew’s alternative risk offerings in both the Property & Casualty and Employee Benefits departments.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Tim was a member of the Risk Finance Practice at Lockton Companies, where he gained valuable experience consulting on efficient program design for complex clients. Throughout this role, Tim developed a strong foundation in quantitative risk analytics and a keen interest in alternatives to traditional methods of purchasing insurance.
Education
University of Kansas – Bachelor of Science in Finance
Professional Designations
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)
Associate in Captive Insurance (ACI)
Associate in Risk Management (ARM)
Associate in Reinsurance (ARe)
Associate in Insurance Accounting and Finance (AIAF)
Responsibilities
Matthew Doyle works alongside the firm’s Employee Benefits clients to ensure that all organizational objectives and priorities are being met. He works directly with the clients as a strategic partner to provide benefits and financial analysis, renewal negotiation, vendor evaluation and implementation, communication strategy, and trusted ongoing support.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Matt worked for over 12 years as a Senior Consultant for Armstrong, Doyle & Carroll. During this time, he worked directly with clients from all industries and sizes. Matt used his experience to provide clients with comprehensive support, assisting with all matters from the organizational level, to overseeing employee support.
Education
University of Scranton – Bachelor of Arts in Finance
Professional Designations
Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS)
Responsibilities
Derek Jaffe serves as a key member of the service team, focusing on plan analysis, product line financial evaluations, and trend and cost analysis of claim history. He is responsible for analyzing and negotiating fully insured renewals, developing self-funded medical, Rx, and dental projections. In addition, Derek tracks financial performance of the client health plans, analyzes different plan cost drivers on behalf of the client and assists with union negotiation requests.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Derek worked in the actuarial department for AON from 2017 until 2021. His responsibilities included leading health and benefits financial teams for middle market clients and assisting in financial support for large market clients. His main areas of focus included healthcare self-funded pricing, reserving, plan design modeling, benefits harmonization, union negotiations, and contribution modeling for Health Systems, Manufacturing, and Professional Service firms. He also developed and presented materials for the client’s healthcare strategy, benchmarking, and budgeting.
Education
Temple University, Fox School of Business – Bachelor of Business Administration in Actuarial Science
Professional Designations
Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA)
Responsibilities
Taruja Deshmukh is the InsurTech Solutions Manager for Conner Strong & Buckelew. In this role, Deshmukh leads labs. BY CONNER STRONG, the firm’s centralized innovation hub, focused on improving operational efficiencies, enhancing the customer experience, creating an innovation and inclusive culture, and driving innovation forward in the industry. Deshmukh manages various projects designed to explore, evaluate, and implement insurtech solutions to achieve the firm’s innovation goals through collaboration with leadership across all departments and active engagement with employees. Deshmukh also supports relationships with external partners in the insurtech community, as well as the company’s initiatives within BrokerTech Ventures, the first broker-centric, broker-led insurtech platform.
Background
Deshmukh joined Conner Strong & Buckelew in June 2011, after graduating Temple University with her undergraduate degree in Risk Management & Insurance and International Business. While at Temple University, Deshmukh was actively involved in the Risk Management & Insurance program and completed internships with Travelers Insurance and Marsh USA. Most recently, Deshmukh earned her AIDA (Associate in Insurance Data Analytics) designation, which focuses on the conception and application of utilizing big data in the insurance industry and adopting innovation into the company culture.
Education
Temple University – Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management & Insurance and International Business Administration
Professional Designations
Associate in Insurance Data Analytics (AIDA)
Associate in Risk Management (ARM)
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)
Responsibilities
Kevin Mullen is responsible for new business development and relationship management at Conner Strong & Buckelew. Kevin focuses on producer mentoring and Merger & Acquisition activities.
Background
Kevin has more than 40 years of experience in sales, strategic planning, and client service management. He has gained experience at both national and regional companies in the brokerage/consulting, TPA, and stop loss/reinsurance segments of the industry. Prior to rejoining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Kevin had been the founder and owner of Ironview Employee Benefits, LLC, which was acquired by OneDigital.
Education
St. Joseph’s University – Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Professional Designations
Life & Health Insurance License – Pennsylvania
Responsibilities
Charity Richart is responsible for the onboarding development and implementation of technical training programs for all Property & Casualty personnel. She develops, implements, and maintains processes, procedures and standard documents. Charity preserves an online database for trainings and standard materials to promote adherence to company procedures and guidelines. She is a proactive innovator of training and technical solutions, working on several key projects and practice groups to enhance efficiencies. She participates in various technology initiatives to promote professional development, efficiency, teamwork and commitment to Conner Strong & Buckelew’s corporate goals.
Background
Charity is an insurance professional with over 25 years of claims experience. Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, she spent 9 years with The Graham Company providing claims advocacy services including facilitating claims strategy meetings, overseeing claims, and providing proactive communication between clients and insurance carriers. Prior to her working in a broker advocate role, Charity gained experience as a Claims Representative. In this capacity, she worked with both carrier and Third-Party Administrator firms, managing a wide range of insurance risks across diverse industries in both public and private sectors throughout the nation.
Licenses & Certifications
Certified Strengths Coach – Gallup
Property & Casualty Producer License – NJ, PA & DE
Professional Designations
Associate in Claims (AIC)
Associate in Insurance Services (AIS)
Community Involvement
Charity is an active member of The Institutes Insurance Broker Advisory Board where she provides strategic guidance on educational programs and professional development initiatives, influencing the future of broker education. Charity also participates in The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, where she collaborates with industry leaders to identify emerging trends and serves as a thought leader, promoting industry innovation and excellence.
Responsibilities
Carole Mack leads the Public Entity Practice for Conner Strong & Buckelew which provides risk management and insurance services to governmental entities in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Background
Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Mack was President of Buckelew & Associates, a real estate and insurance firm located in Toms River, New Jersey. Buckelew & Associates was purchased by Conner Strong & Buckelew in November of 1996. Mack was responsible for overall agency operations that employed a staff of 50 people.
Mack has 45 years experience in the insurance industry and is currently maintaining the Certified Risk Manager, Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Professional Insurance Women designations. She has successfully completed three parts of CPCU.
She has served on the Board of Directors of Liberty Bell Insurance Company and New Jersey Alliance, Bermuda Captives.
Professional Designations
Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC)
Certified Risk Manager (CRM)
Certified Professional Insurance Woman (CPIW)
Community Involvement
Mack served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Community Medical Center. She is a former President of the Toms River Sunrise Rotary. She is a member and former President of the Board of Directors for Ocean’s Harbor House. Mack has been involved with the Princeton Insurance Company Advisory Council, the Agents and Brokers Advisory Council for New Jersey Department of Insurance, the Selective Insurance Company Producer Council and the St. Paul Producer Council. She is a former committeewoman of the Farmers Home Administration and is also a past chairwoman of the INA Producer Council. She is currently a member of the Toms River Police Foundation.
Responsibilities
Lisa Vanore is responsible for setting the vision and direction for the Claim Advocacy and Consulting Department, a key differentiator of Conner Strong & Buckelew. The department is a 45-member diverse team that is focused on protecting clients. Lisa manages daily operations to ensure efficient claim handling and superior consulting services to our customers. She works closely with senior executives to drive optimization of operational efficiencies, and elevation of client service.
Lisa is also an active participant in the Alternative Risk Practice Group and the Environmental Practice Group at the firm, both of which work to address current coverage issues related to their respective lines of business.
Background
Lisa brings over 16 years of enterprise-level risk management experience to Conner Strong & Buckelew. Her experience spans various industries including, public companies, hospitality, and higher education where she was responsible for directing claims and litigation management strategies. Prior to joining Conner Strong & Buckelew, Lisa served as the Director of Risk Management for a large casino, where she spearheaded the development and oversight of comprehensive risk management and loss control programs designed to reduce the total cost of risk.
Education
Temple University, Fox School of Business – Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Marketing
Professional Designation
RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)
Management Liability Insurance Specialist (MLIS)
Responsibilities
Andrew Still brings a technical, solutions-oriented approach to designing and implementing customized risk management programs tailored to the unique needs of commercial clients. He provides comprehensive risk analysis, ongoing strategic guidance, and dedicated support across the Construction, Financial Institutions, and Professional Services sectors.
Background
Andrew joined Conner Strong & Buckelew in 2024, bringing more than 12 years of experience in risk consulting and forensic accounting. He previously specialized in complex financial disputes and investigations, including third-party risk, fraud risk management, insurance claims preparation, and post-acquisition disputes. Andrew’s deep expertise in M&A advisory and litigation consulting allows him to identify critical coverage gaps and structure insurance programs that safeguard clients’ long-term interests.
Education
La Salle University – Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Finance, Minor in Risk Management & Insurance
Professional Designations
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS)
Community Involvement
Legal Clinic for the Disabled – Treasurer & Member of Executive Committee
Movember Foundation – Community Ambassador & Philadelphia Representative
