APEI News
New Member School Districts and Municipalities Join APEI
APEI is pleased to announce that several new members have joined the APEI program this year. On the municipal side, the cities of Cordova and Valdez have joined the program; Cordova actually fits under both our municipal and school district programs, because they include the school district under the municipal umbrella. APEI also welcomes two fire districts, the Girdwood Fire District and Chugiak Fire and Rescue.
Under our schools program, in addition to Cordova we added to the program seven charter schools from Anchorage: Eagle Academy, Highland Tech, Aquarian, Winterberry, Rilke Schule German, Family Partnership, and Alaska Native Cultural Charter School.
APEI Welcomes New Faces
There have been several staff changes at APEI in recent months.
In July 2007, Judy Kennedy came on board as the new Office Manager. Judy has a great deal of administrative experience, most recently with the Juneau Economic Development Council. Judy is handling a wide variety of duties for the company, including general administration, finances, and marketing.
In December, Jennifer Ulibarri joined APEI as our new administrative assistant. Jennifer is assisting Judy on administrative matters and also supports the claims staff.
On May 1, 2008, APEI’s new Liability Claims Manager, Scott Jordan, will begin work for the company. Scott comes to APEI from the State of Alaska, where he has been the state’s Risk Manager for the past eight years, overseeing state workers' compensation and tort claims. Scott will be directly managing the company’s liability and auto claims. We especially look forward to having Scott focus on coordinating loss control efforts with identified claim problems. Scott will work closely with our Loss Control Coordinator, Mike Lary, to identify specific issues and set up programs to help members reduce related claims.
Margot Knuth, APEI Deputy Director/Claims Manager, Retires
Margot Knuth, who joined APEI in 2002, is retiring this spring 2008. A long-time attorney with the State of Alaska, Margot brought an unusual and very effective perspective to the job of managing APEI’s claims. One of Margot’s first tasks was to identify unnecessary costs associated with handling of claims by an outside adjusting firm. Margot then began the process of bringing almost all of APEI’s claims management in-house. As a result, APEI has seen a significant reduction in claims and adjusting costs in recent years, along with great improvement in claims adjustment performance as determined by our claims auditors.
Margot has been an exceptional asset for APEI, and she will be sorely missed. However, since she plans to remain in Juneau (with frequent travels to other climes), we expect to see much of her in the future.
APEI Announces Board Changes
At its Spring 2008 meeting on March 28, the APEI Board of Directors appointed Mark Vink to a vacant position on the board. Mark is the Business Manager of the Bering Strait School District, where he replaced long-time APEI board member and former board chair, Kerry Jarrell. We are very pleased to have Mark join the board and look forward to working with him.
At its Fall 2007 meeting held on October 19, the APEI Board of Directors elected Larry Semmens as the new Board President, replacing long-time board member Kerry Jarrell. Larry is the Finance Director for the City of Kenai and has served on the APEI board for five years. Larry was most recently the board’s Vice-President and Chair of the APEI Budget & Audit Committee. Bob Herron was elected Vice President.
The APEI Board also approved the appointment of Karen Goodwin to an open board seat, replacing Harlan Harmon, who unfortunately had to resign for health reasons. Karen is the business manager for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. This is Karen’s second time on the APEI board, and her experience, thoughtfulness and expertise are most welcome on the board. APEI wished Harlan a speedy recovery and long retirement.
At the meeting, APEI said goodbye to Kerry and another long time board member, Al Weinberg. Together Kerry and Al represented over 20 years’ experience on the board, institutional memory that will be missed. The members, board and staff of APEI owe them each a huge debt of gratitude, and we wish them all the best in their respective retirement endeavors.
APEI Adds Coverage for Volunteers
APEI is pleased to announce that effective September 1, 2007, all APEI members will enjoy the benefits of new insurance coverage at no additional cost.
On our members’ behalf, APEI has purchased coverage from CIMA Insurance for community members while they are volunteering at a member school or municipality. This coverage applies to all volunteers and provides first dollar (no deductible) coverage for up to $25,000 in health care costs, in the event a volunteer is injured, and up to $1 million in liability protection for acts of the volunteers.
These new coverages apply to volunteers not already covered under APEI policies; volunteer firefighters and other emergency medical volunteers are already covered for workers’ compensation under the APEI program.
Read more about the new coverage. Note: APEI has not purchased the excess automobile liability coverage discussed on pages 4-5 of the program description.
You can download the form on our Claim Forms page.
APEI Moves its Offices
In July, APEI moved to new office space in Juneau. Our new digs are at 2233 Jordan Avenue in the Mendenhall Valley. Our phone numbers remain the same.
APEI Broker and Friend, Dave Carlson, Passes Away
Dave Carlson, APEI's insurance broker since 1998, passed away at his home in Edmonds, Washington on May 24, 2007 from esophageal cancer. Dave was a long time friend of APEI and a business associate of former APEI director John Haywood for almost 30 years. Dave was highly respected in the insurance industry, specializing in commercial and municipal insurance. His hobbies included playing guitar, singing and enjoying listening to music, boating, and perfecting his barbecue skills. He will be remembered as a loyal husband and father of four grown boys, a hard worker, and a fun-loving, intelligent friend. Dave, we will miss you.