Meet Our Leadership Team
Our leadership team leverages decades of industry expertise to craft innovative solutions for the unique challenges of the life sciences sector. Their deep understanding of the space, combined with a commitment to excellence, ensures our clients are equipped to navigate risks and seize opportunities with confidence.
Emily Urban, J.D.
President and Cofounder
Emily Urban has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, the last fifteen of which have exclusively involved the life sciences segment.
Before assuming the role of president, Ms. Urban served as the Global Field Officer, overseeing field operations, distribution, and strategic business development. Before joining Berkley Life Sciences, Ms. Urban held various management positions, including an Eastern Technology Zone Underwriting Manager. In addition, she was responsible for underwriting, profit, service, and talent management for the northeastern zone. Ms. Urban is a graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University, and she obtained her law degree from Suffolk Law School. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.
Melissa Powers
Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer
Melissa D. Powers has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, including over 20 years of experience in underwriting life science business. Ms. Powers began her career as a broker at a global broking and risk management company and then worked as a specialty underwriter for a large commercial insurance carrier.
Prior to joining Berkley Life Sciences, Ms. Powers held positions of Senior Underwriter and Department Manager for life sciences accounts at a multinational insurance carrier in the Technology Insurance Specialty Division. Melissa graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance.
David Bryton, J.D.
Senior Vice President, Chief Claims Officer
David Bryton has more than 25 years of experience across the insurance and legal industries, including private legal practice and senior in-house claims leadership roles.
He began his career in 1993 as an attorney with a Washington, D.C.-based law firm, where he specialized in surety law and commercial litigation. He later transitioned in-house, serving as Managing Claims Counsel for a major insurance organization, where he handled complex, high-exposure matters involving design professionals, construction risks, and sophisticated coverage issues.
Mr. Bryton joined Berkley Life Sciences in 2013 and currently oversees all aspects of the company’s Claims Resolution Department, setting strategy and providing oversight for complex, high-severity claims. In this role, he leads the evaluation and resolution of complex product liability and professional liability matters, supporting the company’s underwriting and risk management objectives within the life sciences sector.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School, where he was a member of The George Washington Law Review.
Claire Pollard, SHRM-CP, PHR
Vice President, Human Resources & Operations
Claire Pollard has over 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. Ms. Pollard began her career as an Operations Trainee with a major insurance carrier, where she subsequently held several management positions in their New Jersey, Manhattan, and Connecticut offices. During this time, Ms. Pollard also served as the Operations Integration Manager for the merger of two insurance carriers. In this capacity, she focused on implementing the successful integration of culture, systems, process, and organization. Prior to joining Berkley Life Sciences, Ms. Pollard was employed by life science manufacturing company where she managed operations for its specialty products and services. Ms. Pollard joined Berkley Life Sciences in 2009 and serves as the VP of Human Resources and Operations. She is a graduate of Drew University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science and History.
Andrea Kanefsky
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Andrea Kanefsky brings over 30 years of expertise in the property and casualty insurance sector. Andie began her career at a specialty property and casualty insurance company, where she gained foundational experience in financial leadership and became the Chief Financial Officer. In 2013, she joined W. R. Berkley Corporation’s operating unit, Clermont Specialty Managers (now Berkley Luxury Group), as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In 2016, she transitioned to W. R. Berkley Corporation’s headquarters, taking on the role of Vice President, Corporate Controller.
A graduate of Bucknell University, Andie earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Management.
Lisa K. Krist
Vice President, Chief Customer Focus Officer
Lisa Krist brings over 30 years of insurance experience to her role as Berkley Life Sciences’ Chief Customer Focus Officer. Ms. Krist has been exclusively engaged in building and placing domestic and foreign insurance programs for life science firms for over 15 years. She has extensive experience in areas such as primary and excess Products Liability, Errors and Omissions Liability, online underwriting and quoting platforms, and insuring foreign clinical trials. Lisa’s additional roles within the organization, including International Underwriting, Product Development, and leading Field Underwriting, have well-positioned her as Customer Focus Officer, assisting her colleagues in meeting customer, broker, and insured needs.
Ms. Krist previously worked at multinational insurance carriers, holding numerous underwriting and management positions. In addition, she has experience as a broker from her role as a Technology Practice leader at an insurance agency in Tampa, FL. Ms. Krist graduated cum laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature and earned an MBA from the University of Tampa.
Christopher Dorko, ARM, ARM-PE, CFPS, CHMM
Vice President, Risk Management Resources Officer
Christopher Dorko has over 32 years of experience in life sciences risk management working in the property and casualty insurance, pharmaceutical development and preparation, and medical device research and production industries. He began his career working for surgical medical device and pharmaceutical companies where Mr. Dorko’s responsibilities included site engineering, workplace safety, facility protection, and GMP compliance. During this time, he participated in multiple-design and construction projects for validated pharmaceutical and biologics manufacturing operations. Prior to joining Berkley Life Sciences, he was a Senior Life Sciences Loss Control Specialist with a major carrier where he performed multi-line exposure analysis and client risk services for a large and highly diverse life sciences book of business.
Mr. Dorko has been active in training underwriting and loss control staff in specific exposure identification and mitigation, developing and supporting engineering and underwriting exposure management guidelines, and providing risk management consultation to clients and brokers. He has extensive experience in loss mitigation for critical industry-specific operations including research facilities, biologics storage, biopharmaceutical, and process flow continuity planning. Mr. Dorko has authored several articles on life science facility loss prevention and disaster recovery planning, and he is a Professional Firefighter in New Jersey. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Science degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology, and an MPA with a focus on Organizational Crisis Management from the University of Colorado.
Scott Burke, FCAS
Vice President, Actuarial Manager
Scott brings more than 20 years of P&C insurance experience to Berkley Life Sciences, focusing on commercial lines, including Workers’ Compensation, General Liability, Commercial Auto, Umbrella & Excess, and Commercial Property. He has led actuarial teams providing pricing and analytical services at several global insurance carriers, supporting business units including P&C Programs, Contract Binding, Alternative Markets, U.S. Primary Casualty, and Treaty Reinsurance.
Scott has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University.
Randy Culver, AU, AIS, CIC
Vice President, Property & Casualty Specialist
Randy Culver has over 30 years of experience working in the property and casualty segment. He was formerly a Commercial Lines Underwriting Specialist for a major insurance company. He began his career as an Operations Supervisor and subsequently an Operations Analyst where he designed and managed various automation projects, developed workflow solutions, and developed and implemented training programs. Mr. Culver also worked as a Business Analyst with an insurance software company where he helped companies identify and implement automation opportunities.
Phillip Skaggs, J.D., CPCU
Vice President & Chief Legal & Regulatory Affairs Officer
Phil brings over ten years of legal, coverage, and compliance experience as counsel at Berkley Life Sciences. He began his career as a law clerk in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago, where he drafted judicial orders and opinions for insurance coverage declaratory judgment actions. Phil later transitioned into a coverage counsel and litigation position at a national law firm, where he worked on a range of commercial property and casualty coverage disputes. Before joining Berkley Life Sciences, Phil was employed with the American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS), a national not-for-profit insurance advisory organization. At AAIS, Phil drafted coverage forms, managed compliance developments and filings, represented AAIS as a subject matter expert on specialty insurance programming, and advised company leadership on various corporate and legal matters.
Phil is a graduate of Virginia Tech and obtained his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is admitted to practice in Illinois.
Erica Smith
Vice President, Operations Manager
Erica Smith has over 14 years of experience in the insurance industry. Specializing in operations, she was instrumental in developing and implementing Berkley Life Sciences’ policy issuance and servicing processes following the establishment of the company in 2007. Since then, she has managed a team of operations specialists and has been at the forefront of designing, migrating, and testing key insurance operating systems. Erica is frequently called upon to design workflows to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of many of the company’s most important services and applications.
Erica graduated from The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA, with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts.
Maria-Cristina Smith
Vice President, Products & Professional Liability Specialist
Maria-Cristina (MC) Smith has more than 15 years of insurance industry experience, having held underwriting roles of increasing seniority in several Property & Casualty (P&C) departments. Prior to joining Berkley Life Sciences, MC worked at two global insurance carriers in various divisions, including Major Accounts Umbrella, Middle Market Multinational, Major Accounts Multinational, and most recently, Middle Market Life Sciences, where she underwrote multiline P&C. MC has a BA from Princeton University in Comparative Literature, and an MS degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in International Business from New York University.
Derek Dow
Vice President, Western Region Leader
Derek Dow brings over 15 years of diverse experience in the insurance industry, with a strong foundation in underwriting, broking, and portfolio management. He began his career as an underwriter with a global insurance carrier, managing international insurance programs from Vancouver. He later transitioned to a leading North American brokerage firm, where he specialized in client service and the design and execution of complex insurance programs.
Before joining Berkley Life Sciences, Mr. Dow led a portfolio encompassing medical malpractice, life sciences, and digital health risks for one of Lloyd’s largest syndicates. In this role, he was responsible for portfolio strategy, construction and management, product delivery, and stakeholder engagement along with reporting relationships in Canada, the UK, Spain, and Singapore. Additionally, he served as Country Manager for Canada and Director, representing Canada as part of the North American Management Committee.
Mr. Dow holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University, with concentrations in finance and accounting.
Steve Harris
Steve Harris brings more than 30 years of insurance expertise, including 25 years dedicated to underwriting life sciences programs. Before joining Berkley Life Sciences, Steve held a variety of field and home office roles with two leading multinational insurers. Throughout his career, he has partnered closely with brokers nationwide to write and service life sciences accounts and has collaborated across multiple functional areas to design innovative insurance products and services tailored to the unique needs of the life sciences industry.
Steve earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and economics from Duke University.
Cindy Khin, CPCU, AIC, ARM, CCMP
Life Sciences Casualty Resolution Director
Cindy Khin is an expert in claims and litigation management with more than 25 years of experience managing and directing high exposure litigation, pharmaceutical and medical device product liability litigation and professional liability litigation. Ms. Khin has consistently placed a premium on delivering exceptional results while providing high-quality service and expertise to the Life Sciences and now brings this knowledge and expertise to Berkley Life Sciences. Most recently, Ms. Khin served as the Chief Claims Officer for a national insurance carrier. In this capacity, she was responsible for pharmaceutical and medical device claim investigation and settlement oversight, defense counsel selection, litigation management, trial preparation/supervision, claim reserve audits and assessments. Her specialties include general litigation management, negotiation, mediation and litigation management for mass torts and class actions.
Ms. Khin holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designations from the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (the Institutes), Associate in Claims, Associate in Risk Management and certificates in Claims Law from the Institutes, as well as designations in Supervisory Management and General Insurance. Ms. Khin has taught CPCU classes in the Washington, DC area and is a frequent lecturer presenting on claims and litigation management topics before a variety of audiences.
John Swain
Assistant Vice President, Claims
John Swain has over 26 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. John started his career working for one of the world’s largest third-party claims administrators where he held various positions including Senior Claims Representative and Supervisor. In these roles, he investigated and resolved litigated auto, general liability, and product claims. He also served as a Claims Branch Manager for a staff responsible for handling auto, general liability, and product claims for a Fortune 100 company. Prior to working at Berkley, he was a Senior Account Executive with a third party administrator where he managed the oversight of workers’ compensation, auto, and general liability claims. He is a graduate of Winona State University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree.
Andy Herbert
Assistant Vice President, Claims Manager - Workers’ Compensation
Andy Herbert has over 35 years of experience in the property and casualty industry, focusing solely on Workers Compensation. He began his career at several major insurance companies where he held various positions including field investigator, court negotiator and claims supervisor of the New Jersey Workers Compensation claims unit. He also supervised the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern Workers Compensation teams. Prior to working at Berkley Life Sciences, Mr. Herbert worked as a Senior Claim Officer of a multi-national insurance company, where he supervised the New Jersey Workers Compensation unit. He also spent five years in their Workers Compensation Special Investigative Unit. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.
Katie Vaitkus
Assistant Vice President, Territory Manager
Katie Vaitkus brings over 15 years of expertise in the life science insurance industry, with a strong focus on underwriting products, professional liability, and excess liability. Before joining Berkley Life Sciences, Katie played a crucial role at a Managing General Underwriter (MGU), where she was instrumental in developing and expanding the company's book of business. In addition to her production underwriting responsibilities, she served as the referral underwriter for clinical research liability accounts.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Towson University.
Quinn Muldoon, CLCS
Assistant Vice President, Territory Manager
Quinn Muldoon is an innovative and collaborative industry professional with extensive life science-specific underwriting experience. He is customer-focused with a commitment to profitable production underwriting and portfolio management. Over his career, he has specialized in property and casualty lines as well as Products Liability/E&O for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, medical device, and clinical research spaces. He spent his career at multinational carriers, where he wrote all lines of coverage with a focus on large complex Products Liability/E&O programs. He is dedicated to continued growth and adaptability to keep pace with the dynamic Life Science industry.
Quinn graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’ s degree in economics.
Medora West, CHMM, CSP, CFPS, MPH
Assistant Vice President, Risk Management Consultant
Medora has over ten years of industry experience spanning complex, high-hazard industries, including oil and gas and manufacturing, prior to transitioning to risk management in insurance. This foundation naturally evolved into her focus on the life sciences sector, where she specializes in assessing and managing complex property and casualty risks and product liability.
She has been a key contributor to the growth of Berkley Life Sciences' Western Territory portfolio, partnering with underwriters and insureds to translate technical risks into actionable insights that drive risk mitigation and operational resilience. In addition to her work with underwriters and insureds, she continually develops and provides broker training focused on emerging risks and evolving market challenges.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety & Health from the University of Central Missouri and a Master of Public Health from Capella University. She is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), and Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS).
