First Professionals Insurance Company, Inc. (First Professionals) brings the best in the industry to its senior management table. Collectively the company’s leaders provide 206 years of insurance industry experience to our policyholders. Of that, 137 years have been dedicated to the Florida medical malpractice industry. Our team’s expertise affords our policyholders the best medical professional liability protection – inside and outside the courtroom.

Robert (Bob) E. White, Jr.
President
White joined First Professionals in July 2000 as Senior Vice President of Administration, and in November 2002 he was promoted to President. In this position he is responsible for all insurance operations of the company. White’s 39 years of insurance industry experience, 25 of which have been in Florida, set him apart as a visionary leader in the medical professional liability insurance industry. His keen understanding of insurance and health care establishes the benchmark from which First Professionals provides the optimum protection for Florida’s doctors and health care professionals.

Previously White was a Senior Vice President of Southern Division Claims for ProNational Insurance Company (formerly known as Physicians Protective Trust Fund, and now known as ProAssurance). He participated in the startup of the Medical Inter-Insurance Exchange of New Jersey and Midwest Medical Insurance Company, and worked for commercial carriers as well.

White is a magna cum laude graduate of San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration.

Lou V. Sicilian, CPA
Senior Vice President and Treasurer
Sicilian joined the company in April 2001. Prior to that he was employed with the firm Buttner, Hammock & Company, an accounting firm specializing in insurance consulting services. Sicilian received a bachelor's degree in Accounting in 1990 and a master’s degree in Accounting in 1991, both from the University of Florida. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Beth Rominger
Senior Vice President of Claims
Rominger joined First Professionals in July 2002. She manages the claims operations for First Professionals and Anesthesiologists Professional Assurance Company. She has 28 years of experience in the insurance industry, and previously was Director of Claims for ProNational Insurance Company (formerly known as Physicians Protective Trust Fund, and now known as ProAssurance).

Rominger graduated summa cum laude from Florida's Eckerd College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management. She holds Florida All Lines Adjuster and Health Care Risk Manager licenses, and is a current member of the Committee on Judicial Evaluations of the Florida Bar Association and Past President of the Florida Medical Malpractice Claims Counsel. She served as the Representative of the Professional Liability Health Care Industry on the Florida Commission on Excellence in Health Care, and is a current member of the Claims Section of the Physician Insurers Association of America.

Laura L. Archer, CPCU
Vice President of Underwriting
Archer began her career at First Professionals in January 2002 as a Senior Underwriter, then Underwriting Supervisor, and was the Assistant Vice President of Underwriting until her promotion to Vice President in 2004. She came to us from Brown & Brown Inc. in Tampa, Florida, where she was a Senior Underwriter in the Professional Programs Division.

Archer has an extensive background in underwriting and customer service. Her experience includes underwriting for several insurance companies in the northeast including Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation and Promutual Group, the largest medical malpractice carrier in Massachusetts.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bryant College in Rhode Island. Archer earned her CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters) designation from the American Institute of Insurance in 2002.

John E. Bedford II
Vice President of Information Technology
Bedford started his career with First Professionals in 1999 and was promoted to Vice President in 2006. Bedford’s experience in various technical and management positions throughout his career with First Professionals, affords him expertise in all facets of the Information Technology discipline, an integral area to our industry and our operations. As Vice President, Bedford oversees all activities related to Information Technology and Business Continuity.

Prior to joining First Professionals, he was employed by Inacom Integration where he led a Y2K project team. Ten years of managerial experience honed Bedford’s strong belief and skills in customer service and diplomacy.

Angie Nykamp
Vice President of Marketing
Nykamp joined the First Professionals' team in September 2005 as the Director of Society Relations. In April 2007 she was promoted to Vice President of Marketing. Prior to joining the company, Nykamp worked closely with First Professionals as Director, Division of Member Services at the Florida Medical Association. In particular, Nykamp was actively involved in the tort reform crisis and the Amendment 3 campaign. With more than 12 years professional experience in the health care industry, Nykamp has insight into the needs of both our policyholders and our company.

She is a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family, Child and Consumer Science. Coupled with her keen relationship-building skills, Nykamp brings high energy to the Marketing Department.

Kurt F. Driscoll
Vice President of Government Relations
Driscoll oversees all regulatory and legislative activities of First Professionals in Florida and assists in other states as needed. He started with First Professionals in June of 1988 as Vice President of Research and Development. At times, concurrent with his responsibility as Vice President of Government Relations, Driscoll also held the Vice President position for the Marketing, Risk Management, and Human Resources departments.

Driscoll’s insurance career began in 1972 with the Ohio Department of Insurance. Through the years he served as Vice President of Underwriting with Physicians Insurance Company of Ohio; Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Physicians Insurance Company of Indiana; and President of The Professionals Insurance Company.

In 2006, Driscoll was elected Secretary of the Florida Insurance Council (an advocacy organization) and sits as a member of its Executive Committee. This officer position was the first step of four offices and should culminate with his election as Chairman of the Florida Insurance Council in mid 2009. The Florida Insurance Council membership is made up of the licensed property, casualty, life and health insurance companies writing nearly all of the insurance business in the State of Florida.

Carol A. Lanfri, Esquire
Assistant Secretary and Senior Legal Counsel
Lanfri provides specialized defense for our policyholders against Board of Medicine and other licensing board investigations. Her superior expertise in this area of law comes from her work as a prosecuting attorney for the Florida Board of Medicine and lead prosecutor for the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine prior to joining us.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Florida State University (FSU), and a Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from FSU College of Law. Lanfri is a member of the American Bar Association, Florida Bar, and the Florida Bar Health Law Section and Administrative Law Section.

Cliff Rapp, LHRM
Vice President of Risk Management
Rapp oversees risk management services for First Professionals and Anesthesiologists Professional Assurance Company. He has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, specializing in medical malpractice claims, loss prevention, and risk management.

Rapp is a licensed Health Care Risk Manager, Charter Member of the Florida Medical Malpractice Claims Council, Deputy Member of the Risk & Insurance Management Society, member of the Florida Hospital Association and Florida Society for Healthcare Education and Training, and a board member of the Florida Patient Safety Corporation.

He has authored numerous insurance, medical and dental professional liability articles, is published internationally, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of our Preventive Action newsletters. Rapp is a national speaker on medical malpractice litigation, loss prevention and risk management topics. He has served as guest lecturer for numerous universities, state and local medical societies, specialty societies, professional insurance organizations and more.

He joined First Professionals in November 2000, and previously worked for ProNational Insurance Company (formerly known as Physicians Protective Trust Fund, and now known as ProAssurance), Kemper Insurance Group and The Guardian Life Insurance Company. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Education and Business.

Fred Scheriff
Vice President of Claims
Scheriff, who has more than 28 years experience with medical professional liability claims, joined First Professionals in July 2002. Prior to joining our company he was Vice President of Claims for ProNational Insurance Company (formerly known as Physicians Protective Trust Fund, and now known as ProAssurance). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John's University. Scheriff is based out of First Professionals’ claims office in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He is a member of the Florida Medical Malpractice Claims Council and PIAA.

Robert (Rob) L. Wortelboer Jr., Esquire
General Counsel, Vice President and Secretary
Wortelboer is responsible for providing a broad range of legal services to First Professionals and its affiliate insurance companies and insurance agency, involving corporate matters, contracts and all aspects of insurance regulatory law. He is also responsible for a legal department that provides representation to policyholders of First Professionals and Anesthesiologists Professional Assurance Company before health care licensing boards.

Prior to joining First Professionals in 1998, Wortelboer served as Associate General Counsel to the Florida Physicians Association, an affiliate of the Florida Medical Association and as counsel to Florida Physicians Association Legal Defense Insurance Company. He is a former partner in the law firm of Weidner and Wortelboer located in Jacksonville, Florida, which was primarily involved in the representation of physicians and physician-owned entities in health care law issues.

Wortelboer received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1990 with a major in finance, and a Juris Doctorate degree in 1993 from Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, Indiana. He is a member of the Florida Bar, the Florida Bar Health Law Section, the Legal Section of the Physician Insurer Association of America and the American Corporate Counsel Association.