Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon

Doug Wertz was elected president of the Louisiana Claims Association during a board meeting at the LCA 2021 Annual Educational Conference and Trade Expo held June 7-9 at the Crowne Plaza Baton Rouge.

A member of the New Orleans Claims Association, Wertz was LCA’s Claims Person of the Year in 1999 and served as parliamentarian from 2019 until being installed president this year.

During the last 30-plus years, Wertz has worked on the agency and company sides of insurance business handling claims and IT. He has been in the insurance business since he went to work for Liberty Lloyd’s Insurance Company in 1987. Later, he worked for the Powell Insurance Agency, then was wooed to a position with National Automotive Insurance Company. Following National Automotive, he realigned with former associates at Powell working for Independent Insurance Associates for a dozen or so years, and following IIA, he landed a job with Clockwork Insurance where he has worked for the last 10 years and currently is the agency’s claims administrator.

Wertz has been active with the Fore!Kids Foundation for nearly 20 years. He was encouraged to get involved by a golf pro at Lakewood Country Club where the New Orleans classic golf tournament was once played. The Fore!Kids Foundation was previously called the Classic Foundation, Wertz said, and the name was changed to Fore!Kids about 15 years ago.

Fore!Kids raises money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events, such as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Golf Ball Gala, a kids’ summer junior tour and several charitable golf tournaments. In fact, Fore!Kids has raised just over $40 million since its inception in 1958, and provides healthcare, education and hope for more than 200,000 children each year.

Wertz chaired the tournament in 2014 and was recognized by the PGA in 2015 for his service.

Wertz is a member of the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association. His family raises cattle on their property near Amite.

A 1984 graduate of Nicholls State University, Wertz holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Wertz succeeds Brad Lowe, Summit Holdings, as president of LCA. Lowe is a member of the Baton Rouge Claims Association. He was elected president of LCA in 2019.

In addition to Wertz, other officers elected are Vice President Randall Keiser, Keiser Law Firm, Central Louisiana Claims Association; Secretary Nita Bush, MG Bush Safety and Claims, Mandeville; Treasurer Kris Shortess, Louisiana Claims Administrators, Baton Rouge Claims Association, and Parliamentarian Rose German, Sedgwick, Northwest Louisiana Claims Association.

The 2022 Annual Educational Conference and Trade Expo is scheduled for June 8-10 at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi.