Liz Renius Smith Joins Assurance to Lead Employee Benefits Practice; Jackie Gould Assumes Role of Chief Opperating Officer

SCHAUMBURG, IL (November 24, 2008) – Assurance Agency, Ltd., based in Schaumburg, IL, has announced the addition of Liz Renius Smith. Smith, whose official title will be Executive Vice President, takes over for Jackie Gould as Employee Benefits Practice Leader. Gould will become Assurance’s Chief Operating Officer.

Most recently, Smith served as Senior Vice President, Practice Leader of Employee Benefits for Hub International; a role she held since July, 2006. At HUB, Smith was responsible for the overall vision and strategy of the Employee Benefits Department. She served as a member of HUB’s Midwest Executive Management Team and was a member of the HUB International National Employee Benefits Leadership Team.

Prior to her tenure as Senior Vice President and Practice Leader, Smith held various roles within HUB from 2000 to 2006 including that of Producer, Account Executive, and Account Manager. Her career began in Chicago as a District Sales Manager for Celtic Insurance in 1999.

Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999 from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. While in school, she was a four year letter winner and team captain of the Northwestern Women’s Volleyball Team. She is a member of the Aetna National Advisory Board, Union League of Chicago, Executive Club of Chicago, and the Northwestern University NClub.

Jackie Gould returns to the role of Chief Operating Officer at Assurance, a title she previously held from 2001-2005. As COO, Jackie spearheaded and led many of the major corporate initiatives during that time which led to significant revenue growth.

Assurance’s President and C.E.O. Anthony Chimino commented on the change. “We’d been operating without a C.O.O. since 2005. Recently, our strategic plans solidified that over the next 5–10 years, Assurance will continue to escalate its growth and expansion. It was clear we needed someone to take back the leadership of our operational, professional, and technological development efforts. We would not be able to continue to win and improve without a quality C.O.O. And since we already had a great one in-house, I’m thrilled Jackie’s agreed to reassume this role for us.”

With respect to the hiring of Liz Renius Smith, Tony added, “Liz is a tremendous addition to the Assurance organization. Her intelligence, creativity, and overall attitude make her a perfect fit for our culture, and will be a key player in helping us reach our strategic goals.”