A. Wellford Tabor, Chairman

Mr. Tabor is the Chairman of Richmond National. Mr. Tabor is an experienced private equity investor with significant investment experience in the Excess & Surplus lines industry and other areas of the insurance and financial services industries. Mr. Tabor served as a Director of James River Group, Inc. from 2003 until the business was sold in 2007. Mr. Tabor is Head of Direct Investments at HF Capital and has been the Managing Partner at Keeneland Capital since May 2009. Prior to forming Keeneland Capital, Mr. Tabor was a Partner at Wachovia Capital Partners (“WCP”), where he worked since 2000. Prior to WCP, Mr. Tabor served as a Director of The Beacon Group in New York, NY. He began his business career in the Investment Banking division at Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc.  Mr. Tabor earned a Master of Business Administration from The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and an Undergraduate Degree in History from The University of Virginia.

Joe Kavanagh, Director, President & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Kavanagh has over twenty-five years of corporate finance, merchant banking and financial advisory experience within the insurance industry. During his career, Mr. Kavanagh has worked with a number of entrepreneurial management teams to form and capitalize several successful specialty insurance companies. Prior to founding Richmond National, Mr. Kavanagh spent three years in the investment banking group of Compass Point Research & Trading (“CPRT”). Prior to CPRT, Mr. Kavanagh spent fourteen years at FBR & Co. (“FBR”) in Arlington, Va., where he helped to build, and ultimately lead, FBR’s Insurance Investment Banking Group. Prior to joining FBR, Mr. Kavanagh worked in the Financial Institutions Group of First Union Securities, subsequently Wachovia Securities, in Charlotte, N.C. Mr. Kavanagh ’s prior experience included working for the Marsh & McLennan Companies and CIBC Oppenheimer in New York, NY. Mr. Kavanagh earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington & Lee University and a Master of Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Nora N. Crouch, Director, CPA, CPCU

Ms. Crouch is a Director of Richmond National and is the Chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Crouch has almost forty years of accounting, operating and executive experience, with significant prior experience in the excess and surplus lines insurance industry. During her twenty year tenure at the Markel Corporation (NYSE:MKL), Ms. Crouch held roles of increasing responsibility within the company’s finance function, with the last ten years spent serving as the company’s Chief Accounting Officer. In her role as Chief Accounting Officer, she oversaw Markel’s global tax, SEC and statutory reporting, accounting policy, operational accounting, and the controllership functions. She also served as the finance subject matter expert for the company’s mergers and acquisitions, as well as its organizational and cost transformation initiatives and system implementations. Ms. Crouch currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA) and of Canal Insurance Company, where she also serves as Audit Committee Chair. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Advisors of James Madison University’s College of Business and is a member of the Board of Advisors of the UNC School of Law’s Directory Diversity Initiative. She previously served as a Board Member of Markel Ventures, Inc. and AMF Bakery Systems. Prior to joining Markel, Ms. Crouch served in tax and accounting roles at The Family Channel, Best Products, Life of Virginia, and EY. Ms. Crouch began her professional career as an auditor in the Richmond, Virginia office of PwC upon her graduation from James Madison University. Ms. Crouch is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter.

Bob Hitch, Director, CPCU, ARe

Mr. Hitch is a Director of Richmond National. Mr. Hitch has almost fifty years of operating experience in the specialty property & casualty insurance industry in underwriting and management roles. Mr. Hitch currently serves as the Chairman of Boston Insurance Brokerage and is a Director of Princeton Property Casualty LLC. Mr. Hitch began his insurance career in 1971 as an underwriter at Aetna Life and Casualty prior to joining the Great American Insurance Company. During his twenty-seven year career at Great American, Mr. Hitch held roles of increasing responsibility in underwriting and management, ultimately becoming a Divisional President. Mr. Hitch then served as the CEO of Mitsui Marine Management USA and Chief Operating Officer of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group for a total of six years including a term as a Director of Mitsui Sumitomo Americas (North and South America) until retiring in 2007. Mr. Hitch is a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter and served as Regional Vice President and a National Director of the CPCU Society.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics from the University of Kentucky. Mr. Hitch also has completed a Postgraduate Graduate Executive Program at the University of Cincinnati.

Trey Sheridan, Director

Mr. Sheridan is a Director of Richmond National. He is the Managing Partner of Bonhill Capital and a founding partner of Ridgemont Equity Partners, where he is currently a Senior Advisor. Mr. Sheridan has significant investment experience in the Excess & Surplus industry and other areas of insurance and financial services. He was formerly a board member of Swett & Crawford Group, Republic Companies and Acordia. Prior investments also include Aeolus Re, Alterra, Paris Re and Wilton Re. Mr. Sheridan was a founding partner and served as Managing Director and Co-Head of the Americas of BAML Capital Partners and a founding partner of Bank of America Capital Investors (BACI), where he focused on Media and Financial Services companies. Prior to BACI, Mr. Sheridan was on the corporate finance team at the former NCNB Corporation. He also spent two years in investment banking and capital markets positions at PaineWebber, Inc. Mr. Sheridan earned a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University. 

Charles Slatery, Director

Mr. Slatery is a Director of Richmond National. Mr. Slatery’s primary occupation since 2004 is as the Chief Executive Officer of NFC Investments, LLC, a SEC-registered investment advisory firm located in Memphis, Tn. Mr. Slatery also serves as the President, Chief Investment Officer and Director of Riverview Acquisition Corp. From 1985 to 2004, Mr. Slatery served as Vice President of NewSouth Capital Management, a SEC_registered investment advisory firm. Mr. Slatery also serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of WT Holdings, Inc., a multi-line insurance holding company. He is also Chairman of Hollywood Feed, LLC a multi-unit pet food/supply retail operation. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University where he majored in history and has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee.

Jim Zech, Director

Mr. Zech is a Director of Richmond National. Mr. Zech has almost forty years of experience in the insurance industry as a private equity investor, investment banker and attorney with significant prior investment experience in the Excess & Surplus lines industry. Mr. Zech has served as a Director of several E&S and other specialty insurance companies including Front Royal Group, James River Group, Rockhill Holdings, Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp., Eastern Insurance Holdings and Max Re Capital (Alterra). Mr. Zech is the co-Founder of and has served as President of High Ridge Capital LLC since its formation in 1995. He currently serves as an Insurance Industry Advisor at The Beekman Group, LLC and is the Vice Chairman of American Overseas Group Inc., and a Director of Princeton Property Casualty LLC. From 1988 through 1995, Mr. Zech was an investment banker covering the insurance industry at S.G. Warburg & Co. Inc. and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation. From 1984 to 1988, Mr. Zech worked at American Independent Reinsurance Company, where he served as a Corporate Secretary and Counsel from 1984 to 1985 and as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1986 to 1988. From 1982 to 1984, Mr. Zech was a Corporate Attorney with the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Mr. Zech earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.