ProAssurance says CEO will retire

Medical malpractice insurer ProAssurance Corp. said today that lawyer Stancil Starnes will replace company co-founder Dr. Derrill Crowe as chief executive.

Dr. Crowe, 70, has decided to retire as CEO, though he will remain chairman of the Birmingham company's board.

Starnes had been managing partner of the Starnes & Atchison firm in Birmingham until late 2006, when he became president of corporate planning and administration at Brasfield & Gorrie, the big construction firm. He will become CEO of ProAssurance, the state's No. 1 malpractice insurer, on July 1.

Crowe said Starnes, 58, has been a confidante for three decades.

"I have come to believe that I should step aside as CEO in favor of someone who knows the organization, but can see it with a fresh set of eyes," Crowe said. "Stan Starnes will bring a new vision to ProAssurance while retaining the core values that have made us what we are today."

ProAssurance is the nation's fourth largest provider of medical professional liability coverage.

source : blog.al.com