Preferred Mutual Insurance Company

MICHELE GRAHAM was recently appointed senior VP, chief customer officer at Preferred Mutual Insurance Company. She is responsible for establishing an enterprise agent and customer-centric culture that delivers exceptional experiences through knowledgeable, supportive, and friendly people as well as processes and technology that simplify doing business with Preferred Mutual. Graham plays a strategic role in driving strategies that market the firm’s brand and continuously advance its impact to local communities. She has held various positions of increasing responsibility in various disciplines at Preferred Mutual, including personal lines rating, agency interface, business analysis, project management, product development, shared services, and customer experience. Graham has a bachelor’s degree in business management and economics from Empire State College and holds numerous industry certifications and designations. Preferred Mutual Insurance has appointed

MICHAEL DEHETRE as senior VP, chief underwriting officer. He is responsible for providing leadership and strategic vision to the underwriting team, to product-development initiatives, and to the company’s ongoing growth and profitability initiatives. Additionally, as a member of the senior executive team, DeHetre oversees the continued implementation of Preferred Mutual’s strategic plan, with the focus on the strategic objective to advance small commercial business and product. He brings 29 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance field, with a concentration in commercial-lines underwriting. DeHetre honed his underwriting and leadership expertise at The Travelers Companies, Acadia Insurance Company, Hartford Financial Services Group, RTW, Inc., USF & G Insurance, and most recently, W.R. Berkley, where he was the chief underwriting officer for the life sciences division. DeHetre earned an MBA at the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree in general business at the University of Maryland. He holds several industry certifications. Preferred Mutual Insurance has also appointed

MICHELLE RAUE to senior VP, chief claims officer. She joined Preferred Mutual in August 2020 as senior VP of claims. During her tenure, Raue has leveraged data and analytics to measure and drive performance efficiencies as well as implement innovative claim-handling strategies to improve both the customer experience and reduce indemnity costs. She has more than 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. Her extensive claims background, contemporary vision of the future, and proven track record for driving continuous process and performance improvements, have enabled her to lead teams that exceed expectations and deliver an innovative and differentiated claims experience for the organization, its agents, and policyholders. Raue earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of South Alabama.