Elected Officers Serving You

David A. Bruce, President and CEO

David was raised in Lake Bluff, the home of ELCO Mutual Life and Annuity. He attended Bradley University and Barat College before beginning his career in ELCO Mutual’s new business department in 1985. Shortly after, he became an assistant vice president. Upon the retirement of its claim manager, David transitioned to the claim department in 1989. In 1996, he received his ALHC designation from the International Claims Association and was subsequently named a vice president and received his designation of ACS from LOMA. In 2006, David was elected ELCO Mutual’s executive vice president. He and his wife have one daughter and one son.

Eric Myers, Corporate Secretary and General Counsel

Eric relocated from Tennessee, where he gained invaluable experience working for BlueCross BlueShield. He has practiced law for over 20 years and has worked at various insurers, including Aetna and AIG. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. In 2020, Eric joined us as our new general counsel, where he will be responsible for all legal and regulatory compliance issues impacting ELCO. In his role, he will provide strategic legal advice and support to all ELCO’s departments and functions, including advising ELCO’s management on new and existing laws and regulations that impact ELCO. Eric is an avid reader of science fiction and loves playing and watching a variety of sports.

Paul Grawe, Executive Vice President and CFO

Paul began his insurance career as an agent in 1986 after studying business administration at Quincy College in Quincy, Illinois. He served as secretary and treasurer of a fraternal benefit society for over 20 years prior to joining ELCO Mutual in October of 2011. His background includes all phases of the statutory life and non-equity/indexed annuities and administration thereof. Paul joined ELCO Mutual to assist in the policyholder services area as well as provide additional insight for the company in the industry. He has received the Fraternal Insurance Counselor Fellowship designation, among other credits. Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons, who play baseball and softball. When time allows, Paul also enjoys playing golf.

Silvio Rodia, Vice President and CRO

Silvio graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering and a master’s in Applied Mathematics from DePaul University. He has spent almost 20 years as an actuarial consultant, primarily serving fraternal benefits. In August 2018, he came to ELCO Mutual and became our Chief Risk Officer in February 2020. He is responsible for risk management across all facets of the company. Silvio is an avid sports fan and loves to take road trips across the USA with his wife and three kids.

George Seyter, Vice President and CISO

After spending four years in the Marine Corps, George found a position in banking and worked his way up the corporate ladder to Operations Officer. Eventually, due to mergers/acquisitions, he found himself in the IT area of expertise and never looked back. Before joining ELCO Mutual, he worked in IT Support for Condell Medical Center and P&C insurance companies. A few years later, George wanted to make a change. ELCO Mutual realized that his talents and experience could help the company grow and hired him in our IT Department. He currently holds the role of Chief Information Security Officer, where he oversees positioning the IT department towards ELCO’s growth and maintaining security for ELCO’s greatest asset, its policyholders. In his downtime, he loves to walk his dog, ride his motorcycle, and go antiquing with his wife. 

Ponni Nainar, Vice President and Treasurer

Ponni acquired her master's degree in accounting in India and her certified public accountant (CPA) license in the United States. She worked for over 10 years as a senior manager for a manufacturing organization in India and headed the company's finance and taxation departments until she joined ELCO Mutual in 2014 as a part-time employee. It didn't take long for Ponni to quickly rise through the ranks, first becoming the accounting supervisor, then the controller and treasurer, and, finally, a vice president. Ponni has worked diligently to grow ELCO Mutual's accounting department and is an invaluable member of the executive team.

Lori Lemme, Vice President of Human Resources

Lori graduated from the University of Northern Illinois in 1987. Shortly after graduating, she began working at Radio America, where she gained experience in positions spanning collections, sales, marketing, and human resources. During her 22-year tenure, she rose to the rank of vice president. Lori joined ELCO Mutual in 2010 and quickly became an instrumental member of the team. She has acquired many designations, including the SHRM-CP and PHR designations for human resources. However, human resources is not Lori's only focus; building a culture that goes above and beyond in volunteering, donation, and organizational sponsorship opportunities is just one of the lasting impressions Lori has created. Outside of work, Lori enjoys contributing at her church, playing sports, and spending time with her daughter.

Bill Bruce, Vice President of Operations

Bill graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2016. He began his ELCO Mutual career as a Marketing Analyst in 2017 and then quickly climbed the company ranks. Over his tenure, Bill has been involved in various marketing and sales-focused projects while dabbling in the underwriting space. Outside of work, Bill enjoys attending baseball games, visiting new places to eat, and traveling to see his friends out west.

Fred Wilmsen RHU, ChHC, Vice President of Business Development

Fred has over 30 years of experience in the industry across a wide array of sales-focused positions, including being part of the executive team of a national Field Marketing Organization (FMO), owning and developing his own insurance agency, and serving as a Regional Vice President of an insurance carrier. His diverse experience will prove to be invaluable as we continue to grow our distribution channels nationally with insurance professionals.