Susan E. Ahlers is a graduate of the University of Richmond and brings to the insurance industry a wide range of field experience investigating and evaluating both personal and commercial lines claims. Her expertise encompasses large habitational exposures, main street businesses, manufacturing and warehousing, agriculture and farming, and specialty risks.
Susan began her career with Selective Insurance Company handling subrogation and commercial property claims. Since that time, she has worked with numerous national and regional insurance companies investigating all lines of insurance. Susan has worked in the capacity of Adjuster in Charge for a national independent adjusting firm and held the positions of Large Loss/Commercial Claims Manager, VA State Catastrophe Coordinator, and Commercial Claims Specialist for Nationwide Insurance Company.
Susan's passion is for anything and everything habitational risk. This includes condominiums, co-ops, townhouses and mixed-use properties as well as the Associations that umbrella this style of shared/collective living. Her skills at evaluating the legal language of governing documents and determining the recommended response of the entities involved are well known to industry professionals.
Susan has participated in the capacity of appraiser and umpire in the appraisal process and has been a speaker at the nationally recognized PLRB conference. She was named Woman of the Year in the National Association of Professional and Executive Women (NAPEW) 2010 registry for "Women of Excellence" for her leadership in the insurance industry.
Michael P. Sharkey - AIC
Michael P. Sharkey is a graduate of James Madison University and brings a wide range of investigation and negotiation techniques to his profession.
Michael started his insurance career with Nationwide Insurance Company. At Nationwide, he showcased his superior claim handling skills as a top performing field representative investigating homeowner, commercial, auto, watercraft, and motorcycle claims. Michael received his Associate in Claims designation in 1991. Shortly thereafter, Michael advanced into the position of Property Claims Manager for the central Virginia market.
Michael is viewed as an industry leader in the management and resolution of high value and complex claims, specifically, those involving public adjusters. His principled methods of gathering information from all sides and informing all parties involved in an expeditious manner has lead to the resolution of complicated claims to the satisfaction of involved parties.
Prior to his career in insurance, Michael put his criminal justice education to use as a special investigator. He conducted activity checks, background searches and workers compensation surveillance. Michael was also retained by private counsel to peform pre-trial civil and criminal investigation work.