John M. Word III is renowned for transforming the California insurance broker’s role in the small group health benefits marketplace through his pioneering technological and marketing advances since 1972.
Edward J. "Rusty" Brown, Jr.
Co-founder
The Word & Brown Companies
Edward J. “Rusty” Brown, Jr. is highly respected throughout the health care insurance industry for establishing and delivering standards of performance and service designed to exceed all customers’ expectations.
Jessica Word
President
The Word & Brown General Agency
Jessica Word is President of the Word & Brown General Agency, the recognized leader in developing and distributing comprehensive health benefit plan models and insurance solutions through licensed brokers.
Marc McGinnis
Vice President of National Sales
The Word & Brown General Agency
Marc McGinnis is Vice President of General Agency Sales, focused on streamlining sales processes and directing the regional leadership and sales teams.
Regional Vice Presidents
Bill Mason
Regional Vice President
Orange County
Bill Mason is Regional Vice President for the Orange County. Bill began his career at Word & Brown in 1998 as a group enroller, offering bilingual enrollment assistance to employers and employees.
Cindy West
Regional Vice President
Los Angeles
Cindy West is Regional Vice President for Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern counties.
Darrell F.H. Smith
Regional Vice President
Nevada
Darrell F. H. Smith is Regional Vice President in Nevada. A resident dating back to the early 1970s, he relocated to Nevada with his family from South Carolina.
Jan Mesa
Regional Vice President
Northern California / San Jose
Based in San Jose, Jan Mesa is Regional Vice President for Northern California, overseeing sales and service in 48 counties, from the California-Oregon border to Central California.
Vanessa Benitez
Regional Vice President
San Diego
Vanessa Benitez is Regional Vice President in the San Diego area, which includes Imperial County and San Diego County.
Leadership
Barbara Lewman
Director of Compliance
With more than 30 years of experience in the health insurance industry, Barbara Lewman reviews all regulations and develops helpful resources for brokers.
Carol White
Director of Account Management
Carol White is the Director of Account Management, where she provides direction and leadership for the team designed to enhance services to Word & Brown brokers and their clients.
Dientre Le’on
Director of Broker Resources
As Director of Broker Resources, Dientre Le’on has broad responsibilities that engage departments across the organization in addressing the needs of brokers.
Karen DeFazio
Director of Plan Maintenance
Karen DeFazio manages the Plan Maintenance team and is responsible for maintaining accurate medical, dental, vision, and life rates, plans, and benefits for all California and Nevada carriers included in the WBQuote online quoting system.
Ken Venier
Director of Product Management
As Director of Product Management, Ken Venier drives multiple product development efforts and works across the organization to translate business needs into documented implementation requirements.
Lydia Robledo
Director of Operations and Underwriting
Lydia Robledo is responsible for Small Group and Large Group Underwriting, Individual & Family Plans (IFP), Broker Resources, Plan Maintenance, and Compliance.
Paul Tran
Senior Director of Business Development
Paul Tran is Senior Director of Business Development, where he oversees Account Management, Elite Agency Partners, Carrier Relations, and Renewal Retention.
Scott Diehl
Vice President of Product Management
In his product management leadership role, Scott Diehl oversees software and insurance product strategy, identification of market trends, and broker demands in the health insurance marketplace.
