Bios

Ben earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration degree from the University of Arkansas in 1971 before returning to the family businesses of insurance, banking and agriculture. He has served on the board of directors of Southern Pioneer Property & Casualty Insurance Company since its incorporation in 1981, and was named its president in 1984.

Hal obtained his business administration degree in 1977 from the University of Arkansas. In 1980 he received his master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. He has been involved in the management of Southern Pioneer and been a member of the board of directors since 1981.

Brian received a B.S.B.A. in accounting from the University of Arkansas in 1995, a J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1998, and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University in 2004.  Brian has served in a management role as the secretary and treasurer and member of the board of directors of Southern Pioneer Property & Casualty Insurance Company since 2008.

Hunter graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. In 2009 Hunter graduated from The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University, and then worked as a producer at id Software for two years. Hunter has worked at Southern Pioneer since 2012. He currently manages the company's InsuranceNow implementation.

David earned his Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in Risk Management and Insurance from Georgia State University. He then went on to obtain his Master’s of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance from Georgia State University. David is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) candidate, and has over 20 years of insurance industry experience.

David Zehner serves as Vice President of Claims for Southern Pioneer Property & Casualty Insurance Company, where he provides strategic leadership for the organization's claims operations and is committed to delivering exceptional service to policyholders while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

David brings more than 30 years of claims experience to Southern Pioneer, including over 27 years in progressive claims leadership roles. Prior to joining Southern Pioneer, he served as Director of Claim Management for Travelers, where he led large, multi-state claims organizations and was responsible for driving operational performance, developing high-performing teams, and implementing initiatives focused on customer experience, quality, and efficiency.

Before Travelers, David held leadership and claims positions with the Maryland State Treasurer's Office, the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, and Allstate Insurance, giving him broad experience across personal and commercial auto, property, liability, and litigation claims.

Dedicated to lifelong learning and professional development, David earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and holds the prestigious Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. He believes that strong leadership is built on investing in people, developing future leaders, embracing innovation, and creating an environment where continuous learning and collaboration drive outstanding results.

Known for his approachable leadership style, strategic mindset, and passion for the insurance industry, David is focused on strengthening Southern Pioneer's claims organization while ensuring policyholders receive fair, timely, and compassionate claims service. His extensive industry experience, commitment to excellence, and forward-thinking approach position him to help guide Southern Pioneer as it continues to grow and evolve.

Eric started his interest in computers, programming games for his own entertainment, in 9th grade on the Commodore-64. In 1994, he graduated with two degrees from Belhaven University in Computer Science and Psychology. After college, he started a 16 year career in software development for the insurance and banking industries. He was instrumental in development, team management and promotion of policy administration and claim adjudication systems for small to mid-range regional insurance carriers. In 2010, he moved into the business side of insurance to oversee the IT department for Southern Pioneer.

Chandra received her Bachelor's in Accounting in 2006 and her Master's in Accounting in 2007 from Arkansas State University. She obtained her CPA license in 2011 and has over 10 years of accounting experience in the insurance industry. She joined Southern Pioneer in 2021. 

Angie graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1993 with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and currently holds CIC, AIS, and AINS designations. She has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry specializing in property and casualty sales management with an emphasis on growth and profit. Angie joined Southern Pioneer Insurance in November of 2022 as the Vice President of Marketing. She brings to our team her sales, marketing, and management expertise from a national insurance carrier and most recently a regional insurance company. In her free time Angie enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, gardening, and boating on the Tennessee River.

In 1993, Marilyn started her insurance career in Nashville, Tennessee, handling all direct and agency-billed accounts, premium refunds, agency commissions and shareholder dividends, eventually progressing to a management position overseeing the company’s local branch. Marilyn came to Southern Pioneer in 2003 and played an important role in the development of the company’s personal lines division.  She currently serves as personal lines division manager and has oversight of the underwriting and policy service branch located in Lawrenceburg,Tennessee. Outside of the office, Marilyn enjoys spending time with her two children and four grandchildren.

Amy graduated from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. She joined Southern Pioneer and began working in the Garage Liability department that same year. During her 27 years with Southern Pioneer, she has worked in roles of increasing responsibility. She is currently the Commercial Lines Product Manager. In addition to overseeing the Garage Liability products, she also manages the Dealer Bond and Liquor Liability products. 

Janet obtained her business degree from Arkansas State University in 1999. She was a member of the FBLA-ΦßΛ and placed first in computer applications at the state leadership conference and advanced to compete at the national conference. Janet began her career with Southern Pioneer in January of 2000 as a staff representative in the collateral protection department. Over the next eight years, Janet took every opportunity to learn each task associated with the product, and she became manager of the department in 2008. Janet is very proud of the staff and the work they do for the company. Prior to joining Southern Pioneer, Janet was co-owner and manager of LDC, LLC from 1997 to 2015. 

Sharon obtained her accounting degree from Lyon College with honors in 1994. She began as a staff accountant with Southern Pioneer in 1995, and was named Controller in 2013. Sharon enjoys all art forms especially theatre and writing.

Suzann joined Southern Pioneer in 2011 as Director of Agency Development for the state of Arkansas and part of western Tennessee. In addition to her marketing responsibilities, in October 2013, she was given a new role as Special Projects Coordinator. Prior to joining Southern Pioneer, Suzann worked in independent insurance agencies in northeast and central Arkansas. Starting in industry in 1993 as a personal lines customer service rep, she moved to the position of Vice President of Agency Operations manager in 2002. Suzann became a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) in 2001. In 2009 she was honored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Arkansas by being named “Insurance Woman of the Year”.

Tim began his sales career in 1986 after serving six years in the US Army. He joined Southern Pioneer in 2007 as a territory manager in Arkansas working with banks, independent insurance agents and automobile dealers. Tim enjoys travel and spending time with his family.

Camille McLaughlin started her career with Southern Pioneer as a high schooler in January of 1994. She worked her way through college and earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Arkansas State University in December of 1999. Early in her career, Camille worked with many bankers in Arkansas helping to promote credit life insurance. Eventually, Camille transitioned into the Garage Liability Department and was able to learn a whole new side of the business. Most recently Camille was promoted to an Arkansas Territory Manager position and has been working with bankers and independent agents in East Arkansas for several years. Outside of work, Camille enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, and their four daughters.

John graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Tennessee. He has worked for Southern Pioneer for ten years and in the insurance industry for 30 years. John is currently the Territory Manager for the state of Tennessee. He enjoys spending time with family and playing a little golf. 

Brad graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications. He boasts more than 25 years of extensive experience in the field of sales. His expertise primarily lies in the property and casualty insurance industry. Embarking on his insurance journey in 2009, he started as a personal line’s underwriter for a mid-sized national carrier. Over the past few years, he has honed his skills in business development, serving as a territory manager. Brad's current focus is on Middle and East Tennessee, where he will apply his industry knowledge to drive production and growth. Originally from a Chicago suburb in Illinois, Brad made the move to Tennessee more than 26 years ago. He shares his life with his wife Stacie and their four children.