Mercedes Colwin, founding partner of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani’s New York City office, will serve as co-chair of the Women in Insurance Leadership ExecuSummit and moderate a featured panel at the conference’s ninth annual program. As part of her leadership role, Colwin will moderate “Workplace 2030 and Beyond: Envisioning the Future of Corporate America,” a forward-looking discussion examining how corporate risk, claims leadership, and workplace expectations are evolving in response to regulatory change, workforce dynamics, and long-term business strategy. The panel brings together senior executives from across the insurance, claims, and risk management landscape to explore how organizations are preparing for the next decade.
Joining Colwin on the panel are Michelle Klein, Senior Vice President and Chief Claims Officer at Berkley Professional Liability, Japhet Boutin, Senior Vice President and Head of Technical Claims at Zurich North America, Janet B. Dreifuss, Executive Vice President and Chief Claims Officer at ARC Excess & Surplus, and Beth Goldberg, Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Northwell Health.
Colwin brings decades of trial and leadership experience to the discussion, drawing on a national litigation practice that includes employment law, commercial disputes, class actions, professional liability, and civil rights matters. Before entering private practice, she served for nine years as an Administrative Law Judge with the New York State Division of Human Rights, presiding over thousands of cases brought under federal and state discrimination laws. Her career spans courtroom advocacy, regulatory adjudication, and national media commentary on complex legal and workplace issues.
The Women in Insurance Leadership ExecuSummit convenes senior leaders to examine the intersection of risk, leadership, and the future of work. Colwin’s role as co-chair and moderator underscores her continued influence in shaping conversations at the highest levels of the insurance and corporate risk communities.
In addition, GRSM partner Brittany Primavera will moderate “The Psychology of Success for Women: Tackling Imposter Syndrome and People Pleasing to Gain Visibility and Influence.” Her panel features Joni F. Mason, Partner and Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader for Claims at Executive and Professional Risk Solutions (EPS), USI Insurance Services, Linda Fisher, Law Firm Vertical Leader, North America at Willis Towers Watson, Kathryn S. Whitlock, Attorney at McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC, and Karalyn Horeled, Claims Specialist at ClaimsFirst Services.