Compliance Team
With backgrounds at major international law firms, the ACCEL Compliance® team brings more than 70 years combined experience in serving as trusted advisors to insurance entities in navigating the complicated US insurance regulatory system.
Chuck Welsh
CHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER
Chuck represents clients from all segments of the insurance industry including insurers (property and casualty and life and health), reinsurers, producers, brokers and third party administrators. Chuck advises clients in connection with a wide-ranging scope of insurance regulatory and compliance matters, including company formation, licensing, renewals, holding company act compliance, and regulatory and compliance audits.
Chuck started his career as an underwriter for Travelers Insurance in the commercial lines business and managed independent agency relationships. He would later apply his insurance background as a transactional and regulatory lawyer in the leading insurance practice of the international law firm LeBoeuf Lamb Greene and MacRae. In 2002 Chuck became the chair of the internationally recognized insurance regulatory and transaction practice of the law firm formerly known as Edwards & Angell. After more than 25 years serving insurance clients, Chuck launched ACCEL Compliance in 2016 to provide agent, broker and third party administrator clients with a sophisticated outsourcing option for their regulatory compliance needs. He is also a principal in ACCEL Law Group, a boutique law firm serving insurance clients.
Chuck is a graduate of Trinity College and the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Mike Griffin
PRESIDENT& CO-FOUNDER
Mike provides strategic and regulatory advice to domestic and international clients from all segments of the insurance and reinsurance industry, including producers, brokers and third party administrators. He regularly represents clients in the licensing of insurers, reinsurers, producers, third party administrators, captive insurance companies and risk retention groups.
A former partner in the internationally recognized insurance regulatory and transactional practice of the law firm formerly known as Edwards & Angell, Mike is a well-known advisor across the insurance industry. He has extensive experience in assisting clients with a broad range of regulatory matters, including the formation, and licensing of insurers, reinsurers, producers and third party administrators, insurance holding company issues, market conduct examinations, redomestications and multi-jurisdictional regulatory and compliance audits. Mike regularly assists insurers, third party administrators and associations and other groups with regulatory considerations in the marketing and sale of group and affinity insurance programs. Mike is a member of the Federation of Regulatory Counsel, a national association of attorneys specializing in insurance regulatory law, and serves on the board of directors of the Professional Insurance Marketing Association and is the Chair of its Legislative and Regulatory Committee. After more than 25 years serving insurance clients, Mike launched ACCEL Compliance in 2016 to provide agent, broker and third party administrator clients with a sophisticated outsourcing option for their regulatory compliance needs. He is also a principal in ACCEL Law Group, a boutique law firm serving insurance clients.
Mike is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Joan Cirilli
COMPLIANCE MANAGER
Joanie has served as Compliance Manager at ACCEL Compliance since its founding and oversees all client license management activities and the ACCEL Compliance Control Suite. She has over 30 years of experience managing complex legal, regulatory and compliance matters for insurance clients. Joanie assists insurance companies, agents, brokers, surplus lines brokers, reinsurance intermediaries and third party administrators on all aspects of U.S. insurance regulation and compliance matters, including licensing and filing requirements, insurance holding company act issues, approval and notice filings for mergers and acquisitions, product filing and approval and annual registration filings. She regularly works with insurance regulators throughout the U.S. and is a member of the Securities & Insurance Licensing Association.
Nicole Schreier
MARKET CONDUCT COMPLIANCE ANALYST
Nicole is a Market Conduct Compliance Analyst at ACCEL Compliance with more than 14 years of experience in insurance compliance management. She manages client license management activities and provides lead support for corporate governance and surplus lines issues. Nicole holds an Associate in General Insurance (AINS) designation from The Institutes and a Market Conduct Management (MCM) Designation from IRES (Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society). She has extensive experience working with insurance entities on P&C Insurance, Surplus Lines Insurance, Compliance Audits and Mock Market Conduct Exams, Corporate Governance, Producer Licensing, Reinsurance Intermediaries, and Holding Company Act issues.
Kathy McGeough
COMPLIANCE ANALYST
Kathy joined ACCEL Compliance in 2019. She is an experienced insurance paralegal who came to ACCEL from the IFG Companies where she served as a Compliance Specialist. In her role as Compliance Analyst at ACCEL, Kathy handles producer licensing, license maintenance, annual report management and other duties. Kathy earned her bachelor’s degree and paralegal certificate from the University of Hartford.
Kim Walker
COMPLIANCE ANALYST
Kim joined the ACCEL Compliance team in 2018. She assists with license maintenance, management of the Compliance Control Suite database, supports product development activities and handles submission of initial entity and producer applications, producer affiliations and license renewals. Prior to ACCEL, Kim has 9 years of experience across several industries. At a medical technology firm, she tested diagnostic medical software, trained medical personnel on how to use the software, and assisted in FDA regulatory filings. She also worked in the property management and preservation industry, where her responsibilities included reporting and coordination of field technicians, developing training protocols, and quality control management. Kim also implemented procedures for property insurance and liability claims, obtained quotes, completed applications and maintained a database of current insurance policies. Kim earned her bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac University.
Kimberly Lechowicz
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Kim has 8 years of experience in various levels of office support across several industries. Kim began her career as an office assistant for a large clothing company. After that, she found a role as a front desk receptionist at a local recruiting firm, and eventually became a senior level administrative/recruiting assistant during her tenure there. Kim joined ACCEL in 2015 as an office administrator handling tasks ranging from clerical duties, AP/AR assistance, document revision, to day-to-day HR administration. Kim is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She also holds a Human Resources Certificate from the University of St. Joseph.