MIKE NEWMAN
Mike was born and educated in Denver Colorado. He attended the University of Denver with a major in accounting and worked for a large local CPA firm the last two years he was in college and after graduation. He met his wife Sherry in college and they were married immediately upon their graduation, living in Denver.
In 1961 they moved to Los Angeles and Mike entered the insurance business with a local Los Angeles agency. He enrolled at UCLA to study insurance while he was working. By 1965, he had successfully passed the exams for CPCU to obtain that designation.
In 1966 he left the agency he was with to join Chuck Gelfand and Rees Roston in their agency. They acquired some other agencies as well and began what became GNW Insurance Services. While Mike's clients came from many different industries and professions, he developed a specialty in entertainment insurance. He has insured many of the most famous television productions as well as special events and feature films.
He has also led insurance education seminars for UCLA related to entertainment insurance. In addition to his wife, Mike has two children. His daughter Debbie is a first grade teacher in Los Angeles and his son Jeff is a partner in GNW Evergreen Insurance. He considers Insurance a hobby, but in addition to that he loves to play golf, perform magic, and to play bridge.
PAUL MESHEKOW
Paul is a native of Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Southern California, with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Finance. In 1967 shortly after graduation he began his insurance career. In 1994 he was one of the founders of Evergreen Insurance Services, Inc.
He has achieved the professional designations of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU). He has extensive experience in all areas of commercial and personal insurance, he has particular expertise in the specialized and complex area of Professional Liability, which includes errors and omissions, directors and officers liability and employment related practices.
Paul has maintained an active role in community service by serving on the boards of several charitable foundations. He served as a board member on the Southern California Golf Association for 10 years and was president in 2002.
KAREN OXMAN
Karen Oxman started her insurance career in 1985 with the firm of Gelfand Newman Wasserman where she became a partner in 2002. As one of the founding members of GNW-Evergreen, Karen is involved with the day-to-day activities of the firm as well as working closely with her clients and carriers.
Karen holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional designation, which is similar to the CPA designation for the accounting profession. She has been a member of Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapter of CPCU and has Co-Chaired the Southern California Chapters' All Industry Day.
After serving on the Board of Directors for a number of years Karen was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers Association of Los Angeles in 1996. She was only the second woman to hold the position of President of that 100 year old organization. During her tenure the Association was recognized by the National Independent Insurance Agents of America as the Outstanding Chapter overall for that year. Currently, she is a member of the Board of Directors of IBA West, the State Association for independent insurance agents and brokers. Her specialties are in the Property and Casualty area and include both personal and commercial lines of insurance.
Ms. Oxman earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1977. She hales from New Orleans, but after 37 years in California, Los Angeles is home. She lives in the San Fernando Valley with her husband, Jeff. They enjoy golfing, travel, river rafting and being grandparents.
ROBERT DI PAOLO
Rob is a partner of GNW - Evergreen Insurance Services, LLC. He comes to the organization from GNW Insurance Services, Inc. serving there since 1999 and as a partner since 2002.
Serving in the insurance industry since 1985, he started in the business during his last semester at California State University, Northridge, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance.
While responsible for new client development, Rob also serves his own clients day to day. Specializing in the facilitation of insurance and risk management for commercial / business related entities, one of his proudest career related efforts resulted in the establishment of a specific workers' compensation classification of labor for an entertainment related sub-industry. This effort resulted in a state wide reduction of 27% in the insurance rate for this class.
In the early 1990's Rob acted as chairman of the Project InVest program sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Los Angeles. He was responsible for implementing an insurance educational program as part of the curriculum at the Downtown Business Magnet High School of the LAUSD. After the first year, the program resulted in the placement of six graduates into paid working internships with a prominent insurance company in downtown Los Angeles.
Rob served as a board member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation from 1993 to 2003. During his term with the JDRF, he served as Vice President of Government Relations and State Leader.
JEFF NEWMAN
Jeff Newman, CPCU graduated from the Business School at the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1988 with a B.S. in Marketing. He began his insurance career soon after with State Farm Insurance where he became a senior claims representative for bodily injury claims. In 1991 he left the claims side of the business and pursued a career in sales with GNW Insurance. He earned his CPCU designation in 1996. He was made a partner of GNW-Evergreen Insurance Services, LLC in April 2002.
In 1992 Jeff started and chaired the Los Angeles Young Agents Committee for the Independent Insurance Agents of California Association and continued for 6 years. He was also on the State Young Agents Committee for three years and chaired that committee for one year. As chair, the committee won the National awards for Outstanding Young agents Committee and Outstanding Young Agents Meeting. He was President for the Independent Insurance Agents of Los Angeles Association after serving on the board for 3 years. In 1994 he won Young Agent of the Year for the Los Angeles Association. In 2001, he won the Ronald Lee Wilson Award for Outstanding Young Agent in the State. He has gone back to Washington D.C. several times on behalf of the Independents Insurance Agents of America to help lobby different legislative issues. He also served three years on the Board of Directors for the California Independents Insurance Association. Outside the industry, Jeff chaired the phone-a-thon committee for the American Cancer Society for 5 years. He is also active in several other local charities and organizations including The Guardians and his Temple.
ANDREW FORCHELLI
Andrew joined GNW-Evergreen in February of 2006 as the firm’s President as well as a partner and member of its Board of Directors. In his role as President he oversees all aspects of the firm’s ongoing operations including sales, finance, human resources, IT, claims, marketing, client services, carrier relationships and strategic planning.
As a graduate of Colgate University, Andrew began his insurance career in New York with The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. After several years with the company he decided to leave in order to start his own internet retailing company, with several dynamic years under his belt (with lots of highs and lows) he sold his company to a large regional sporting goods retailer. He was recruited back to Chubb in 2002 to help rehabilitate and energize Chubb’s presence within the state of Utah. After only 8 months there he was promoted to Regional Underwriting Manager for Southern California. In late 2005 the owners of GNW-Evergreen approached Andrew about a new opportunity, one with their firm. Three months later he was GNW-Evergreen’s COO. In 2010 he was promoted to the role of President.
Andrew has served on the board of The California Association of Insurance Professionals and is active in the agency council for both Fireman’s Fund and Hartford Insurance companies.