Executive Management Team

Gloria H. Everett President & Chief Executive Officer

Ms. Everett has more than 35 years of experience in insurance risk management, sales, marketing and management, including over 20 years of experience in medical professional liability insurance with The Mutual.

Before joining The Mutual, Ms. Everett held key leadership roles at TIG/Fairfax, Fireman's Fund, NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company and Kaiser Permanente.

Ms. Everett has served on multiple Boards including Pacific University, National Risk Retention Association (NRRA), the UC Berkeley, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Board and Medical Professional Liability Association (MPLA) formerly the Physician Insurers’ Association of America (PIAA), where she served as Chair of the Board from 2014 – 2016. Ms. Everett was the recipient of the 2019 MPL Association Award of Excellence in Honor of Peter Sweetland.

Ms. Everett holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s College in Health Services Administration.

 

Christopher P. Mertes Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President

Mr. Mertes has more than 30 years of finance and management experience, including 25 years in medical professional liability insurance. He has been at The Mutual since 2003.

Mr. Mertes worked over 14 years at NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company. Previous to this, he held financial positions at Impell Corporation, MGM/UA Entertainment Company and Dun & Bradstreet, Inc.

Mr. Mertes was formerly on the Board of Directors of Hawaii Captive Insurance Council (HCIC).

Mr. Mertes earned his MBA with honors from St. Mary's College and a BA in Economics from UCLA.
Mark J. Spiro MD, FACEP Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Spiro has over 20 years’ experience in medical leadership. Prior to joining The Mutual as Medical Director in 2014, Dr. Spiro served as CEP America’s President & COO for approximately 15 years. Also, Dr. Spiro has actively practiced emergency medicine for 30 years.

Before he became CEP America's President & COO, Dr. Spiro served on the CEP Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He also served as Medical Director of a large emergency department. In addition to his service to CEP, Dr. Spiro has served on Boards both in and outside the healthcare field.

Dr. Spiro received his MD degree from Michigan State University and completed his Emergency Medicine residency in Ohio.

William K. Rietmann Vice President of Claims

Mr. Rietmann brings a wealth of experience in medical professional liability claims management to The Mutual, having served as an employee, manager and consultant for medical professional liability insurers and third party claims administrators over the past 25 years. Most recently, through employment with Sedgwick CMS, Mr. Rietmann was a regional supervisor for medical professional liability claims for the University of California medical centers and regional campuses. Prior to that, Mr. Rietmann was an account executive for St. Paul Companies, a senior consultant for MMI Companies and a claims investigator for NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company.

Mr. Rietmann earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1984.

Renée Bernard, J.D. Vice President, Patient Safety

Ms. Bernard has 20 years of experience as a healthcare risk and patient safety professional, including 10 years designing and applying enterprise risk management (ERM) solutions.

Prior to joining The Mutual, Ms. Bernard served as the administrative director for the clinical risk management program for the Stanford University Medical Network. She also served as the Vice President of Risk Management for The Risk Authority Stanford, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanford, providing enterprise risk management consultative services to nonaffiliated healthcare risk management programs. She is a recognized author and speaker on topics such as enterprise risk management, communication and resolution programs, and patient engagement in safety.

Renee received a Juris Doctorate in Healthcare Law from Santa Clara University School of law in 2007. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from California State University, East Bay, in 2003.