Meet Our Team

Terry McLean is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SageSure, where he oversees operations and guides the strategic vision of the organization. Terry brings extensive knowledge and experience in insurance and finance to his role. Prior to founding SageSure, he worked for RenaissanceRe’s Corporate Risk Management Group. He previously held roles as Chief Operating Officer of a Florida homeowners insurance company and Financial Institutions investment banking professional with DLJ and UBS. Terry graduated from the Management & Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a BAS in Engineering and a BSE from The Wharton School with concentrations in Computer Science, Finance and Actuarial Science.

As Chief Underwriting Officer, Brooks Clark is responsible for driving products, pricing and underwriting requirements for SageSure programs. Brooks oversees the company’s actuarial, product development, and underwriting operations. Before joining the company in 2008, he served as Senior Vice President at Travelers Property Casualty, where he was responsible for product management for the personal lines business nationally. Brooks began his career at Aetna and spent his early years in various actuarial and underwriting capacities. More recently, he was a consultant to the P&C industry, focused on building sophisticated underwriting and pricing programs for clients that included the use of predictive modeling. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Paul VanderMarck’s mission is to keep SageSure’s proprietary technology platform on the cutting edge of the industry. Paul and his team are responsible for identifying and executing on innovation opportunities and adopting new technologies to continue to advance the user experience for SageSure’s agents and policyholders. Previously, Paul was a managing director at boutique investment bank Financial Technology Partners, where he worked with a wide range of high-growth businesses across the insurtech landscape on capital raising and mergers and acquisitions. He previously spent 25 years as Chief Product Officer and as a member of the leadership team that grew Risk Management Solutions (RMS) from a startup into a $300 million revenue business while creating an entirely new market and transforming the way that the global insurance industry manages catastrophe risk. Paul also served for 10 years as a board member and chairman of Build Change, a non-profit social enterprise that works to improve construction practices for homes and schools in catastrophe-prone developing countries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in structural engineering, both from Stanford University.

As SageSure’s Chief Administrative Officer, Lisa Bernstein leads our human resources, office operations, legal and administrative functions. In her role, she provides invaluable expertise and strategic leadership for critical business operations and elevates and enhances the firm’s overall effectiveness to deliver on its business strategy. Lisa began her career as an employment attorney before transitioning to spearhead best-in-class HR functions for two high-growth organizations. Most recently, Lisa was a senior partner and global head of human capital and administration for Apollo Global Management. During her time there, she built the human resources department from the ground up and helped the firm grow from a small private equity shop to a publicly-traded, global alternative asset manager. Lisa has a BA from the University of Michigan and received her JD from Fordham University School of Law. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of private telecommunications company Intrado, Vice Chair of the Board of NYC education nonprofit Change For Kids as well as an advisory board member of Declare, a for-profit global organization that supports women in their professional careers.

As President of Commercial Insurance, Victor dos Santos is responsible for leading SageSure’s commercial lines. He is charged with developing and pricing products as he works with the rest of the management team to grow the business. Victor has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, with roles ranging from actuarial to finance, product management and business unit leadership. Before joining SageSure in 2018, he served as Vice President and Actuary of Business Insurance at Travelers Insurance, where he led the pricing strategy and product filings for $11 billion of products across various types of business insurance. Victor graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mathematics and minors in psychology and economics. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

As Chief Accounting Officer, Jason Jacobs leads our corporate accounting, financial reporting and financial controls functions. Jason brings a wealth of expertise with over 20 years of experience in public accounting, insurance and financial services for public and private companies. Before joining SageSure in 2021, he served as Head of Accounting Policy at AIG and prior to that as an Audit Partner in financial services with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, a public accounting firm. Jason is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration-Accounting from Bloomsburg University.

As Executive Vice President of Capital and Risk Management, John’s focus is on enhancing SageSure’s insurance risk management capabilities across carrier portfolios and optimizing capital structure and efficiency. He also leads continued investment in proprietary exposure management technology and risk analytics capabilities. John brings more than 25 years of experience in senior executive, advisory, and investment roles within the property and casualty insurance industry, including his previous positions as the CFO and COO of RenaissanceRe and CEO of AQR Capital Management. He holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Tammy Nelson is responsible for marketing and sales at SageSure Insurance Managers. Before joining SageSure in 2016, she was Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Customer Experience Officer at American Modern Insurance Group, part of Munich Re. While at American Modern, she was responsible for marketing, communications, customer experience and innovation/digital. Prior to that, Tammy spent the majority of her career leading marketing and sales for Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance. She has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in advertising and economics from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. She has also earned her Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) designation.

As Chief Claims Officer, Cat has built out our claims function to manage the end-to-end claims lifecycle for some of our partners, while collaborating with other carrier partners to implement innovative analytics, technology and claims handling practices. Cat most recently served as Chief Claims Officer for Tower Hill Insurance Group and her prior experience includes multiple claims leadership roles at USAA. Cat holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics and Arabic from Georgetown, a master’s in risk management and insurance from Florida State University and the CPCU designation.

As Chief Operating Officer, Colin Smith is responsible for identifying and executing strategies for the company’s continued growth. Colin oversees SageSure’s corporate operations, including strategic planning, analytics, and program operations. He has a background in investment banking and raising capital for rapidly growing private companies. Most recently, Colin served as CEO of the NYC nonprofit Change for Kids, increasing revenue by more than 2,500 percent to support nearly 5,000 elementary school students annually. He has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Virginia.