Our Leadership

Mike Zukerman was appointed interim president and CEO in August 2023. With more than 100 years of experience serving AAA members, CSAA Insurance Group offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA members through AAA clubs. CSAA Insurance Group has been rated A or better by AM Best for more than 90 years, and is one of the top property and casualty personal lines insurers in the United States.

In his interim role, Mr. Zukerman leads a team that cultivates innovation in a customer-driven organization focused on serving AAA members during life’s uncertainties.

In his previous role as executive vice president and chief legal officer, Mr. Zukerman provided legal, regulatory and compliance oversight and guidance for the company and served as legal advisor to the board of directors, the CEO and other senior executives. Prior to joining CSAA Insurance Group, he was a senior executive with GeoVera Holdings, Critical Path, Sega and Netopia.

Mr. Zukerman was named 2017 Corporate Counsel of the Year by the San Francisco Business Times, and has been a frequent speaker at various technology, intellectual property and software law seminars. For several years he was a guest lecturer on law and entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Mr. Zukerman also serves on the board of Keep Tahoe Blue, The League to Save Lake Tahoe. He earned his law degree at the Washington College of Law at American University and his BA at the University of California at Berkeley.

Ms. Brackeen leads the company's organization in strategy, partnerships, innovation and venture investing. She has more than 25 years of experience and leadership at innovative high-tech companies, including Apple, Sun, HP, and eBay, and, most recently, served as the global head of innovation at Citigroup. She has served as an adviser to the Astia Technology Committee since 2008, and was an adviser on the corporate board of the National Venture Capital Association. Ms. Brackeen earned a degree in American Studies from Stanford University and has completed executive programs at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, INSEAD and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Ms. Brown leads the company’s development of commercial insurance products and solutions. In this role, she focuses on the diversification of CSAA Insurance Group and building new insurance products for the mobility sector. She has more than 32 years of experience in the insurance industry, encompassing commercial and all aspects of the business, including underwriting, operations, product management and distribution. Ms. Brown previously served as Senior Vice President of Distribution Strategy at IAT Insurance Group, and in diverse leadership roles during her extensive tenure with Safeco Insurance and Liberty Mutual Insurance (which acquired Safeco). She has a BS in managerial economics from the University of California, Davis.

Katie Evans provides legal, regulatory and compliance oversight and guidance for the company and serves as legal advisor to the board of directors, the CEO and other senior executives. Previously she served as Vice President, Regulatory & Government Affairs, working closely with the board of directors and executive leadership team on all regulatory matters and was accountable for the development and implementation of the government affairs strategy. Prior to joining CSAA Insurance Group, Ms. Evans was an insurance regulatory partner with Dentons, one of the largest law firms in the world. She co-authored “Dentons’ Guide to Insurance Market Regulation,” and was recognized as a "Rising Star" by Law360. Evans graduated with honors from University of California, Santa Cruz and received her law degree from University of California, Hastings, where she was managing editor of the Hastings Law Review. She has served on CSAA Insurance Group’s pro bono committee supporting free legal programs offered to local communities.

Ms. Goldstein leads all aspects of marketing, including digital marketing, brand management, marketing analytics, market research, customer-experience management, data strategy, and direct marketing. She was previously vice president of marketing channels and partners for CSAA Insurance Group, where she developed new marketing and analytics capabilities and led integrated marketing plans to support insurance growth for AAA club partners. Prior to joining CSAA Insurance Group, Ms. Goldstein had a 17-year career with Citigroup, where she held various senior executive marketing positions. She has a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and an MBA from Fordham University. She serves as president of the board of directors for Berkeley Humane.

Ms. Hecht leads the Finance division and is responsible for accounting, financial planning and analysis, audit, investments and tax functions. In her previous role as controller, she oversaw general ledger, financial reporting, tax and enterprise disbursements. Prior to joining the company in 2017, she was a managing director in the assurance practice of BKD, LLP focused solely on insurance companies in the property/casualty and life/health space, and spent 12 years at Ernst & Young providing accounting services to clients in the property/casualty insurance, financial services, retail and manufacturing industries. Ms. Hecht is a Certified Public Accountant with experience in US GAAP and statutory accounting, SEC filings and SOX 404. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and has an accounting degree from Ohio State University.

Mr. Huebner leads enterprise risk management, capital strategy, reinsurance programs, corporate insurance, business resilience, sourcing, security and real estate. He was previously the vice president of treasury at CSAA Insurance Group, overseeing risk, investments and banking, and also served as director of Risk Management and manager of Risk Finance & Captive Operations. His prior experience includes commercial casualty insurance brokerage, real estate trust risk management, personal lines insurance sales and accident and health insurance claims. He serves on the Board of Governors of the California Insurance Guarantee Association, as well as the boards of AAA Life Insurance and Junior Achievement of Northern California. He has a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College and an MBA from Notre Dame de Namur University.

Ms. Jones leads the company’s efforts in corporate culture; employee and CEO communications; enterprise program management; charitable programs; talent management and leadership development; employee benefits, such as wellness, recognition and pension programs; and diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, the company has achieved a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s corporate equality index for LGBTQ workplace equality, and she co-founded the company’s Women’s Professional Network, which was created to empower women to take risks, use their voice and make an impact in the workplace and in the community. She is also the executive sponsor of the Black Employees Association. Ms. Jones has been recognized with the Industry Leader Award from the Professional Business Women of California, and also sits on the board of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County. She received a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from California Polytechnic State University and her MBA from Brandman University.

Todd Pugh was named CSAA Insurance Group’s executive vice president and chief information officer in November 2022. In this role, he leads CSAA’s technology division with a focus on delivering industry-leading technology and enhancing the digital experience for customers, agents and employees.

Mr. Pugh joined CSAA in July 2019 as vice president, Commercial Lines IT Delivery, responsible for leading and building technology capabilities for CSAA’s commercial insurance business. The Commercial Lines IT Delivery team is responsible for design, delivery and management of applications and technology supporting multiple commercial insurance products, distribution brokers and partners.

Mr. Pugh has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry with companies including Liberty Mutual and Safeco. He has held leadership roles in underwriting, field operations, product management and technology, including delivering enterprise systems focused on enhancing the customer experience and improving distribution. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Eastern Washington University.

Mr. Valliere leads the company’s claims, service and agency support teams. He has spent the last 14 years with AAA and CSAA Insurance Group developing a broad background of executive level experience in claims, policyholder service, underwriting, training, technology transformations and merger/acquisitions. Prior to joining the company in 2004, he was senior assistant vice president with Amica Mutual Insurance Company within their claims executive department. He currently serves on the J.D. Power Insurance Advisory Board. Mr. Valliere has a BS degree with a major in Accounting from the University of Connecticut.

Mr.Vigus leads CSAA Insurance Group’s auto and home personal lines, and his team develops and manages insurance products that serve the needs of AAA Members. He began his career in actuarial and led the auto pricing team before transitioning to state product management. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and has a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University (Southern California).