Leadership

Frederick Gaston IV, CPCU
Financial Institutions Practice Leader

Fred Gaston runs Brown & Brown of NY, Inc.’s Financial Institution Practice and is a member of the firm’s Leadership Committee.  He has over 30 years of industry experience.

Prior to joining Brown & Brown, Fred was President of Gaston & Associates, Inc., a fourth generation insurance brokerage that originated in 1895.  Fred created the firm’s InsureHedge division in 1992 to provide specialty insurance products and services to the hedge and private equity fund industry, and helped the practice become a leading provider.

Fred’s insurance expertise, which has been honed during the course of his thirty year career, coupled with his vision & leadership ability, have enabled InsureHedge to service some of the nations largest hedge funds.  He is dedicated to addressing the unique and complex risk management needs of financial institutions in the private fund space.

Fred graduated with a BA from Cornell University and attained the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 1993. He resides in Wilton, CT with his wife and has four daughters.  He is active in local non-profit organizations, and an accomplished competitive runner and photographer.

Markham Rollins III
Profit Center Leader

Mark Rollins is the Profit Center Leader of Brown & Brown of NY, Inc. and chairs the firm’s Leadership Committee.

Mark has a natural instinct for creating innovative risk management plans for middle market companies. He rejects the concept of “one-size-fits-all” for insurance and risk management programs. Instead, he helps organizations uncover those specific risk management practices that will help them reduce, prevent and transfer risks. His goal is to help them drive down the cost of their insurance over an extended period of time and improve the organization.

With 30 years of practical business experience leading his own organization, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge to helping his peers find alternative ways to manage their organizations’ risks.

Mark is a very action oriented person with a natural ability to inspire others. He gets energized by planning and strategic thinking about what organizations can and will look like down the road. Setting goals and implementing at a high level are part of his unique talents. With these abilities he is a natural at creating plans that help organizations reach their goals via “The Rollins 360™” System.

Charles Rollins
Benefits Practice Leader

Chuck Rollins  is the Benefits Practice Leader of Brown & Brown of NY, Inc. and serves on the firm’s Leadership Committee.   Chuck is responsible for all new business development in the benefits practice, and ensuring that superior value-added services are provided to all clients.

Chuck is a Charter Member of Berkshire Life Preferred Producer Group. Traveler’s Insurance Company recently included Chuck and The Rollins Agency in a select group of only 18 “Agents of the Year” out of their 8,500 personal lines agents, nationally.

On a local level, Chuck participates in the Westchester County Association, serves on The Bereavement Center of Westchester and is the drummer in the charitably-based rock band, The Circuit Riders. Chuck is Past-President of the Community Fund of Eastchester, Bronxville and Tuckahoe which annually raises over $500,000 for community agencies and grants. Chuck is Past-President of the Rotary Club of Bronxville where he initiated the start-up funds for Heartsong, a no-fee music and art therapy program for children with disabilities. Chuck served as Trustee of the Mamaroneck United Methodist Church during their extensive restoration campaign. Chuck is past treasurer of Bronxville Chamber of Commerce.

Chuck earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Western New England College in 1982. Before joining the family business, he held a position as a District Sales Manager with the Chrysler Corporation.

Donna Witt
Senior Account Executive

Donna Witt is a senior account executive at Brown & Brown of NY, Inc. and serves on the firm’s Leadership Committee.  She has over 25 years of industry experience

Prior to joining Brown & Brown, Donna was Executive Vice President at Gaston & Associates, Inc., a fourth generation insurance brokerage that originated in 1895.  Along with Fred Gaston, Donna help create the firm’s InsureHedge division in 1992 to provide specialty insurance products and services to the hedge and private equity fund industry, and helped the practice become a leading provider.

Donna, in partnership with Fred Gaston, is dedicated to providing for the unique and complex risk management needs of companies engaged in the arena of financial services: Private Equity Funds, Hedge Funds, Investment Advisors and Fund of Funds.

Rosanne Rizzo
Chief Operating Officer

Rosanne is COO of Brown & Brown of NY, Inc. and a member of the firm’s Leadership Committee.

Rosanne joined The Rollins Agency in 1990 as a Commercial Lines Customer Service Representative. Her responsibilities in the Commercial Lines Department increased and she was promoted to Commercial Lines Manager in 1994. In addition to her role as manager, Rosanne also provided risk management services to several large commercial accounts ranging from local wholesalers and hospitals to multi-national manufacturers.

In 1999 Rosanne accepted the position of Vice President of Operations and in March 2007 was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. She is involved in strategic planning for the agency and is accountable for overseeing the daily operations of the agency which includes client services, accounting, human resources, facilities and automation systems. Rosanne is a past President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Westchester County.