Environmental Team Welcomes New Members
In an effort to ensure we are the insurance company of choice for environmental insurance brokers, it is important we establish a strong and dynamic team. Each issue of Environmental Insider will introduce you to members of our team and describe the unique role they play to support you and your clients.
Meet our Valued Team
Allie Kaltenbach, Production Underwriter - Underwriting
Great American Insurance Group’s Environmental Division is excited to welcome Allie Kaltenbach to its Underwriting department as a Production Underwriter. In her role, she will leverage the Division’s collaborative environment to assess clients’ pollution liability while encouraging and maintaining business opportunities and relationships for the Division. With almost 5 years of environmental consulting, claims, and insurance experience, Allie brings a comprehensive skill set to Great American.
Allie earned her Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of Delaware, where she graduated with an honors degree. While obtaining her degree, Allie was a senior design environmental team lead, an ambassador to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and studied abroad in Australia. She also holds an Engineer in Training (EIT) certification and 3 OSHA certifications, including 40-hour HAZWOPER, 30- and 10-hour construction and NYC SST 10-hour certifications.
In addition, Allie had the opportunity to work both as an intern and undergraduate research fellow. As a planning branch intern for the Delaware River Basin Commission, she contributed to water resource management projects for the Delaware River Basin both in the office and out in the field. Following this, Allie took a position as an undergraduate research fellow for the University of Delaware Water Resources Center where she researched coastal flood inundation and its effect on sea level rise, as well as tracked how large storms move along the Atlantic seaboard and cause tidal changes.
Prior to joining Great American, Allie worked as a staff engineer for an environmental consulting and management firm. As an engineer, she implemented environmental remediation projects, assisted clients with insurance claim evaluation and prepared technical reports, schedules, and proposal drafts.
"As a Production Underwriter, I'm able to explore unique solutions to environmental challenges. I'm really looking forward to building relationships and advocating for new and creative ideas within our team," Allie said.
Allie is based out of the New York Office.
Sarah Pong, Senior Loss Prevention Consultant - Risk Engineering
Great American Insurance Group’s Environmental Division welcomes Sarah Pong to its Risk Engineering department as a senior loss prevention consultant. In her role, Sarah uses her extensive remediation knowledge to conduct environmental risk evaluations that identify potential exposures to eliminate or reduce loss, provide underwriters with accurate insured history, and administer accident investigation and loss analysis to identify causes. With nearly a decade of experience in environmental consulting, Sarah is a valued asset to our team.
Sarah earned her Bachelor of Science degree in engineering science from Smith College. While obtaining her degree, she completed a full-year capstone project with a local municipality where she conducted a groundwater study survey and designed and created infrastructure to fix local flooding. Taking part in such an impactful capstone project is what sparked a passion in environmental remediation.
"At first, I was really interested in the public sector, which gave me a better understanding of local environmental laws and regulations. I'm excited to be moving into a position that's nationally based. I like working in a field that improves people's day to day lives, even if they don't realize it," Sarah said.
Prior to Great American, Sarah worked in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation as a project manager. In her role, she facilitated environmental remediation of vacant lots, managed brownfield redevelopment sites by evaluating Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment reports, appraised proposals of potential vendors and assisted with city affordable housing projects. Later she was promoted to assistant director where she supervised staff on redevelopment projects, lead engineers to research and work with industry experts and expanded services of vendors to enhance office programs benefitting the city. She is EIT and OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER Certified.
Sarah is based out of the New York Office.
Bennett Hornung, Senior Underwriter - Underwriting
Great American Insurance Group’s Environmental Division welcomes welcomes Bennett Hornung to its Underwriting department as a senior underwriter. In his role, Bennett analyzes environmental pollution risk and uses his vast knowledge of scientific testing to determine comprehensive insurance coverage solutions for his clients. Bennett has accumulated half a decade of industry experience and brings extensive geology, engineering and consulting knowledge to our team.
Bennett obtained his Bachelor of Science in geology from Temple University in Philadelphia and received his Master of Business Administration degree from the Louisiana State University at Shreveport. While at Temple University, Bennett was a member of Students for Environmental Action and the university’s Ski & Snowboarding club.
"I initially started as a nursing major, but after taking several basic science courses, I developed a passion for climate and environmental sustainability issues and gravitated toward environmental studies," Bennett said.
Prior to joining Great American, Bennett worked as a geologist at a global design, consulting and engineering company. In his role, he maintained air sparge, pump/treat, and soil vapor extraction bioremediation systems for Federal and Private Corporation projects, implemented safety requirements, coordinated sampling plans to monitor remediation of Superfund sites, and prepared report proposals for various stages of site remediation including Phase I’s and Phase II’s, Remedial Action Plans, and Interim Remedial Action Completion Reports. Bennett started his career as a junior environmental specialist with an environmental engineering group where he performed groundwater sampling, oversaw well installation and abandonment monitoring, and worked on Phase I and Phase II environmental philanthropy projects such as the ‘Rising Community Centers in New York City’ storm recovery plan. Bennett currently holds several certifications including OSHA 40-HR HAZWOPER, OSHA 8-HR HAZWOPER Supervisor, and OSHA 30-HR Construction Safety.
Bennett is based out of our Exton office.
The team of experts at Great American Environmental can assist in uncovering the hidden risks in your clients’ operations and develop a custom program to help protect them. The Division offers a complete portfolio of environmental insurance products, including contractors and fixed premises pollution liability insurance that work across the U.S., U.S. territories, Canada and other select countries.
Welcome Guy, Allie, Sarah and Bennett! We are thrilled to have you join our team.
Allow us to customize a product specific to your needs.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help minimize your exposure and protect your clients’ operation.
OUR U.S. OPERATIONS
OUR INTERNATIONAL DIVISIONS
OUR COMPANY
Corporate Headquarters: Great American Insurance Group Tower, 301 E. Fourth St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
© 2022 Great American Insurance Company. All Rights Reserved.
Great American Insurance Group’s member companies are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG). AFG is a Fortune 500 holding company whose common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Legal Disclosures, Terms and Conditions / Privacy / Cookie Policy / Service Marks / Accessibility / Site Map / Gateway Employee Login