Leadership team

Chip Terhune
President and CEO

Chip Terhune became SAIF’s president and chief executive officer in July 2021. 

Before SAIF, Terhune served as senior vice president and general manager of government programs and accounts for Medicision, a healthcare technology company.

Earlier in his career, Terhune was chief of staff for former Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski; an assistant executive director of Oregon Education Association; a director of environmental and public affairs at Schnitzer Steel in Portland; and had multiple vice president roles at Cambia Health Solutions in Portland.

Terhune has a bachelor's in international studies and a master's in public affairs from the University of Oregon.

   

Ian Williams
Chief Operating Officer

Ian Williams joined the SAIF leadership team in 2019. As SAIF's chief operating officer, he leads the claims, information technology, human resources, and administrative services divisions. 

During his time at SAIF, Williams has set important strategic initiatives in motion to improve SAIF's culture, employee experience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A graduate of the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom, Williams began his career in fashion retail before holding a number of leadership roles for global high-tech brands, including senior director of global HR at Symantec and vice president of HR at Belden.

Williams is a native of the U.K.; he relocated to Oregon in 2011.

   

Gina Manley
Chief Financial Officer

As VP for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Gina Manley is responsible for the financial services division, which includes financial reporting, budgets, corporate accounting, and billing and collections.

Manley joined SAIF in 1993 with experience as a financial auditor and a focus on investment accounting. She has worked closely with the Oregon State Treasury and with investment advisors and managers. She left SAIF in 1997 to spend time with her young family and focus on a family business. Since returning to SAIF in 2002, she has grown to oversee all facets of corporate accounting and has worked closely with the actuarial and research and analysis divisions. Gina is also the treasurer of Kids' Chance of Oregon, whose mission is to provide financial support to further the education of the children of Oregon workers who have been severely injured, totally disabled, or killed as a result of work-related injuries or occupational diseases.

Manley earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Oregon State University and is a certified public accountant.

   

Pam Ahr
Chief Safety Officer

As Chief Safety Officer, Ahr leads SAIF's Safe and Healthy Workplace Center and our team of more than 70 safety professionals across the state. The team includes safety consultants, industrial hygienists, ergonomists, project managers, innovation specialists, and data analysts. 

Ahr has been with SAIF since 2003, primarily as a field safety consultant. Ahr has volunteered in many capacities with the American Society of Safety Professionals, both at the regional and national levels. 

She graduated from Arizona State University and has a master's degree from the University of Oregon. She also has an associate degree in risk management and is a certified safety professional.

   

Ken Collins
Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

As Vice President of Information Technology and CIO, Ken Collins ensures that SAIF's information technology investments and resources are aligned with strategic business objectives.

Collins has over 25 years of experience in the information technology field. As SAIF’s senior technology architect and technology services manager, he has helped develop SAIF’s application development architecture, technology infrastructure, and IT strategic plan. The focus of many of his projects has been improving communication and collaboration, and leveraging innovation to create business solutions.

In addition, he has contributed to major company initiatives, including telecommuting, recruitment and retention, and the customer service component of the corporate strategic plan. Currently, he is leading efforts to renovate SAIF’s core insurance systems and to leverage advanced analytics to better serve its customers.

Prior to SAIF, Collins spent four years as an economic analyst. He earned his degree from Willamette University, where he studied economics and computer science.

   

Sharifa Gomez
Vice President of Human Resources

As VP of Human Resources, Sharifa oversees all aspects of HR, including employee engagement and retention; diversity, equity, and inclusion; recruitment; professional development; and compensation and benefits.

Gomez joined SAIF in 2021. Her experience includes more than 18 years working for a variety of organizations in Korea, Canada, and the United States. Most recently, she’s served as a principal for Jomez Consulting.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in employment relations from University of Toronto.

   

Todd Graneto
VP of Premium Audit and Underwriting

As vice president of premium audit and underwriting, Todd Graneto oversees selecting and pricing SAIF's customers, premium audits, research and analysis, and underwriting services.

Graneto came to SAIF in 2016 as a financial strategist before becoming the controller in July of 2017. During that time, he has also served SAIF’s strategy team. In all, he has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, including financial planning, pricing, reporting, and analysis.

Graneto holds an MBA from Portland State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Oregon University. Before he joined SAIF, he served as the vice president of finance for Health Net, a Fortune 500 company.

   

Brigitte Hamilton
Vice President of Claims

VP of Claims Brigitte Hamilton is responsible for the SAIF regional and critical claims teams as well as SAIF’s return-to-work services program, claims projects and operations, medical services program, and investigations.

Hamilton has been at SAIF for more than 20 years, starting as an administrative assistant in claims. Since then, she’s held many roles in IT including lead web designer and developer, business services manager, and director of portfolio and project management. Most recently she served as the director of business and software solutions.

She received her associates degree in business from Tafe University in Australia.

   

Christina Lincicome
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Christina Lincicome is responsible for SAIF’s enterprise-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies to ensure an equitable work environment for all employees.  

Lincicome joined SAIF in 1994 and worked in the claims division before creating, building, and leading SAIF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion team in 2012. She serves as a board member for Garten Services, dedicated to creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.  

Lincicome has a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Oregon and a Master of Science in Management and Organizational Development from Warner Pacific University. She is a certified Intercultural Development Inventory coach and administrator and holds a certification in Inclusive Search advocacy, Agile HR, and BrainStates administration. She is a member of the National Coalition of Inclusion, Partners in Diversity, and the NW Diversity Council.

   

Shannon Rickard
Vice President of Legal

Shannon Rickard is SAIF’s chief legal counsel and vice president of legal and procurement services. In this role, Shannon oversees legal services and procurement to ensure operational efficiency, effective use of resources, and compliance with laws and regulations.  

Rickard joined SAIF after working in private practice, where she focused on employment issues. Before that she worked at SAIF from 2007 to 2015, most recently as the vice president of legal, human resources, and strategy. Before SAIF, Rickard worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the Oregon Department of Justice.  

Rickard received her law degree, with honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law and has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from College of Idaho.

   

Laura Robison
Chief Actuarial and Strategy Officer

As Chief Actuarial and Strategy Officer, Robison is responsible for identifying corporate strategic needs, establishing strategic plans and objectives, prioritizing areas of focus, and tracking goals and performance. She also leads SAIF's actuarial services including pricing, reserving, forecasting, and surplus management. 

Robison previously served as the chief financial officer at Oregon Health Authority; and also served as the insurance commissioner, chief actuary, and administrator within the Division of Financial Regulation of Oregon's Department of Consumer and Business Services. She held various actuarial and leadership roles for DCBS, including casualty actuary and manager of product regulation.

Before that, Robison worked as a consulting actuary for Willis Towers Watson, as underwriting manager for Applied Underwriters, and as actuarial analyst for Liberty Mutual Group. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Boston University. She is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

   

Holly Tindall
Vice President of Corporate Services

As Vice President of Corporate Services, Holly Tindall is responsible for administrative operations, facilities, and transportation.  

Tindall joined SAIF in 2020 as the administrative services division director and was instrumental in SAIF’s pandemic response and shift to flexible work. Her previous experience includes more than 25 years of experience in management, facilities, HR, office administration, and finance. She served as a vice president of support services for PH Tech, a third-party administrator serving Oregon Medicaid and Medicare plans. Most recently she was president and owner of a facilities consulting business, Ideal Planning.  

She received her Bachelor of Science in leisure studies and minor in architecture from the University of Oregon.

   

Christine Vrontakis
Vice President of Policyholder Services

As VP of Policyholder Services, Chris Vrontakis is responsible for all regional operations and is charged with providing superior service to SAIF’s customers from its regional offices and Salem headquarters.

Vrontakis joined SAIF in 1995 and has held a variety of positions in claims and policyholder services since then. Most recently, she served as the regional operations director in Portland, managing safety, return-to-work, and service delivery in SAIF’s largest region. In addition, she was, and continues to be, responsible for leading SAIF’s service center, which provides insurance to 42,000 small businesses throughout Oregon.

Vrontakis graduated with honors from Oregon State University with a degree in business administration with a focus on marketing.

   

Christy Witzke
Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Communications

VP of Marketing, Sales, and Communications, Christy Witzke leads these functions to support a strong, integrated, market-facing brand that connects with customers and drives business. Christy is also dedicated to building strong relationships with SAIF’s agency and association partners.

Witzke joined SAIF in 1994 and has more than 20 years in the Oregon workers' compensation system, with a background in risk management, marketing, group program management, and contract negotiations. In her former position as the director of marketing and groups, Witzke was a key member of many corporate strategic projects and initiatives. During her tenure as a senior safety management consultant, she was instrumental in establishing SAIF’s highly successful Agriculture Safety Seminar series and incorporating Spanish sessions.

Witzke earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Oregon State University.