Our Team
John S. Neel, Jr., CEO
John Neel is the founder of the Sanford Insurance Agency which was founded in October 2002. John was the previous Senior Vice President of Insurance and Risk Management of Central Georgia Health System (CGHS). John is responsible for the formation, management and administration of three Cayman Captive Insurance Companies owned by CGHS. He served as Chief Executive Officer for all three of the offshore companies as well as a member on the Board of Directors of each.
John is a graduate of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, is a licensed insurance broker in Georgia, and received his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 1990. John is a regular speaker at worldwide captive conferences and consults on insurance and risk management issues throughout the United States, Caribbean, and United Kingdom.
John W. Calloway, Sr., COO
John Calloway began his career as a field underwriter for The New York Life Insurance Company in 1976. He has hands-on experience with underwriting, claims management, policy issuance, and marketing. John has been with Sanford since 2003, and he oversees the day-to-day operations. He is a licensed Georgia Adjuster and an agent holding Property & Casualty, Life, Accident and Sickness licenses and is a licensed Surplus Lines Broker.
James M. “Jimbo” Walker, Senior VP
Jimbo attended the University of Mississippi and then transferred to the University of Georgia, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics. Jimbo has been in the insurance industry since 1982, and has excelled as a personal lines and commercial lines producer. Jimbo is very active in the community and has served on several Board of Directors.
Jim Lambert, CIC, Vice President
Jim Lambert is a native of Macon, Georgia. He graduated from Middle Georgia College with an Associate Degree in Engineering, Georgia Southern College with a degree in Business Administration and Georgia State University with a Master’s degree in Insurance.
A veteran, Jim served in the United States Army from 1969-1976, attaining the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. He accumulated over 500 hours piloting the OH-58 Scout while serving with the 1st Aviation Brigade at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Jim has over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. He started his career with Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. as a claims adjuster in 1970. He was also the sales trainer and a district sales manager with Georgia Farm Bureau. He is a past president of the PIA, Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia. In 1980, he founded Allen & Lambert, Inc., a property and casualty insurance agency in Macon, Georgia. He sold the agency in 2010 to the Sanford Insurance Agency and remains active with them in the sales of property and casualty insurance.
He is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and is licensed in 10 states.
Beverly Michael, CFO
Beverly Michael is a native of Macon, Georgia. She graduated from Mercer University with a degree in Management and began working in the accounting field. Beverly has held positions in accounting and finance in several other industries prior to entering the insurance field. She joined the Sanford team in April 2015 as Business Manager and was promoted in July 2016 to Chief Financial Officer.
Rob Wilkin, VP of Insurance Services
Rob Wilkin received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Georgia in 1999 and 2001 respectively. Post college, he worked with the Federal Crop Insurance Agency as Risk Management Education Director for the Southeastern United States and as a Risk Management Specialist, gaining experience in underwriting, actuarial analysis, and claims management. Rob joined the Sanford team in 2005 where his area of expertise has been developing and managing all aspects of alternative risk financing programs, such as captive insurance companies.
He also acts as claims manager for several workers compensation and professional/general liability programs for the Sanford Insurance Agency. He holds Georgia Property & Casualty and Life & Health agent licenses and is a licensed adjuster. Rob maintains the Certified Workers Compensation Professional designation.
Nicole C. Page, Commercial Lines Account Manager
Nicole is a native of Windsor, Maine. She attended the University of Maine and began her insurance career in 2003, working for United Insurance group. While with The Tilton Agency, she was a successful producer. In 2011, she moved to Georgia. Nicole joined Sanford in March of 2014 as a commercial lines producer and customer service representative.
Alan Fennell, Manager of Health Benefits & The Sanford Dental Program
Alan Fennell grew up in Florida and moved to Georgia in 1994. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Asbury College in 1996 and his Master of Divinity degree from Erskine Theological Seminary in 1999. Then he entered the ministry in the United Methodist Church for 13 years. After obtaining his Life and Health License while working with AFLAC, Alan joined the Sanford team in our Dental Program as an account manager in 2013. Alan is now the manager of the Sanford Dental Program and also heads up sales and service for our health insurance division which includes individual coverage and group employee benefits for large and small employers.