Alan Umaly
President

Alan Umaly is President of Westwood Insurance Agency. In this role, Alan is responsible for the overall performance and management of the agency, including strategic direction, partnership development, sales, customer service, and operations. During his 30-year tenure with Westwood, he has driven substantial agency growth by leveraging homegrown talent, technology, and operational efficiencies, all focused on pursuing new insurance markets and distribution channels.

Under Alan's leadership, Westwood has consistently ranked in the top 50 of Insurance Journal's Top 100 P&C Agencies.

Alan attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California, and De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines.

Erich Berke
Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy

Erich Berke is Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy at Westwood Insurance Agency. In this role, Erich is responsible for developing and enhancing Westwood's corporate strategy across the business units and supporting an overall focus on maximizing growth opportunities.

For nearly 25 years, Erich has been a financial leader in the insurance industry. Before joining Westwood, he served as Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis at QBE North America. There he was responsible for improving results on a consistent, long-term basis, deploying the appropriate level of capital and investments in the business, and identifying and executing financial levers to drive results.

Erich also held leadership positions with Ace Group (Chubb) and Deloitte & Touche, LLP. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Duquesne University.

Christi Burkhardt
Vice President, National Sales & Growth

Christi Burkhardt is Vice President, National Sales and Growth at Westwood Insurance Agency. In this role, Christi is responsible for new business production across the agency, including home, auto, flood, and umbrella. She oversees Westwood's licensed sales agents and sales support staff, and she works closely with clients in support of their sales goals.

Christi joined Westwood in 2005 and helped develop Westwood's cutting-edge technology to support a fully digital customer experience.

Christi has worked in the insurance industry for nearly 30 years. Before Westwood, Christi worked at GEICO. There, she led Customer Service and Quality Control and Training Teams, and she also partnered with IT on customer-focused technology implementation.

Greg Lewis
Vice President, Innovation & Transformation

Greg Lewis is Vice President, Innovation and Transformation at Westwood Insurance Agency. In this role, he is responsible for advanced technology solutions that enable business efficiencies and opportunities.

Greg has more than 30 years of experience in planning, developing, and implementing information technology solutions for the home builder and insurance industries. Prior to Westwood, Greg served as Chief Information Officer at PropertyPlus Insurance Agency, a startup owned by Progressive Insurance. He also led Centex Financial Services' IT divisions, including CTX Mortgage, Commerce Title, and Commerce Title Insurance Company.

Gabriel Salazar
Vice President, Agency Support Services

Gabriel Salazar is Vice President, Agency Support Services at Westwood Insurance Agency. In this role, Gabriel is responsible for agency portfolio management and incoming carrier data transactions, quality control, and training.

Gabriel joined Westwood in 2008. Previously, he served as Agency Portfolio Manager, where he managed all insurance company relationships and implemented strategies to improve agency retention. He also served as Central Processing Manager, where he oversaw a team responsible for processing all agency and carrier transactions, including cancellations, renewals, new business, and payment follow-up for new and existing customers.

Gabriel holds a bachelor's degree in finance from California State University, Northridge.

Ben Sokoll
Vice President, Customer Support

Ben Sokoll is Vice President, Customer Support at Westwood Insurance Agency. In this role, Ben oversees Westwood's licensed customer service and retention teams to ensure policyholders receive superior service.

Ben joined Westwood in 2014 as Assistant Vice President, Sales, where he partnered with the country's top insurance companies to provide a complete line of personal insurance products to customers.

Ben began his career in insurance in commercial oil and gas, then transitioned to personal lines with AAA Texas, where he led call center teams and managed brick and mortar stores.

Ben holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of North Texas.