Avery Hall Insurance Group

Kathy Bennett is a vice president for the commercial lines department. She joined Avery Hall in 1995 and works out of the Salisbury office. Kathy started at Avery Hall as a commercial lines account manager. In 2005, she was promoted to commercial account executive and then started her new position in 2011. As an account executive, she works with business owners to identify their insurance needs. Kathy earned the designations of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Risk Manager and has attended the USF&G Commercial Lines School.

She is very involved with area non-profits.

Kathy was raised in Willards, MD and currently resides in Salisbury. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym five to six days a week (a self-proclaimed “gym rat” who thinks everyone has time to exercise daily!). Kathy is also an avid reader. 

Susan E. Brown is a senior account executive for Avery Hall Benefit Solutions. She joined Avery Hall in 1996 and works out of the Salisbury office. She started at Avery Hall as an account manager and was promoted to her current position in 2005. She specializes in selling group benefits and works with businesses to develop and maintain their employee benefits.

Personally, she has or is currently a volunteer for a number of area non-profits.

In her free time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, going to the beach, and watching football. She and her husband, Vic, have a grown daughter who is a Kindergarten teacher. Also, as a Humane Society supporter, Susan advocates controlling pet populations, and has rescued, and arranged for the spaying or neutering of many cats and dogs.

Theresa (Terri) Charest is an account executive for Benefit Solutions at the Easton office. She began as an account manager for Avery Hall in 2014 and was promoted to account executive in early 2017. Terri specializes in selling group employee benefits and works with employers to find plans that benefit both the employee and the employer.

Prior to Avery Hall, Terri worked as a customer service representative for an insurance agency and as an office manager in a local construction company. She has also worked as a substitute teacher in Talbot County, MD and has had a prior career as a Registered Dental Hygienist. Of Terri’s previous jobs, she is most proud to list “stay-at-home mom” as her most important previous work experience!

She is married to her husband Rob and they have two daughters and three dogs. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and friends, going to the beach, and taking road trips.

Maureen Cody is an account executive for the commercial lines department and also provides services to personal insurance lines. She joined Avery Hall in 2009 as an account manager with more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry and was promoted to her current position in 2013. Maureen works out of the Salisbury office. She specializes in working with business owners to determine their insurance needs.

She is involved in the community, Relay for Life, a volunteer for Hope and Life Outreach (HALO), and the Furnace Town Foundation. 

Joseph Gast, CPCU, ChFC, is the president of Avery W. Hall Insurance Agency, Inc. and works out of the Salisbury office. He has been with the agency since 1984 and accepted his current position in 2013. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC).

Joe is president of the board of the Recovery Resource Center in Salisbury. He was chairman of the inaugural 2018 National Folk Festival fundraising committee. He is currently a member of the following organizations:  Greater Salisbury Committee, the Nanticoke Rotary Club in Seaford, and the Knights of Columbus in Salisbury. Joe is a 33-year member of the YMCA since and sits on the YMCA of the Chesapeake finance committee.

Brandon Hearne is a Commercial Lines Account Executive for Avery Hall at our Salisbury office. He started at his position in November of 2019.

Brandon has completed his training at the Hartford School of Insurance and has earned his CLCS (commercial lines coverage specialist) designation.

In his free time, Brandon enjoys boating, fishing, going to the beach, and woodworking with his father. His favorite charities are the Alzheimer’s Association and the Wounded Warrior Project, and he has also volunteered his time to coach Little League and travel baseball for the youth in his community. He believes strongly in treating others with the utmost respect, and in maintaining strong relationships with friends and family.

He and his wife Madison have been married for two years and love spending time with their two golden retrievers, as well as being Uncle and Aunt to their nephew.

Mary Mengason is the vice president of Benefit Solutions and is based out of the Salisbury office. She joined Avery Hall in 1995 as an account executive and was later promoted to her current position in 2005. Her specialty is working with group benefit plans for customers of all sizes such as families, businesses, and large companies.

Mary is also very involved in non-profit work. 

Mary was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science as well as a minor in history from the University of Delaware.

Mary has two teenage boys that make her very proud.  She also treasures spending time with their family dog, Miller. She loves to volunteer for Appalachia Service Project (ASP) with her two sons where they travel to Appalachia for a week each year and help repair houses. It is a very rewarding week for her and the best form of therapy she has found. 

Philip Messick is an Account Executive in the Commercial Lines Department at the Salisbury Office. He joined Avery Hall in 2019. His primary goal is to be a source of knowledge and provide high-quality service while always giving that personal touch.

Philip was born right here in Salisbury and raised on Delmarva in Seaford, DE. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a Biology Concentration received from Elon University in Elon, North Carolina.

Family is very important to Philip as he is passionate about spending time with his son. Philip likes to be physically active as he enjoys swimming and biking. Some of his personal hobbies include skiing and golfing. His hidden talent is that he is skilled in playing the banjo.

Lacy Revell, ACSR is a commercial lines account executive at the Salisbury office. She joined Avery Hall in 2009 as a payment processor and then was promoted to personal lines account manager. Thereafter, she was transferred to the commercial lines department in an administrative support function. Lacy has since been promoted to her current position.

Prior to Avery Hall, Lacy worked as a personal lines account manager for another insurance company. She is an Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR), which she earned from The Institutes in Philadelphia, PA.

Lacy was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, MD. She graduated from Washington High School in Princess Anne, MD.

Her significant partner is Eric, who has a daughter, while she has two daughters of her own. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to the pool, and fishing.

Angela (Angie) Strouth, CISR, CIC is a vice president for the personal lines department as well as a personal lines manager based out of the Salisbury office. She joined Avery Hall in 1998 as a customer service representative, was promoted to being the assistant of the personal lines manager in 2005, and was most recently promoted to her current positions in 2011. Her focus is working closely with the personal lines team to ensure an exceptional customer experience while also working with our personal lines carrier to develop a long-lasting partnership in order to benefit our clients.

Angie is a Salisbury, MD native and graduated from Parkside High School. In her free time, she loves to do Zumba, sing karaoke, spend time with her family and friends, and spoil her two German shepherd dogs.

Tim Wisniewski, CIC, CRM, CISR is an assistant vice president and an account executive. He has been with Avery Hall since 1999 and is based out of the Salisbury office. His focus is working with clients to identify coverage gaps and provide solutions to protect them.

Tim has earned the designations of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Certified Risk Manager (CRM), Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR), and Certified Authority in Workers Compensation (CAWC). Additionally, he is a past board member with Associated Builders and Contractors.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Alicia, and their two children.  Tim also enjoys watching professional soccer and football.