Sergio Puerta

THOMASVILLE — Senior Life Insurance Company recently announced new promotions within the organization. President Ron Powell announced Zackery R. Phillips will take on the newly created role of vice president of operations, Gavin Cameron is now director of leads and Sergio Puerta was promoted to manager of claims. All are located at the Senior Life home office in Thomasville.

“The growth of Senior Life over the past few years has offered great opportunities to deserving leaders. We are proud to announce the promotion of individuals who have worked smart and steady during our rapid expansion,” said Powell.

Phillips was promoted to the position of vice president of operations. Phillips will oversee all department operations within the company from initial underwriting through processing of claims. He began his career as an agent for the company during the summer of 2008 while in high school and again in the summer of 2009. In 2013, Phillips was named Senior Life’s supervisor of policy services and in 2014 he transitioned to the role of quality assurance and workflow facilitator. He completed a LOMA certification in Foundation Insurance Concepts in 2014 and became a licensed life insurance agent in 2015. 

In June 2015, he was named director of quality assurance and operations and soon after was named director of claims. Phillips also completed his Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification from Riverwood Associates. He attended LaGrange College on a golf scholarship before earning an associate of applied science degree in business management, with certifications in human resources management and supervisory management, from Southwest Georgia Technical College.

“Zack has done it all at Senior Life, he is always eager to take on new responsibilities and it is with confidence we ask him to now lead as our vice president of operations,” Powell said.

Cameron was promoted to the position of director of leads. He previously held the title of leads department manager. Cameron joined Senior Life in 2014 as a leads coordinator and was promoted to department supervisor in 2015. Cameron moved to Thomasville, in 2009, from Essex, England as an international student at Thomas University. 

He played soccer, as a scholarship student, on the Thomas University team from 2009-13. At Thomas University, Cameron earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and is presently pursuing his masters of science in logistics and supply chain management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

“We have watched Gavin help the leads department flourish along with the growing needs of our sales force and he has proven to be a great asset to the success of Senior Life Insurance,” Powell said.

Puerta was promoted to claims department risk manager. Puerta joined Senior Life in May 2016 as assistant manager of claims risk and, in his expanded role, will oversee the claims department. Puerta is a graduate of Miami Dade College and Florida State University. He was a member of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting in Miami and a member of Gamma Lota Sigma Fraternity, for Risk Management and Insurance students at Florida State University. He interned at Citizens Property Insurance in commercial underwriting.

“Sergio quickly showed his leadership in a challenging first role with Senior Life. We look forward to his future contributions to the company,” Powell said.

Senior Life Insurance Company began in 2000 when Ron Powell and his father, Dale Powell, chief executive officer of Senior Life, acquired the company. Prior to the acquisition, the company, founded in 1970, was known as Provident Security Life and served six states. The company now operates in 39 states, as well as Washington D.C., and is pursuing national status. In October 2013, Senior Life opened its current home office and corporate headquarters at its new location, 1 Senior Life Lane in Thomasville.