Agency Leadership Team

James Thanasules was with First American Title Insurance Company for 19 years, most recently as Vice President and Senior Underwriting Counsel for the New York Agency Division. James began his title career from the ground up, involved in production, sales, claims and underwriting, both on the Direct and Agency sides. James’ extensive Agency experience offers a unique perspective. He understands the interplay between agent and underwriter; the need for responsiveness and sound decisions; and working together to achieve a common goal. James has presented CLEs and CEs on a wide variety of hot topics, including Claims, Short Sales and Reverse Mortgages. He also provides training courses for agents and the NYSLTA. James’ background includes private practice, finance and advertising.

Jim is National Underwriting Counsel, where he brings more than two decades of experience to support the closing experience. He oversees underwriting strategy, title-exam review and risk-mitigation in complex transaction environments, leveraging deep expertise in real estate practices, title insurance considerations and multi-state closings. 
Jim is recognized for his advocacy of best-practice underwriting and his collaborative approach to risk-management—ensuring that every closing is handled with precision, integrity and the highest standards of service. He is a Board Certified Real Estate Attorney by the Florida Bar, and he is active in ALTA and various state land title associations. 

With over 15 years of industry experience, Kimberly is a proven leader with expertise spanning sales strategy, organizational development, regulatory compliance, and innovation in industry technology.  As Executive Vice President of AmTrust Title Group, she drives strategic growth across all divisions, with a dedicated focus on developing and elevating AmTrust’s Agency Division.  Kimberly is also the Secretary and a Board Member of Women in Title, a national non-profit committed to advancing women in the industry through mentorship, advocacy, and collaboration.  Nationally, Kimberly is a regular faculty speaker at conferences, where you can also find her facilitating innovation masterminds with industry leaders.  Kimberly resides in Pittsburgh, and serves on the Board of Directors for Women’s Club of Mt Lebanon and is a proud Girl Scout Leader. 

Mr. Howeth is an accomplished corporate and financial services attorney with over 22 years of experience representing title insurance underwriters and agents in various in-house counsel roles. He also brings additional corporate and transactional expertise from other in-house and private practice positions. Before joining AmTrust in 2021, Mr. Howeth served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at North American Title Group, the title and insurance holding company affiliate of Lennar Corporation, a nationally recognized publicly traded homebuilder. Prior to that, he held executive-level legal positions with the title agency and underwriter affiliates of two other national homebuilders, PulteGroup and Centex Corporation. At AmTrust Title, Mr. Howeth is responsible for all legal and regulatory compliance matters affecting the underwriter, agency, and joint venture operations, as well as oversight of the underwriter’s agency audit department. Mr. Howeth earned a BA, summa cum laude, in English and Philosophy from Oklahoma Baptist University and a JD, cum laude, from Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Taryn is responsible for various regulatory and compliance matters relating to all title entities (insurer, agency, and joint ventures). This includes rate and form updates, filings, and responses. Taryn also focuses on legal research and support, providing legal support to AmTrust’s various title entities. Taryn started with AmTrust Title Insurance Company in January 2022 and has been in the title industry for over 10 years.

Shelly Wiley brings over a decade of expertise in product development, branding, marketing, and strategic sales to her role as Senior Vice President, Regional Agency Manager at AmTrust Title Insurance Company. Her career began in real estate as a Texas Realtor, where she built a strong foundation in client service and market insight. After six successful years, she transitioned into the title insurance industry, where she has since held influential roles in direct operations and regional and national agency sales.

Shelly has held leadership positions at several of the industry’s most respected firms, and at AmTrust, she leads a high-performing team focused on expanding the company’s presence and partnerships across Texas.

Known for her strategic vision and collaborative leadership, Shelly is passionate about driving growth and empowering others to succeed. Outside of work, she and her husband, Bob, enjoy life in Van Alstyne, Texas, where they raised four wonderful children and care for a lively collection of animals on their family property.

Andi is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in Title Insurance and Real Estate Services. For 14 of those years, she led a top five agency operation for one of the nation’s largest underwriters where she held full P&L ownership and drove double-digit revenue growth and profitability in the first 5 years maintaining that level of performance and profit retention in the years following until deciding to explore new opportunities in the industry and joined AmTrust’s senior leadership team.  

Her leadership has transformed sales strategy, optimized operations,  streamlined and scaled procedures,  built high-performing teams, and developed leadership capacity across Sales, Underwriting, and Agency Support. Andi has consistently delivered excellence in leadership, financial performance and offered substantive and meaningful value to agency partners committed to their success in an ever-changing marketplace.  

Carlos has over twenty years of experience in title, commercial real estate, compliance, and insurance. He leads all sales and marketing activities for AmTrust Title’s Agency Division, as well as overseeing Florida operations. 

Carlos has previously advised a diverse set of clients—public, private, and international—on legal and business matters, including title insurance, real estate transactions, corporate finance, and strategic alliances. A Certified Family Business Specialist, he has guided family-owned enterprises, held management roles at private firms and Fortune 500 companies, and a not-for-profit’s board.

Drawing on his comprehensive experience, Carlos is dedicated to gaining a deep understanding of the specific needs and practices of his team and clients, which enables him to be a valuable asset and resource for those he serves.

With two decades of expertise in mortgage, title, and settlement services, Marissa is a Regional Manager at AmTrust Title.  Her previous roles include Regional Agency Manager at Doma, Vice President of Mortgage Banking & Partner Services at Menlo Capital, LLC, and Vice President of Sales at McDonnell & Associates.  Marissa is an active member of the North Carolina Land Title Association, Palmetto Land Title Association, and Charlotte CREW. She also serves as the TIPAC Chair for the Carolinas.  Marissa resides in Mooresville, North Carolina.  

Michael Holden, NTP, CLTP, is Vice President and Regional Agency Manager – Midwest for AmTrust Title Insurance Company, an AmTrust Financial Company. With more than 30 years in the title industry, he began his career owning and operating a large Missouri title agency before advancing into national leadership roles with major underwriters. A respected voice in the industry, Michael has earned both the National Title Professional™ (NTP) and Certified Land Title Professional™ (CLTP) designations and was named among the Top 100 People in Real Estate®. He frequently speaks at industry conferences and authors The Ramblings of a Title Man series, reflecting his deep knowledge of the land title field.