Personnel Changes: Aetna, EBSA, Others

The board of Aetna Inc. has elected Ronald Williams chairman.

Williams, who took over the title of chief executive officer from Dr. John Rowe earlier this year, also will get the title of chairman when Rowe retires from that post Sunday, according to Aetna, Hartford.

Rowe has been chairman since April 2001.

Williams began working for Aetna as chief of health operations in March 2001.

Before going to work for Aetna, Williams was president of Blue Cross of California, a unit of what is now WellPoint Inc., Indianapolis.

In other personnel news:

- The U.S. Department of Labor says Ann Combs, the assistant secretary of labor and head of the Employee Benefits Security Administration, will return to the private sector Oct. 27.

Combs has been assistant secretary of EBSA since May 2001.

Combs previously was vice president and chief counsel for pensions and retirement at the American Council of Life Insurers, Washington.

- Brown & Brown Inc., Daytona Beach, Fla., has hired Paul Vredenburg to be vice president of acquisitions.

Vredenburg previously was a senior vice president at Marsh, Berry & Company Inc., Concord, Ohio, an insurance agency consulting firm.

- UnumProvident Corp., Chattanooga, Tenn., says Robert Greving has returned to his post as chief financial officer following successful recovery from surgery earlier this summer.

Joseph Zubretsky took over as interim CFO at the company June 16. Zubretsky continues to be senior executive vice president of finance, investments and corporate development at UnumProvident.

- HealthMarkets Inc., North Richland Hills, Texas, has hired Michael Boxer to be chief financial officer.

Boxer was chief financial officer of Mariner Health Care Inc., Atlanta, a skilled nursing company, from 2003 until 2004.

Boxer succeeds Mark Hauptman, will become executive vice president of HealthMarkets’ agency marketing group.