Leadership

William Egan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Egan is a financial services executive with experience in both the insurance and asset management industries. From 2014 to 2016, he was a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. responsible for developing Oaktree’s investment activities in the insurance and reinsurance industries.

From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Egan was Head of the Global Financial Institutions Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch with responsibility for directing the bank’s global investment banking business for financial institutions, including depository institutions, insurance companies, asset managers, finance companies and financial technology companies.

From 2006 to 2008, he served as Head of the Financial Institutions Group, Americas of Merrill Lynch. Mr. Egan joined Merrill Lynch as Head of Insurance in 1999. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, he was a Managing Director in the Financial Institutions Group of Credit Suisse First Boston. Prior to joining Credit Suisse in 1994, Mr. Egan was a partner in the law firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene and MacRae. Mr. Egan holds Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Virginia.

Bruce Cheek

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Cheek was most recently Executive Vice President and COO of a leading fixed annuity carrier, American Equity Investment Life Insurance Co. In his nearly 15 years there, he was responsible for operating departments including information systems, project management office, new business (including Suitability Committee), annuity service, claims, commission accounting, information security and administrative services. He also served on the senior management team exposing him to significant decisions regarding compliance, legal and state insurance matters including suitability reviews. Prior to American Equity, Mr. Cheek was a Vice President at another fixed annuity company, American Life and Casualty Insurance Company. Mr. Cheek served in several roles there including information technology, agent licensing, investment administration and model office. Mr. Cheek served as a founding board member of the Global Insurance Accelerator located in Des Moines, IA. Mr. Cheek attended American Institute of Business, earning an AA degree in Accounting and Computer Programming. Mr. Cheek also holds a Series 99 FINRA license as an Operations Professional.

Ben Faught

VP & Chief Actuary

Ben Faught is a seasoned professional in the life insurance industry with over 10 years of experience. He currently works at Oceanview Life and Annuity, which he joined in September 2020. At Oceanview, Ben has been integral to various areas of the business, including pricing, valuation, asset liability management, and product management.

Before joining Oceanview, Ben worked for five years at Delaware Life, gaining extensive experience in financial planning and analysis, risk management, asset liability management, and annuity valuation. Prior to that, Ben worked in the risk management department at Great American Financial Group, focusing on asset liability projection and analysis, actuarial model development, and fixed indexed annuity hedging. Ben began his career at Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.

Ben is a highly qualified professional; He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Certified Enterprise Risk Analyst, and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Ben holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Indiana University.

Kevin Hart

Chief Marketing Officer

Mr. Hart brings over 30 years of financial services experience to Oceanview®️. He has sales and management experience in the annuity, mutual fund, structured products, and non-trade REIT space and has been involved in leading an independent broker-dealer network. Mr. Hart graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University and in addition to his insurance license, he holds FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 registrations.

Gregory Lang

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Lang has spent over 25 years focusing on the insurance industry. Prior to joining Oceanview®️, he worked at investment firms Citadel LLC, BlueCrest Capital Management and Suffolk Capital Management. During this time, he invested in a variety of insurance and non-insurance financial companies, with an emphasis on U.S.-listed insurance stocks. For a portion of his time at Suffolk, he also served as a member of the Board of Directors of an affiliated life insurance company, National Security Life and Annuity Company.

From 1999-2004, he was a member of the Investment Banking Department at Merrill Lynch & Co. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, from 1993-1999, he was a member of the Investment Banking Department at Credit Suisse. At both Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse, he focused exclusively on providing merger advisory, capital raising, demutualization and related services for the firm’s life insurance, property/casualty insurance and other insurance clients. He holds the CFA© designation and graduated cum laude from Columbia University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Leslie Sutherland

Vice President of Marketing

Mr. Sutherland comes to Oceanview Life and Annuity with 36 years experience in the financial services industry, having started as an account executive (stock broker) with EF Hutton. He has an extensive background in sales, sales management, business development and relationship management.

He was a part of the original wire house team with American Skandia, where he also held management positions in Key Accounts, a Divisional Sales Manager and National Sales Manager for banks.

Prior to his experience in Fixed and Fixed Indexed Annuities, he served as President of MetLife Investors as well as a Channel Head and President of General American Insurance.  He is a proud alumnus of Ole Miss where he was Colonel Rebel 1975.

Kent Nelson

Vice President of Financial Reporting

Mr. Nelson has over 30 years of experience in the insurance accounting industry with a primary focus on financial reporting. During that time Mr. Nelson was responsible for financial results for companies in the Life, Health, and Property/Casualty fields.

Pete Rock

Chief Compliance Officer

Pete began his career in insurance at Prudential in 1984, where he held a variety of leadership positions in compliance and operations.  He completed his 21 year Prudential career as a Compliance Director in the International Insurance Division.  Pete has since served as a Chief Compliance Officer for multiple broker dealers, two large insurance and annuity distribution organizations, and one of the largest Fraternal Benefit Organizations, as well as multiple tenures as a senior member of an insurance compliance consultancy.  He is currently the Chief Compliance Officer for Oceanview Life and Annuity Company. 

Pete graduated summa cum laude from Delaware Valley College with a BS in Business Administration, completed his business graduate studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program studying clinical psychology.  Pete lives in Pennsylvania and has seven children and eight grandchildren.

Nikki Pall

Vice President of Operations

Ms. Pall is a business development specialist with a strong technological background and joins Oceanview with many years of experience in the insurance industry. 

She began her industry experience in 2005, working for Sun Life Financial Distribution.  In 2009, she moved on to a cutting-edge leading industry mobile software company with a specific focus on financial services for all annuity and mutual fund products.  From 2013 to 2019, Nikki was a Director of Technology Enablement for AIG, responsible for the implementation of innovative technological advances.

Nikki was one of the first females to graduate from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science, from the Information of Sciences & Technology (IST) program and with a minor in Speech Communications. She has held both her Series 6 & Series 63 licenses for annuities.

Jim Ryan

Executive Vice President of Marketing

As a business development and sales leadership executive, Jim brings over 25 years of success and expertise in building and leading high-performance organizations in financial services, wealth management, insurance, and investments. Jim has held senior sales leadership and relationship management roles with Lincoln Financial, Voya Financial, Prudential Financial, and most recently with National Western Life serving as Head of Sales for Annuities and Life.

Jim has deep experience in leading rapid turnaround efforts, successfully guiding organizational change, and navigating businesses through complex challenges, regardless of the internal or market challenge. His leadership style is based on an entrepreneurial mindset - an ownership mentality that positively impacts each decision and achievement. Beyond expertise, Jim understands how to build organizational cultures based on credible and transparent customer relationships-the cornerstone of his extensive portfolio of solid industry relationships.

Jim and his wife Leslie live in Bryn Mawr, Pa, have 4 grown children.

Dan Gallina

Assistant Vice President, National Accounts

With over two decades of experience in the annuities industry, Dan Gallina is a seasoned professional who has held various pivotal positions in his career. He has worked in product development, sales leadership, key account management, and as a top sales leader at renowned firms such as Pacific Life, Allstate Distributors, Genworth Financial, and most recently National Western Life where he served as the AVP of Annuity Sales.

Dan's proficiency in the annuities industry has been refined through hands-on experience, enabling him to provide innovative solutions to complex business problems and consistently exceed sales targets. He is an excellent communicator who excels at building strong relationships with clients, stakeholders, and partners. His creative problem-solving skills and out-of-the-box thinking have earned him a reputation in the industry. He has an in-depth understanding of the annuities market and is always looking for ways to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

In addition to his professional achievements, Dan holds FINRA Series 7, 6 & 63 licenses. He resides in Rochester, NY with his wife and five children.

Shari Gottlieb

Controller and Treasurer

Ms. Gottlieb joined Oceanview in 2022 from Bayview Asset Management, LLC, where she had been Assistant Treasurer since joining in 2016. She was previously a Treasury Associate at Apollo Global Management’s residential mortgage REIT, Apollo Residential Mortgage, Inc. from 2011 through 2016. She began her career in 2008 as a financial controller at Deutsche Bank AG covering various business segments. Ms. Gottlieb holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Accounting and Finance from Binghamton University (State University of New York).