Hear from Erie Insurance President Thomas Hagen as he is honored by friends at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie
Greg Wohlford, Erie Times-News
For the first time since 2006, Thomas B. Someone other than Hagen would serve as president of Erie Insurance’s management firm, Erie Indemnity Company.
Thomas B. Jonathan Hurt Hagen, son of Hagen and the late Susan Hurt Hagen, has been selected by the board to serve as its new chairman.
The company’s board of directors elected the 63-year-old from Philadelphia and appointed Thomas Hagen, who is 90, as chairman emeritus during its April 19 meeting.
The elder Hagen, who led Erie Insurance as CEO from 1990 to 1993, was selected to replace former chairman F.W. Hurt following his death.
Jonathan Hagen is not new to the leadership ranks at Erie’s largest employer and only Erie-based Fortune 500 company.
He has served as co-trustee of H.O. Hurt Trusts, vice president of Erie Indemnity, and chairman of the board of Erie Affiliated Insurance Companies.
Company spokesperson Matthew Cummings said that the new chairman of the company was elected unanimously.
“This change reflects both continuity and the deep connection to our company’s history,” Cummings said in a statement. “Jonathan is the son of Tom Hagen and the late Susan Hurt Hagen and the grandson of our co-founder, H.O. Hurt. He has served on our board since 2005 and as vice chairman since 2013.”
Tim Necastro, who announced earlier this year that he intended to retire as CEO at the end of the year, praised the move in a memo to employees.
“Jonathan brings a thoughtful, steady approach to leadership, along with a strong understanding of our business and our culture,” Necastro wrote. “He also carries on the legacy of those who helped build this company – one based on service, integrity and a long-term perspective.”
Like his father, Jonathan Hagen will serve as non-executive chairman, meaning he will lead the board of directors but will not oversee daily operations.
Jonathan Hagen, who occasionally went to work with his father in his youth, worked for the company for several summers while attending college.
A graduate of McDowell High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA and law degree from Temple University, and a master’s degree from Villanova University School of Law.
Thomas Hagen, who remains active as a leader of the Erie Historic Preservation Trust, served as the first Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
He was selected by the Pennsylvania Society to receive the 2024 Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement.
Contact Jim Martin jmartin@timesnews.com.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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