CATIC Financial, Inc. Board of Directors

A native of Torrington, CT, Charles R. Ebersol, Jr. holds a B.A. degree from Haverford College and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University. He was admitted to the bar in 1977. He also served as president of the Connecticut Junior Republic and is a member of the Litchfield County Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association. His practice areas include real estate law, planning and zoning law, estate planning law, wills, and probate.

Peter is a Director of CATIC and the Chairman of the Board of CATIC Financial.

Jim received his B.S. in Finance, cum laude, from the University of Connecticut. While attending law school, he worked for a high-volume residential law firm in East Hartford, CT where he was a title searcher for three years. He graduated from Western New England College School of Law and started work for a national title insurance underwriter in 1995. In October 2015 he was named President and Chief Executive Officer of CATIC. 

A 20-year veteran of the title industry, Jim has held many positions and has experience in claims administration, underwriting, sales, and operations management. A Past President of the Connecticut Title Association, he is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association's Real Property Section, the New England Land Title Association, the American Land Title Association, and the Real Estate Finance Association of Connecticut.

Attorney Farrell graduated from Smith College and received her law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. In 1982, Attorney Farrell established her own general private practice firm in Middletown, which firm ultimately became Farrell, Geenty, Sheeley, Boccalatte & Guarino, P.C. She served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Middletown, as an officer of the Middlesex Bar Association, as a member of the House of Delegates and the Board of Governors for the Connecticut Bar Association, and as director of the Connecticut Title Insurance Board. Prior to retiring from private practice, Attorney Farrell served as a mediator and collaborative divorce attorney, and established Resolution Through Mediation LLC. She also served as a Special Master in divorce and custody matters and as an Attorney Trial Referee. Attorney Farrell previously served as Chairperson of CATIC and CATIC Financial, and currently serves as Vice Chair of CATIC Financial.

Attorney Ciejka was most recently General Counsel and Human Resources Director at Western New England Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary Westfield Bank in Westfield, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Executive management team of both companies responsible for all legal, human resources and compensation and insurance related matters.

Prior to his time at Westfield Bank, Gerry was lead Western Massachusetts underwriting counsel and manager for multiple national title insurance companies. Before joining the title insurance industry, Gerry was a Partner in the Springfield, Massachusetts law firm of Bulkley Richardson and Gelinas specializing in commercial real estate and business organizations. Gerry Ciejka is a graduate of Northeastern University and Northeastern University School of Law. He resides in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Attorney Franklin is the principal in Scott B. Franklin & Associates, in West Hartford, Connecticut. His practice includes business law, real estate law, estate and probate, and health law.

Having served as a member of the West Hartford Zoning Board of Appeals for 12 years, Attorney Franklin also has extensive experience in all areas of zoning law, and represents clients before planning and zoning commissions, zoning boards of appeals, and inland wetlands commissions. He is the author of a publication on foreclosure committee work and represents clients in the purchase of real estate at foreclosure auctions.

Attorney Franklin received his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Thomas F.X. Hodson is currently Director and General Counsel for Genesis Legacy Solutions Limited.  Prior to this position he headed up JLT Towner Insurance Management (Connecticut) LLC, after JLT Towner acquired a controlling interest in his company, Charter Risk Management Services. Charter, where he was Founder and President, was Connecticut’s first captive management company. Tom has spent his career in the insurance and reinsurance industries, assisting clients with their corporate, legal, and risk management needs, and has specialized in the alternative risk transfer market. Tom also organized the Connecticut Captive Insurance Association, and currently serves as its president. Previously, Tom served as General Counsel of the AIX Group, a mid-sized commercial property and casualty insurance group. A graduate of St. Michael’s College, with a J.D. from Catholic University, Tom is admitted to practice in both Connecticut and New York.

Tom is a partner at Kane, Hartley and Kane. His principal areas of practice are residential real estate, estate planning and juvenile law. Tom is a member of the Board of Directors of the Glastonbury Rotary Club, a member of the Town of Colchester Board of Finance, and a member of the Colchester Democratic Town Committee. He was previously the Vice Chairman of the Colchester Planning and Zoning Committee. In 2011 he was one of the initial group of lawyers in Connecticut to be certified by the State as a Child Welfare Law Specialist. Tom graduated from St. Michael’s College and Western New England University School of Law and is admitted to practice in Connecticut and in the U.S. District Court for Connecticut.

Kosta is an experienced entrepreneur and the Founder of Ligris®,  and ACES Title Agency where he served as CEO and Managing Partner for over 15 years before becoming a strategic advisor. His former practice concentrated on residential and commercial real estate transactions; the firm he founded represents buyers, sellers, and developers in the acquisition, sale and development of residential and commercial real estate. Kosta has also served in a general counsel capacity for certain investors and developers by providing guidance on various legal matters and coordinating representation with other lawyers and law firms. He has served as a strategic advisor and board member to several large scale real estate companies, insurers and startups. He is presently Cofounder and CEO of Stavvy, a Boston venture backed fintech startup.  Kosta is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, New York, Washington D.C., and the United States Federal Court for the First District. He has been recognized as a real estate “Super Lawyer” for ten consecutive years. He is an entrepreneur in residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship where he works with founders and early stage startups in the MIT ecosystem across all verticals. He earned his Bachelor of Sciences in Physiology at Boston University, his Juris Doctor, cum laude at Suffolk University (where he presently serves as a University Trustee) and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management (where he is a mentor, judge, coach and lecturer for several initiatives and departments).

Tom received his BA from St. Anselm’s College, then served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam. He received his JD from Suffolk University Law School and served as the Prosecutor for the City of Chicopee before joining his current firm, Murphy McCoubrey.

Tom is a member of the Massachusetts and Hampden County Bars and past President of the Chicopee Bar Association. He has been a Trustee of the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, President of the Chicopee Boys & Girls Club, Director of the Chicopee Savings Bank, Director of Baystate Medical Center, and past Chairman of the Board of Elms College. Tom is also the Founder and past Chairman of EstateWorks, and current Chairman of the Board of Convenient Cards. Tom is a Director of CATIC and the former Chairman of the Board of CATIC Financial.

Jeremy Potter is a strategist, advisor, entrepreneur and business leader.  Most recently, he is leading a startup in the title insurance industry.  Prior to being a startup co-founder and advisor, Potter was Chief Evangelist and VP Product Strategy at Stavvy.  Stavvy is a Boston-based fintech in the digital closing space.  Potter spent almost 6 years at Rocket Mortgage both as legal counsel and Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation.  He got his start in Connecticut joining Norcom Mortgage & Insurance as General Counsel. Potter is a frequent speaker and author in the real estate and housing finance industry.  He is a Board Member at CATIC in Rocky Hill, a member of the Board of Directors at the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association (MMBA) and a Board advisor with Knox Capital in Chicago, IL. He is a graduate of UConn Law School. 

William Rosa, a partner at Wynn & Wynn, leads the Real Estate and Business Division and concentrates his practice in the areas of business law, commercial real estate, zoning and land development. Mr. Rosa is a past President of the Taunton Bar Association and Segregansett Country Club and a past Chairman of the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce and Old Colony YMCA. He currently serves on the Board of Sharon Crescent United Credit Union. Mr. Rosa was educated at Rutgers University and New England School of Law, and has been an instructor at Newbury Junior College in the fields of real estate, wills and trusts. He has spoken on numerous occasions concerning land use and real estate topics.

Attorney Keith Shaw is a native of Brooklyn, New York. He graduated Stuyvesant High School in 1973 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Brooklyn College and a Juris Doctorate degree from Western New England University School of Law.

Attorney Shaw has served on the CATIC Board of Directors since 2001 and has served as Chairman of the Governance and Claims committees. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of CATIC.

In addition, Attorney Shaw serves as a Commissioner of the Town of Glastonbury Zoning Board and is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association Real Property Section and the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association Closing Committee. He is a former director of Connecticut Friends for ALS Research and the Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association.

Attorney Shaw’s law office is located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut with a concentration in residential and commercial real estate transactions, business transactions, condominium collections and estate planning.