Ex-Regulator Joins Strategic Risk as Account Manager
Tennessee captive insurance clients gain an account manager with state regulatory and captive administration experience.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in People
Strategic Risk Solutions has hired Merredith Mooth as a senior account manager, drawing on a career spanning state insurance regulation, captive insurance administration, and university accounting instruction. Mooth most recently served as a grants and development specialist at Middle Tennessee State University, which she left in October 2026.
Why it matters
The hire brings a licensed certified public accountant with state regulatory and captive insurance experience into a client-facing role, a profile that matters for firms managing captive and risk retention group compliance. For Tennessee operators, it reflects how regulatory-side experience at the state insurance department is moving into the private captive market.
Mooth's career includes roughly a decade in captive insurance and state regulation, from her 2013 analyst post at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance through her 2023 to 2024 senior captive account manager role at Artex Risk Solutions. She has taught accounting at Middle Tennessee State University since 2016, and the announcement does not provide firm-level figures for the hire.
The players
Strategic Risk Solutions
A risk management and insurance firm that advises clients on captive insurance and risk financing strategies.
Middle Tennessee State University
A public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where Mooth taught accounting and worked in grants and development.
Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
The state agency that regulates insurance carriers, producers, and captive insurers operating in Tennessee.
Artex Risk Solutions
A captive insurance management firm that administers captives and risk retention groups for clients.
Arsenal Insurance Management
A captive insurance management firm that formed and administered risk retention groups for clients.
The details
At Arsenal Insurance Management, Mooth formed and licensed an Alabama-domiciled risk retention group, a vehicle that lets businesses pool liability risk outside traditional carriers. At Artex Risk Solutions she managed financial reporting and regulatory compliance for a portfolio of captives and risk retention groups. Her most recent prior role was fiscal director at the Tennessee Department of Health, which she held from April 2024 to July 2025 before moving to Middle Tennessee State University.
Timeline
Captive analyst role at Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance: March 2013 to August 2015.
Captive regulatory manager at Arsenal Insurance Management: August 2015 to August 2017.
Senior captive account manager at Artex Risk Solutions: February 2023 to April 2024.
Fiscal director at Tennessee Department of Health: April 2024 to July 2025.
Grants and development specialist at Middle Tennessee State University: August 2025 to October 2026.
Market Landscape
Tennessee has built a notable captive insurance industry, and its state regulators have long shaped how captives and risk retention groups are formed and supervised. Professionals who move between the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and private captive managers carry regulatory familiarity into firms like Strategic Risk Solutions, Artex Risk Solutions, and Arsenal Insurance Management.
Operators who rely on captive insurance should watch which firms are adding regulatory-experienced account managers, since that can signal stronger compliance support. Businesses evaluating captive providers may want to ask about a candidate's licensing, reporting, and regulatory background as part of their vendor review.
The takeaway
Captive insurance buyers should treat a provider's regulatory and licensing depth as a core selection criterion when reviewing account management teams. Confirm any captive or risk retention group arrangement with a qualified insurance attorney or accountant before making changes.
Further reading
For more on how leadership moves shape the business community, explore People coverage across Tennessee.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Captiveinsurancetimes.
