The Leadership Team

Arleen Taveras is co-Founder, President & CEO of Insurance Licensing Services of America, Inc. (ILSA).

She has over twenty years experience in the financial services industry working in insurance, commercial banking and investment banking.

In 1997 she left Aon Corporation in order to bring licensing solutions to agencies across North America through the establishment of ILSA, Inc. In her role as CEO her focus includes long term strategic planning, and new product development. The organization has over 70 employees.

As Assistant Vice President at one of the world’s top ten insurance brokers, Minet, she centralized the licensing function for the organization in the U.S. and Canada. She traveled throughout North America to resolve regulatory issues, implement new licensing procedures and enhance corporate communications between brokers and regional licensing coordinators. She ensured that the company’s brokerage operation complied with and remained apprised of current and emerging insurance regulations.

As the head of the Licensing & Regulatory Department her responsibilities included researching tax implications of transactions with unlicensed Canadian companies, ensuring proper licensure of the organization and its producers, qualifying and dissolving corporate entities and providing management with current insurance licensing regulations associated with expanding into new jurisdictions.

Arleen is considered a leading authority by her peers in insurance licensing regulations. She is a past member of the National Association of Insurance Brokers' Licensing Task Force, and has been a member of the Society of Insurance Licensing Administrators (SILA) since 1993. Arleen is a member of the Texas Surplus Lines Association Legislative Committee, the American Bankers Insurance Association (ABIA), Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT), and the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO).

Arleen attended New Jersey City University and the College of Insurance in New York City. She holds the designation of ARM.

She is a director of the Groesbeck Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Civic Center Committee and is active in many local community projects.

Ted Taveras is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of ILSA. He has over twenty years experience in the financial services industry working in insurance, commercial banking, and investment banking.

Ted served as Communications Specialist for the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston, Texas, for several years. While working for the company, he won several awards and was recognized twice in three years by the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Transit Authority for his achievements.

He has worked with presidents and CEOs of numerous companies to analyze business structures, plan and develop corporate operating schedules, evaluate and troubleshoot organizational weaknesses, hire staff, develop marketing plans, improve corporate communications, and analyze and evaluate new business. Ted has been instrumental in the inception and growth of two New York based non-profit organizations.

In addition to handling the company’s marketing, he works in conjunction with the CEO to run the company’s day to day operations. Ted also takes on the role of training the company’s staff in the areas of personal development, management development, and leadership development.

Ted is a board member, and former chairman, of the Heart of Texas Workforce Development Board, Inc. He has served on The Texas Surplus Lines Association (TSLA) Legislative Committee and is also a member of the Texas Association of Workforce Boards, The American Bankers Insurance Association (ABIA), The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT), and the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO).

Ted also holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from Syracuse University.

Nicole came to Insurance Licensing Services of America in the spring of 2006. Her career with ILSA began in the Initial Licensing Department where she mastered electronic initial licensing and the completion of registering businesses across the U.S. with the Secretary of States as both a preliminary or follow up process to securing agency licenses. Following her experiences with these tasks, Nicole spent several months working in ILSA’s Tax Department where she provided assistance to clients by maintaining and securing their good standing with the Secretary of State through the preparation of current and past due annual returns.
Nicole later moved on to work in the complicated arena of Surplus Lines Tax Filing where she trained extensively on a wide range of rules and regulations. While in the Surplus Lines Tax Filing Department, she served as the Multi State Placement Coordinator where she comprehensively examined and reviewed countless policies included in programs written for ILSA’s many large Commercial Accounts.

In early 2007, Nicole accepted the challenge of heading up ILSA’s Sales Team, where she helped to introduce and develop departmental procedures that further established daily workflow and functionality. Nicole garnered much of her preliminary leadership training in her role as supervisor and assisted with a variety of marketing campaigns, writing assignments and attended numerous insurance conferences where she represented ILSA at multiple tradeshow exhibits.
In late 2010, Nicole took over as Supervisor of ILSA’s Client Intake Department where she spent several months learning and monitoring the processes and procedures of client record and account set up. In March of 2011, she accepted the role as Manager of the Licensing, Renewals & Compliance Department where she successful helped streamline processes which in turn helped her team members better serve the clients. At the beginning of the year, Nicole was asked to step out of her role on the production side and step into the role of Director of Operations where she can use her extensive knowledge to improve systems and services, companywide.
Nicole is current member of the Texas Surplus Lines Association and serves on the Host Committee. She has recently earned her first insurance designation, CISR.

Russ has been working with ILSA's advanced systems since 2001. His team of software developers and operations technicians work directly with our licensing and filing specialists. This allows ILSA to integrate experience and customer service skills with customized software solutions in a way no other company in our industry can match.

Russ came to ILSA after completing a 20-year career in the United States Air Force. He holds an Associate in Applied Science in Allied Health Services and an Associate in Instructor of Technology and Military Science from the Community College of the Air Force. His training and experience include Emergency and Combat Medicine, Field Nursing, Disaster Response, Electronic Surveillance and Decryption, Technical Education and Training, Aerospace Management, Telemedicine, and Medical Information Systems. His management experience ranges from working independently to managing a 150-person medical clinic.

Audrey came to ILSA with a wealth of experience in the financial services and banking industry.

While working in the banking industry, Audrey served as an IRA specialist and account representative. Her expertise in Individual Retirement Accounts garnered awards and recognition for her work in developing new accounts. She was also responsible for new employee training and development in all areas of customer service. Due to her success, she was later asked to transfer her customer relations talents to the retail arena, where she was again recognized for her excellence in sales and service.

Audrey has a background in accounting and previously supervised the accounting department for a large air quality consulting firm. As an accounting supervisor, she automated the department to maximize efficiency without adding additional staff thus saving the company thousands of work hours.

Audrey started her career with ILSA as Renewals Manager and went on to form and organize our Compliance Division which includes sanction notifications to all Departments of Insurance. Her superior organizational, customer service, and management skills were once again recognized and she was asked to take the lead in the organization and development of ILSA’s Surplus Lines Tax Filing Service, which is currently the first and only automated surplus lines service in the United States.

After her successful stint in surplus lines, she was asked to expand her knowledge and skills by taking on the role of Licensing & Compliance Manager. Having worked in roughly every ILSA service department, Audrey is now recognized as one of the foremost authorities in the area of licensing and regulatory compliance.

Audrey has served as Chairman of the Annual Home and Garden Show, of which she founded, and has also served on the board of her local Chamber of Commerce.

Rabecca Garcia brings a wealth of experience to her role as Tax Filings Compliance Manager. Having joined ILSA as a Renewals Specialist, her love for learning, motivation to succeed and professionalism quickly brought her to the attention of ILSA leadership. In 2007, she joined our elite team of Surplus Lines Tax Filings Specialists and received the department’s Customer Service Award.
She returned to Renewals in 2008 as Supervisor, where she focused on ongoing education and team-building to forge a department dedicated to providing quality customer care. She was honored as ILSA’s Supervisor of the Year in 2009.
Rabecca shares her energy and motivational expertise by chairing the ILSA Special Projects Committee, which recognizes outstanding employee performance.

Niki is ILSA's "Fireman", putting out fires for our clients with tax problems. She began her career at ILSA in 2002, working in the Renewals Department.

Lorenzo Houston supervises the Surplus Lines (SL) Tax & Compliance Department at ILSA with responsibility for overseeing the activities of each tax specialist and analyzing internal procedures. In addition, he works closely with Corporate Tax experts to provide assistance and leadership with complex Secretary of State and Department of Revenue filing requirements. Lorenzo also serves as ILSA’s Surplus Lines new client coordinator. In this role he assists and trains incoming clients on tax filing organization and integration into ILSA’s systems.

Prior to joining the Surplus Lines Tax Department in 2010, Lorenzo worked in ILSA’s Accounting Department where his duties included: accounts payable, accounts receivable, check processing and state fee payment reconciliation. During Lorenzo’s 7 year tenure at ILSA, he did a one year stint in the Licensing Department, where he became proficient with individual and business entity licensing, producer license renewals, corporate business registrations and address changes.

Lorenzo has been a part of the ILSA organization since 2006 and began his journey in leadership in September of 2012. He is known for his quick wit, outstanding customer service and initiative. In 2008, while a member of the Accounting Department, Lorenzo was awarded special recognition for outstanding customer service. In 2009 he was voted VIP by his peers and in 2011, he was once again recognized for excellence as a nominee for ILSA’s Determination & Diligence Award.

Lorenzo has an Associate’s in Accounting and is continuing his education to obtain his Bachelors in Business Accounting. He enjoys playing basketball, weight-lifting and helping others to achieve their fitness goals. Lorenzo caps this off by finding time to spend with his wife Traci and their 2 children.

A native Floridian who “made it to Texas as soon as she could,” Kristy Starling joined the ILSA Team in February 2006. She brought communication and leadership skills developed in the United States Army and the private security sector to her position as a Compliance Specialist; and after a wonderful first year, she received the 2006 Renewals Employee of the Year Award. The following year, Kristy was nominated for the ILSA Employee of the Year Award for her leading role in doubling her department’s productivity.
Early in 2008, Kristy was asked to bring her skills and “above and beyond the call of duty” attitude to the Licensing Department, where she soon proved that she could handle not only the intricacies of corporate qualifications, but licensing too. Her ability to establish strong professional relationships and dedication to “putting the client first” earned her a nomination for the 2008 Outstanding Customer Service Award.
In July 2009, Kristy was promoted to Supervisor of the Intake and Compliance Department where she combined her many specialties to ensure that our clients receive the highest quality customer service. She has been instrumental in developing the new employees’ training programs within the Renewals, Intake, and Licensing Departments. Because of her outstanding work and commitment to excellence, she was promoted to manager of those departments at the beginning of the year.

Sabrina Slater supervises the Licensing & Compliance Department at ILSA, where she is responsible for the oversight of numerous services including; initial licensing, license renewals, administrative action notifications, appointments and corporate business registrations. Prior to joining the Licensing & Compliance Department, Sabrina was supervisor of the Marketing and New Client Services Teams where she worked closely with the marketing reps and new account specialists to provide initial services to prospects and new clientele. Her duties included final review of project cost analyses and incoming data form management. Sabrina also has extensive experience with license renewals for both corporate and individual producers, Third Party Administrators, Managing General Agents and Surplus Lines Brokers.
Sabrina has served on ILSA’s leadership team since 2010 and is well regarded for her customer service skills. She has been recognized on numerous occasions for outstanding performance. In 2009, Sabrina was nominated for ILSA’s prestigious Employee of the Year Award, within the same year; she was also awarded an Outstanding Customer Service Certificate. In 2010, Sabrina was voted VIP of her department by her peers and, in 2012, she was recognized as a nominee for ILSA’s Supervisor of the Year Award.
Sabrina has an Associate’s Degree in Visual Arts. She is an active member of Stars of Hope, an organization whose mission is to empower children to bring hope and color back to devastated communities through active involvement in community art projects. Sabrina has participated in Stars of Hope projects held in; Mena, AR, Ft. Hood and Bastrop, TX and has assisted with projects to help promote healing for the victims of Newtown, CT and Super Storm Sandy. Sabrina has been an active member of the New York Says Thank You Foundation as well as a local organization, Groesbeck Rebuilds America, since 2007. She has served as Secretary for the Groesbeck Volunteer Fire Department for over 5 years.
In her spare time, Sabrina enjoys collecting vintage antiques and the fun of transforming something old into something new. She is the mother of 3, loves to read, and above all, enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Joyce has extensive experience with ILSA services. She's spent many years building relationships with state regulators and has a reputation for getting things done!

Misty has recently joined the ILSA team again! During her previous tenure with ILSA, she worked in the Accounting Department from 2006 to 2008, and the licensing team from 2008 until 2009. In late 2009 she joined another organization as a Unified Records Coordinator where she was brought on board to assist in the transition to a new operating system. She was responsible for the oversight of numerous employees, the maintenance of records within the new operating systems and the general day to day operations of the department. Misty currently oversees the administrative responsibilities of each team member and routinely evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of workflow procedures.