Our Board of Directors

Amy Bach, Executive Director

Amy Bach has been a policyholder advocate since 1984 and an attorney since 1989. She is a native of Brooklyn, New York residing in San Francisco and a co-founder of United Policyholders. She has served on UP's board since its inception and currently oversees operations as the organization's Executive Director and primary spokesperson.

She received her B.A. from Cornell University in 1982. While in New York she served as a Legislative Staff Director in the New York State Assembly and an insurance and banking analyst for the NYS Consumer Protection Board. While at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco Ms. Bach provided consulting services to the American Association of Retired Persons and the NYS Consumer Protection Board, and clerked for the San Francisco Superior Court and the Antitrust Division of the state Attorney General's office. In 1989 Ms. Bach was counsel to the Center for Public Interest Law and the Proposition 103 Enforcement Project in regulatory and litigation matters related to a voter-approved landmark insurance reform measure. She developed expertise in litigating and resolving insurance coverage and bad faith disputes with Ray Bourhis & Associates in San Francisco from 1991-1994 before starting her own private practice.

Stanley G. Feldman

Stanley G. Feldman served as a justice for twenty-one years, including a five year term as Chief Justice. During his long tenure, the Arizona Supreme Court became one of the nation’s most respected state supreme courts, due in significant part to Justice Feldman’s exceptional writing, analysis, and active participation during oral arguments” (Excerpted from an article by Toni Massaro that appeared in the Albany Law Review in 2003).

Since retiring from the bench, Justice Feldman has returned to private practice and is representing policyholders in insurance disputes. He prepared an amicus brief pro bono in Cundiff v. State Farm. Our brief contributed to the Arizona Supreme Court granting review on two key issues.

Larry P. Ginsburg

Larry Ginsburg is a certified financial planner with offices in the Montclair Village District of Oakland. He has served as the Chairman of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) of the East Bay and Chairman of the FPA Northern California Presidents' Council.

Mr. Ginsburg volunteered his time after the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley firestorm to help many of his friends and neighbors in the Oakland Hills get their insurance claims settled and their finances in order and joined UP's Board in 1994.

William H. Hedden

William Hedden is President and CEO of Consolidated Adjusting, Inc, a public insurance adjusting firm. In 1991, he became a licensed Public Insurance Adjuster with the California Department of Insurance. He is also a licensed real estate broker and a licensed B-1 general contractor in the State of California. He earned a law degree from Hastings College of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1979.  

E. Gerard "Gerry" Mannion

Gerry Mannion is an attorney in private practice in San Francisco, California representing individuals and businesses in insurance coverage and claim disputes. He is a former President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Mannion has been a member of the UP Board since 2003.

William Shernoff

Mr. Shernoff returns to United Policyholders board, having served on UP's first Board of Directors. He was a founding partner of the law firm Shernoff, Bidart & Darras. He has devoted his career to fighting insurance company abuses. In 1974 Mr. Shernoff set the legal precedent that established bad faith law. He has been listed in the The Best Lawyers in American every year since 1983 and was named a Super Lawyer of 2000 by Law and Politics Magazine and Los Angeles Magazine.

Tricia Swift

Tricia Swift is the UP Board's newest member, having agreed to join in November 2005. She works as a real estate broker for The Grubb Company located in Montclair, California. Her home in Oakland was destroyed in the 1991 firestorm and she has a strong affinity for the work of United Policyholders. She has served on many other boards of nonprofits including the Junior League of Salt Lake City; League of Women Voters of Salt Lake City; Junior League of Oakland East Bay; League of Women Voters of Berkeley; San Francisco Bay Revels; Hiller Highlands Phase I HOA; and Fallen Leaf Lake Lodge Associates (a real estate development group).

Alice Wolfson, President

Alice Wolfson, a nationally known policyholders' attorney, is a founder of the National Women's Health Network and has served on their board for six years. Additionally, she was a founder of the Committee to Defend Reproductive Rights/Coalition for Medical Rights of Women where she has also served as Executive Director. She also served as a consumer representative on an FDA Advisory Committee.

Ms. Wolfson has extensive experience in health and disability insurance issues, as well as non-profit administration and social action. Ms. Wolfson joined the UP Board in 2000.