James V. Gorman
FMERA Chair
James V. Gorman is Chairman of Blue Warrior Capital, LLC, a New Jersey-headquartered private equity and merchant banking firm. Gorman was a founding member of the firm in 2008.
He is a past Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of National Atlantic Holdings Corp. (NASADAQ:NAHC), which he also founded in 1994. National Holdings is a New Jersey-based international property casualty insurance group, which included the Proformance Insurance Company of New Jersey, Riverview Professional Services, Inc, and Mayfair Reinsurance Company Ltd. Of Bermuda. In 2005, the company was awarded the 168th spot on Inc Magazine’s Top 500 of America’s fastest growing companies.
In 1987, he co-founded Home State Insurance Company, a New Jersey domiciled property casualty insurance company, where he served as President until 1993. He was also Chairman of the Board of Quaker City Insurance Company, an Pennsylvania domiciled auto insurance carrier during this time.
From 1974 until 1987, he held various management positions in the following functions: territory management, national advertising, product development and underwriting with Kemper Insurance Companies in Long Grove, IL, an international insurance group. He has also served as Director of Marketing for the Auto-Homeowners division of the Colonial Penn Insurance Group of Philadelphia, PA, and Vice President of Personal Insurance division of Reliance Insurance Company of Philadelphia, PA.
He has served his community as Chairman of IEP Youth Services since 1997. IEP is a Freehold-based charitable organization serving abused children ages 8 to 21 with services aimed at restoring a nurturing environment and providing resources for self improvement. He served state government in 2009 to 2010 as a member of Governor Chris Christie’s Transition Team for Banking, Insurance and Real Estate.
In 1996 the N.A.A.C.P. honored him with Certification and Award for Employment Practices, and in 1995, he was named “Insurance Man of the Year” by the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey.
He earned a B.A. in Political Science/Economics from Binghamton University in 1972, attended Syracuse University, Graduate School of Management, MBA program in 1974, and undertook Graduate Studies in Marketing at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in 1979.
He is a father of four, and he and his wife Jacquelyn reside in Colts Neck.