Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday that Jeffrey Bragg will serve as secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs beginning Friday. Sam Verghese, who has led the agency since December 2014, will "pursue opportunities in the private sector," Scott's office said.
In a statement, Scott said Bragg’s experience, largely in insurance issues, would prepare him for the job at the department.
Bragg, a 67-year-old Palm Harbor resident, was executive director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Terrorism Risk Insurance Program from 2003 to 2014. Before that, he was senior vice president at Zurich Risk Management in New Jersey.
In 1981, Bragg was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he oversaw the National Flood Insurance Program and worked with Congress to terminate the federal riot reinsurance program.
Bragg's appointment to the top post in the Department of Elder Affairs is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
