BRANCHVILLE, N.J., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGI), announced the following appointments by its subsidiary, Selective Insurance Company of America:

Charles Musilli (Wantage, NJ) to senior vice president, Selective Specialty and Distribution.  Mr. Musilli joined Selective in 1981 as an insurance trainee and has held a variety of regional and corporate strategic and leadership positions, most recently as senior vice president, Northeast Region Manager and Agency Development. Mr. Musilli received a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designations.

Thomas Purnell (Sparta, NJ) to senior vice president, Northeast Region Manager. Mr. Purnell joined Selective in 1988 as a corporate trainee and has held a variety of regional leadership positions.  Mr. Purnell earned his B.S. in Economics from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA and holds the CPCU and CIC designations.

Denise Niiyama (Sparta, NJ) to vice president, Project Management Office Director.  Ms. Niiyama joined Selective in August 2012.  Prior to that, she was a senior consultant/principle advisor at Information Services Group, Inc. (formerly Technology Partners International, Inc.)  Ms. Niiyama is pursuing her Business Management degree from the University of Phoenix and attended the Harris School of Business in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Noreen Cruz (Pasadena, CA) to assistant vice president, Alternative Markets.  Ms. Cruz joined Selective in August 2012.  Prior to that, she was an assistant vice president for C.V. Starr.  Ms. Cruz earned a B.A. in Social Science from the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, CA and holds the CPCU, Associate in Risk Management and Associate in Reinsurance designations.

Robert Dixon (Far Hills, NJ) to assistant vice president, Bond Underwriting Manager.  Mr. Dixon joined Selective in January 2008 as Regional Bond Manager.  Prior to that, he was a surety services consultant for Daystar Consulting.  Mr. Dixon earned a B.A. in Economics from Drew University in Madison, NJ and an M.B.A. in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ.

Donna Manzi (East Stroudsburg, PA) to assistant vice president, Benefits.  Ms. Manzi joined Selective in August 2012.  Prior to that, she was the director of employee benefits at Geisinger Health Systems.  Ms. Manzi earned a B.A. in Math from Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ and an M.B.A. from Eastern University in St. Davids, PA.  Ms. Manzi is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and the Society for Human Resources Management.

Mark Stoller (Ridgewood, NJ) to assistant vice president, IT Communications.  Mr. Stoller joined Selective in August 2012.  Prior to that, he was the head of IT for SS&C Technologies - Tradeware in NY. Mr. Stoller earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, an M.S. in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ and holds the Project Management Professional designation.

About Selective Insurance Group, Inc.
Selective Insurance Group, Inc. is a holding company for ten property and casualty insurance companies rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best.  Through independent agents, the insurance companies offer primary and alternative market insurance for commercial and personal risks, and flood insurance underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program.  Selective maintains a website at www.selective.com.

SOURCE Selective Insurance Group, Inc.