Meet The Staff of Gillman Insurance

Ed Gillman, started the agency, Gillman Insurance Group, in 1993 after moving to Atlanta from South Florida. His 15 years of insurance experience began as a third generation member of his family's agency in Miami. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Government (GO WAHOOS!) and The College of Insurance in New York City, with a Graduate Diploma in Risk and Insurance. Ed and his family live in Alpharetta close to the golf course (which unfortunately he does not get to see enough of). Ed and Lori are very involved with their daughters' school, lacrosse and gymnastics activities.

In addition to working with prospects and clients in the commercial insurance arena, Ed is the guy with his name on the door. What that means is IF and it should be a RARE occasion, you are not satisfied with the service received by the outstanding folks at Gillman Insurance Group, he is the man to talk to. That works both ways too! WHEN you are inclined to tell someone at Gillman Insurance Group about the great service you were provided, Ed is more than happy to take those calls too!

Tim Gaffney began his insurance career in 1975 after graduating from Florida International University. He received his Accredited Advisor of Insurance certification in 1984. He has taught insurance courses at the University of Miami and for various insurance associations in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan. In mid-1995 Tim joined his long time friend, Ed Gillman, in their agency located in Alpharetta. They have adopted the slogan “Problem Solver” to differentiate their philosophy of serving their clients, and as a result, Gillman Insurance Group is one of the fastest growing firms in the Southeast. In 2006 Tim became a Certified Worker’s Compensation Advisor, and is President of Georgia Worker’s Compensation Solutions, a division of Gillman Insurance Group.

With over 32 years of experience in the insurance industry, and specifically Workers Compensation, Tim has some significant accomplishments under his belt:

• Successfully orchestrated comprehensive Workers Compensation reforms passed in the Florida Legislature in 1990
• 1990 recipient of the “Up and Comers Award” by the South Florida Business Journal
• In 1993, served on the Florida Governor’s Worker’s Compensation Advisory Committee, passing the drug-free workplace legislation 
• Helped pass Florida’s Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Authority
• Served on Florida Attorney General’s Board to reduce auto theft
• Served on Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s “Drugs Don’t Work” advisory committee
• Graduated from Leadership North Fulton in 1999
• Past Chair of the Small Business Committee of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves on the Board of Directors
• Secured 250+ volunteers for the Dodge Tour de Georgia’s final leg in Alpharetta
• Currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Council on Alcohol and Drugs
• Current active member of the Alpharetta Rotary Club
• Currently serves on Congressman Tom Price’s Citizens Advisory Board

Over the years Tim’s clients have included many landscapers, janitorial services, printers, tire dealers, contractors, boat dealers, marinas, direct mail firms, building owners, and non-profit organizations such as YMCA, Goodwill Industries, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He insured the 1995 Superbowl and the Lipton Tennis Tournament in Miami.

When he is not helping his clients, Tim and his wife Theresa can be found working on their cabin in the mountains of North Carolina, or on their Nordic Tug on the Tennessee River.

Deborah Stancel is thrilled to join the team at Gillman Insurance Group as a Commercial Problem Solver. Her experience in the insurance field is short but broad. For the past year she worked for a small independent agent in Roswell where she was responsible for a large number of commercial accounts. As a Commercial Lines Problem Solver, her main goal is to provide the utmost in service to her clients and that her clients are completely satisfied. She is here to help with any needs her customer’s might have.

Deborah is wife to a fireman working in Forsyth County and mother to an energetic toddler. She enjoys spending time with family & friends.

Di Smith began her career in the insurance industry in 1992, and has been a Personal Insurance Problem Solver with Gillman Insurance Group since 1993. Di’s strengths focus on customer satisfaction and problem resolution. Her number one priority is to help all her clients protect their families and their hard-earned assets by providing them with personal insurance packages tailored to meet their specific needs.

Di enjoys being part of her community, and is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as well as the Forsyth Chamber of Commerce. She is also a volunteer parent at Vickery Creek Elementary School in Forsyth County.

Jackie Pepper has made Alpharetta her home for the past 20 years. She graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in Education and was a member of the Phi Delta Kappa honor society. She has spent the majority of her career as an educator, teaching students ranging in age from Kindergarten to adult in subjects as diverse as History, Sociology, Math, and Science.

In 2004, she began working at Gillman Insurance and has rapidly adjusted to the fast-paced, rewarding world of commercial insurance. When not at work, she enjoys biking, reading, and gourmet cooking.

Pam Lesemann’s commercial insurance career spans over 30 years, having started out as a commercial lines rater for a regional insurance company in 1978, working her way up to supervisor of the policy services department, then working as a casualty adjuster for an international company before becoming an agent for various independent agencies.

For the past 18 years, Pam has specialized in providing insurance options to small businesses in her role as a commercial agent. A practitioner of the Golden Rule, her approach is personalized and personable.

When Pam is not on the job, she enjoys reading books about history, archaeology and anthropology, dabbles in writing and painting, and when she is able to make the trip back to her hometown of Charleston, SC, she enjoys salt water fishing and shrimping.

Pam has lived in eight states, 13 cities, 3 countries, attended 15 schools, can tell someone she loves them or curse them in 4 languages, and she makes a mean mac & cheese.

Coming Soon...