Our leadership team

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

Chris Schell is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for State Farm and leads the day-to-day operations for the Property & Casualty business and claims.

He has more than 35 years of experience at State Farm and within the insurance and financial services industries.

Chris joined State Farm in 1988 and became a State Farm agent in 1994, serving the community of Cincinnati, Ohio. After returning to company leadership, he held a variety of executive positions in Ohio, Illinois, Texas and the eastern U.S., overseeing aspects of the State Farm agency sales force. In 2019, Chris was named Senior Vice President – Property & Casualty and led efforts aimed at achieving profitable growth and delivering new products. He assumed his current role in January 2024.

A native of Ohio, Chris received a bachelor's degree in marketing from University of Dayton and a master’s degree in business from Ohio University.

Executive Vice President and Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer

Kristyn Cook is Executive Vice President and Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer at State Farm. She is head of the company’s sales and distribution function and leads the more than 19,000 State Farm agencies that bring the company mission to life. Kristyn also leads the company’s brand and marketing efforts, connecting the power of Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There to consumers and communities across America.

Before stepping into this role in January 2023, Kristyn served as Senior Vice President of Agency & Marketing with responsibility for marketing and branding, as well as corporate strategy for the company’s agency-based model. Kristyn began her 25-year career at State Farm in marketing and sales, before becoming a State Farm agent in Chicago, Illinois. She returned to corporate to hold positions of increased responsibility, including leadership of the sales force in the west central U.S. and southeastern U.S.

Kristyn is a proud alumna of the Syracuse University NCAA Women’s Basketball team and was awarded the Letterwinner of Distinction, the highest honor bestowed upon a former student-athlete. She holds a bachelor’s degree in policy studies and earned a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the Syracuse Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is a graduate of the General Management Program at the Harvard University School of Business and was named Class Speaker, the first American female in the program’s history.

Senior Vice President & Chief Digital Officer

Fawad Ahmad joined State Farm in 2016 to lead digital strategy development and execution for the company as Vice President – Digital. In 2017, Fawad was promoted to Senior Vice President of Enterprise Technology and earned the additional title of Chief Digital Officer in 2019. He leads Customer Experience for State Farm, including the data science, analytics, and software design and experience teams who deliver and optimize end-user apps for customers, agents and employees. He also leads enterprise transformation work to position State Farm for future growth.

Prior to joining State Farm, Fawad led business and digital strategies and transformations at other Fortune 500 organizations, including Staples and eBay. He has also provided legal, compliance and corporate oversight work for financial services organizations like Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and U.S. Bank. Fawad earned his juris doctor degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Southeastern University.

Senior Vice President – P&C Claims

As Senior Vice President – P&C Claims, Wensley has overall responsibility for the State Farm claims operation.

Wensley joined State Farm in 1991 as an Auto Claim Representative in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has held leadership positions in a broad range of areas, overseeing teams that provide simplified claim experiences for our customers. He assumed his current role in 2021. 

Wensley received a bachelor's degree from Concordia College, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and completed the Executive Development Program at The Wharton School.

Chief Legal Officer

Steve is Chief Legal Officer at State Farm.

Steve joined State Farm in 1985 and has served in a variety of leadership positions before being named General Counsel in 2016.

A native of New Jersey, Steve received a bachelor's degree from Kean University, an MBA from the University of Arkansas, and a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. Steve is a member of the McLean County, Illinois and New Jersey Bar Associations.

Senior Vice President & General Counsel

Keesha-Lu Mitra is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for State Farm®. She has overall responsibility for the Law Department, including the Corporate Law division which handles litigation, legislative and regulatory affairs, and legal counsel provided to the organization, and the Claim Litigation Counsel division which provides insurance defense representation to State Farm policyholders through 38 offices around the nation.

Keesha-Lu is a proud product of the Law Department’s internship program, joining State Farm in 1989 upon law school graduation. She has served in a variety of roles and sections within the Law Department.  She moved into leadership in 2016, became Vice President – Counsel in 2020, and assumed her current role of General Counsel in 2024.

Senior Vice President – Financial Services

Joe Monk joined State Farm® in 1985 and became an agent in 1986. From 1993 to 2001, he served in a variety of field sales management positions. He held several positions in the company’s home office from 2001 to 2005, including Vice President – Life Operations and Vice President – Financial Services. Joe served as Vice President – Agency in the Pacific Northwest from 2005 to 2008, when he was promoted to Operations Vice President – State Farm Life. He became Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Life/Health in April 2010 and was named Vice President of Mutual Funds in December 2010. In 2017, Joe was named President and Chief Executive Officer of State Farm Bank®. He oversaw the deregistration of State Farm Bank in 2021.

Joe is a member of the Board of Directors of State Farm Life Insurance Company, State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company, and State Farm Annuity and Life Insurance Company. He serves as Director and Senior Vice President for both State Farm Investment Management Corp. and State Farm VP Management Corp. Joe attended Missouri State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance/insurance.

Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Ashley Pettit joined State Farm® in 1991 and held a variety of Information Technology positions including Software Developer, Security Analyst, Business Analyst, Manager, Director, Assistant Vice President and Vice President within the Systems Department. Along the way, she was also a Director in the Human Resources Business Office. In 2017, she was promoted to Senior Vice President in Enterprise Technology, and she earned the additional title of Chief Information Officer in 2019. Committed to continuous innovation and adaptation, Ashley’s future-focused approach merges business with technology to enhance State Farm technical platforms and personalize customer experiences.

Ashley earned her Bachelor of Science degree in finance and management information systems from Southern Illinois University and her Master of Science in management degree from The American College.

Senior Vice President

Michele joined State Farm in 1989 and has served in executive leadership positions in Claims, Human Resources, and Corporate Learning and Development. She has current responsibility for Human Resources and Development; Executive Succession and Development; Administrative Services; Corporate Communications; and Corporate Responsibility. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington.

Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

Mark Schwamberger is Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of State Farm. Since 2012, Mark has served as vice president – financial operations and controller with oversight of the financial and statistical reporting, investment accounting, tax, treasury, shared services and capital management operations of the organization. Mark joined State Farm in 1991 as an accounting trainee. He was named to his current role in January 2024.

A native of Illinois, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, MBA from the University of Illinois, and the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.

Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer

In her role, Cathy leads Enterprise Risk Management, Compliance, Information Security and the Flight Department. She coordinates with State Farm business-area risk owners to identify, report and measure significant risks while evaluating the processes in place to manage these risks. Cathy has more than 35 years of experience within the insurance industry.

She joined State Farm in 1983 and has served in a variety of executive leadership positions including Operations vice president, Finance vice president and assistant vice president of Planning and Analysis. In 2012, Cathy assumed her current role of Chief Risk Officer.

Cathy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accountancy and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.