Amy Bach, Executive Director

Amy Bach has been a professional advocate for insurance consumers (policyholders), since 1984 and an attorney since 1989.  A native of Brooklyn, New York residing in San Francisco, she co- founded United Policyholders in 1991.  She currently serves as the organization's Executive Director and spokesperson; shaping and overseeing the Roadmap to Recovery™, Roadmap to Preparedness, and Advocacy and Action programs.  She is a  nationally recognized expert on insurance claim and legal matters; frequently interviewed in print and broadcast media, and the author of numerous publications including "The Disaster Recovery Handbook" and consumer tips and guides in the UP Claim Help Library.

Bach graduated cum laude from Cornell University in 1982 and received her Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1989.  Ms. Bach has performed government service with the New York and California State Legislatures, and the New York State Consumer Protection Board.  She served as counsel to a special master overseeing reforms at the California Department of Insurance in the 1990s.  Bach served on the Product Enhancement Advisory Board to the California Earthquake Authority in 2005—2007.  Bach was appointed in January, 2008 by the California Insurance Commissioner to Chair a Consumer Advisory Task Force. 

Emily Cabral, Program Coordinator

Emily Cabral joined United Policyholders in January 2008. As Program Coordinator, Cabral works closely with the Executive Director and UP staff and volunteers to advance the mission of the organization through our three programs.  For the last three years she has educated homeowners and renters throughout the Bay Area on the importance of insurance and financial preparedness as a key component of disaster preparedness. Cabral proudly represents United Policyholders at conferences, meetings and workshops hosted by community leaders, claim professionals, the insurance industry, local and state government and other NGOs.  A San Francisco native, Cabral received a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside in June 2007.

Kaye Coates, Outreach Coordinator, Roadmap to Preparedness Program

Kaye Coates joined United Policyholders in April of 2010 as Outreach Coordinator for our Roadmap to Preparedness program in Southern California.  Kaye is in charge of getting our tools distributed and our "Insurance Assurance – Does Your Safety Net Have Holes?" messages and tips heard throughout San Diego and San Bernardino counties in high wildfire risk areas.  Kaye's personal and professional background make her a perfect fit for United Policyholders:  She and her family lost their home in a 2003 wildfire, so she knows firsthand how important it is to have adequate insurance.  And, she knows the specific preparedness action items that make the recovery path easier.

Kaye has put her BS in Computer and Information Science from The Ohio State University (GO BUCKS!) to good use by making improvements to the United Policyholders' Home Inventory.  This tool is one of the most popular and useful items UP distributes through both our Roadmap to Preparedness and our Roadmap to Recovery programs.  Through her work with United Policyholders, Kaye is helping individuals, businesses and communities be financially and personally prepared for natural disasters.  When at home, Kaye is busy preparing her three children to be independent, responsible, contributing citizens.

Ezra Denney, Director of Development

Ezra Denney joined UP in 2011 as Director of Development. His role is to oversee the fundraising, marketing, and event planning for the organization. Without admitting his age, he has spent the last decade working in the non-profit development world, with a focus in the legal community. He has a background in event planning, membership development, social media, and print publications. Mr. Denney is native of Texas and received his B.A. from Bennington College in Vermont.

Karen Reimus, Outreach Coordinator, Roadmap to Recovery Program

Karen Reimus is a lawyer and a mother of two.  Karen and her family lost their home and all their possessions is the October 2003 Cedar Fire.  The firestorm leveled her suburban San Diego neighborhood and destroyed thousands of homes throughout San Diego County.  After finding herself underinsured by a top-rated insurance company despite having a brand- new policy, Karen became a grass-roots advocate for herself and her neighbors.  She travelled to Sacramento to lobby for legislative reforms and in 2004 Reimus signed on as a volunteer with United Policyholders.  Reimus is a contributing author to the Disaster Recovery Handbook and Household Inventory Guide and the Survivor's Speak publication series in the UP Claim Help library. 

After another series of wildfires destroyed large numbers of homes throughout San Diego County in 2007, Reimus joined the paid staff of United Policyholders as the Southern California Outreach Coordinator for our Roadmap to Recovery Program.  For two years after the fires, Reimus worked tirelessly with Bach and other UP staff and volunteers to coordinate well-attended workshops, meetings and support programs that facilitated wildfire survivors' recovery and rebuilding.  During this time, Reimus helped establish the UP Disaster Survivor Support Network, a UP Roadmap to Recovery resource through which trained volunteers with personal experience recovering from past disasters offer empathy and support to people struggling to recover from recent disasters.   Reimus coordinated UP's outreach and education operation in Orange County, California after a 2008 wildfire, and is now traveling back and forth to Boulder, Colorado where 170 homes were destroyed in a September wildfire.  She is invaluable to United Policyholders and to the thousands of disaster survivors she has helped.   The City of San Diego honored Karen's many contributions to her community by issuing a proclamation designating October 14, 2008 as "Karen Reimus Day."

Pierre Vachon, Staff Attorney

Pierre Vachon joined United Policyholders in November 2011. As Staff Attorney, Pierre works on UP’s Amicus Project, drafting briefs, coordinating with local attorneys and advising on legal issues pertaining to insurance coverage. He represents UP at meetings of the California Department of Insurance and other regulation related meetings. Pierre holds a B.A. from Université de Montréal, an M.P.H. and a Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. He is currently completing an L.L.M. in insurance law from the University of Connecticut School of Law.