Insurance
10 Progressive IT leaders
These ten people hold or have held IT director and IT business leader roles at Progressive Insurance, across cloud, network and security, mainframe and data center, corporate applications and IT program management. A reader can learn how IT leaders lead technology organizations in insurance businesses.
Professionals to explore
01—10Barry Spurlock
LinkedInExperience: IT Director, Enterprise Technology Services - Enterprise Systems Continuity · Progressive Insurance
IT Director, Enterprise Technology Services - Enterprise Systems Continuity at Progressive Insurance since February 2025; the profile says Enterprise Systems Continuity is responsible for Progressive's Mainframe Services and Data Center Technologies domains. Former IT Group Manager - Data Center Compute (2018–2022) and IT Group Manager - IT Service Desk (2016–2018) at Progressive Insurance.
Elizabeth Fugitt
LinkedInExperience: IT Director · Progressive Insurance
IT Director at Progressive Insurance since December 2022, based in Colorado Springs; the profile says Elizabeth Fugitt's work has centered on enterprise project and infrastructure jobs with a focus on program and portfolio management. At Progressive Insurance Elizabeth Fugitt was also IT Group Manager - Program Manager (2019–2022) and IT Group Manager (2013–2019).
Gajendran Gopinathan
LinkedInExperience: IT Director · Progressive Insurance
IT Director at Progressive Insurance since April 2024; the profile says Gajendran Gopinathan is Platform Owner for the newly established SBI Platform within the Commercial Lines Technology Group. Former IT Group Manager at Progressive Insurance (2015–2024) and Senior Manager at Capgemini (2007–2015).
Howard Brooks
LinkedInExperience: IT Director, Enterprise Resource & Program Management Office (ERPMO) · Progressive Insurance
IT Director, Enterprise Resource & Program Management Office (ERPMO) at Progressive Insurance since December 2022; the profile says Howard Brooks manages the ERPMO Services and Project Management office of 150 employees that supports two technology organizations. Howard Brooks was Executive Director Enterprise Systems Portfolio and Program Management at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (2018–2020).
Karla Desso (Muehlhauser)
LinkedInExperience: IT Director, Corporate · Progressive Insurance
IT Director, Corporate at Progressive Insurance since May 2024; the profile headline gives the role as IT Director & Platform Owner for Corporate Applications. Karla Desso was Sr. IT Director, Digital Employee Experience & Productivity at Sherwin-Williams (2022–2024) and Senior IT Manager - End User Services at Sherwin-Williams (2019–2021).
Lonnie Werner
LinkedInExperience: Director of IT · Progressive Insurance
Director of IT at Progressive Insurance since June 2023, a Director-level role in Engineering and Technical according to the profile. Lonnie Werner was IT Group Manager at Progressive Insurance (2014–2023) and also lists an IT Manager role at Progressive Insurance that ended in 2021.
Steve Maynard
LinkedInExperience: Corporate IT Platform Owner - Director · Progressive Insurance
Corporate IT Platform Owner - Director at Progressive Insurance since March 2017; the profile describes a senior leader role providing leadership to the Corp IT Platform. At Progressive Insurance Steve Maynard was also Telecom Platform Owner - Group Manager (2015–2017) and Billing IT Platform Owner - Group Manager (2013–2015).
Tara Batchik
LinkedInExperience: Director of Information Technology - Network & Security Solutions · Progressive Insurance
Director of Information Technology - Network & Security Solutions at Progressive Insurance since January 2026, a Director-level role in Engineering and Technical according to the profile. At Progressive Insurance Tara Batchik was also IT Group Manager - IT Security (2023–2026) and IT Group Manager Enterprise Technology Solution - IT Service Desk (2020–2023).
Tom Butler
LinkedInExperience: IT Director, Cloud · Progressive Insurance
IT Director, Cloud at Progressive Insurance since January 2018; the profile says Tom Butler leads a centralized enterprise cloud team. Tom Butler was also IT Director, Enterprise Technology Services, Infrastructure Engineering & Delivery at Progressive Insurance (2013–2018) and Director, IT and Business Management Chromite at Cliffs Natural Resources (2010–2013).
Tony Alesci
LinkedInExperience: Director of Information Technology · Progressive Insurance
Former Director of Information Technology at Progressive Insurance in two listed roles (2014–2017 and 2017–2025), and Information Technology Business Leader there since September 2025. In the business leader role the profile says Tony Alesci leads an organization of about 750 team members supporting areas that include IT security and network services.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's platform or area to your question, since a leader of cloud or data center infrastructure sees different trade-offs than a platform owner for corporate or commercial lines applications. Check each person's dates so you know whether their Progressive experience is current or from an earlier period.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does a large insurer decide which workloads stay on the mainframe and which move to the cloud?
- 02How is a platform owner model for IT applications set up, and how are platform owners held accountable?
- 03How should an IT program management office prepare for acquisitions and large cross-company initiatives?
Reaching Progressive IT leaders
How can I contact one of these Progressive IT leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Progressive Insurance, based on profile data retrieved on October 5, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Progressive IT leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
Request a correction or removal