Our Team
Sam Jensen
Before co-founding STANCE: Renewable Risk Partners, Sam spent fifteen years in insurance consulting at Traxler & Tong, Inc., where he started the renewable energy division and subsequently oversaw more than 800 renewable energy transactions as Managing Director. This extensive transactional experience has made him one of the foremost experts in the industry in relating structured finance to renewable energy insurance solutions. In addition to debt financing, Sam has extensive experience with debt, tax and private equity as they relate to commercial solar, residential solar, commercial wind, battery storage, biofuels, biomass, thermal, gasifier and hydro.
When he’s not on conference calls, Sam likes to spend time in the outdoors or at his family’s cattle ranch in Montana where he grew up. He has his BA in Business and Sociology from Carroll College of Montana and lives in Northern California with Stance’s resident office dog, Dez.
Anthony Retort
Anthony has spent 14 years looking at risk and insurance from a variety of angles, but always with a focus on solving difficult coverage problems. As a broker with Marsh in San Francisco, he worked on global casualty accounts in the healthcare, construction, airline, and retail industries. He eventually moved on to become the first risk manager at the University of San Francisco. Ultimately, he discovered a passion for the renewable energy space with SolarCity and Tesla in the Global Risk Management team as one of the leaders tasked with risk financing and building out their comprehensive insurance programs.
He went to UCLA and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics, before getting his MBA at the University of San Francisco. He's a self-professed sports, sci-fi, and insurance nerd (not necessarily in that order) and currently resides in Northern California with his wife, two kids, and enormous golden retriever, Tucker.
Jon Osteen
Before joining STANCE Renewable Risk Partners, Jon spent 15 years in various roles with NRG Energy and Duke Energy. During this time, he supported efforts within the market risk, renewables risk and insurance teams with a focus on highlighting key risks for stakeholders and advising them of the most practical solutions. During his time at NRG, Jon also discovered a passion for the renewable energy space. Jon holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is a big fan of all things sport but particularly enjoys tennis, cycling, running and skiing. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas with his wife and two kids.
Tony Verna
Before joining STANCE, Tony began in the insurance industry in 2014 with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, before transitioning to brokerage with Marsh & McLennan. While at Marsh, Tony quickly progressed to Casualty Vice President while overseeing large technology and energy companies’ insurance portfolios. His experience in the tech and energy space sparked a passion in renewable energy and ultimately led him to join STANCE. When he’s not in the office, Tony likes to spend his time either on the golf course or attending a game of one of his favorite San Francisco Bay Area sports teams – the San Francisco Giants, Warriors, or 49ers. He currently resides in San Francisco with his wife Tori.
Rachel Blum
Before joining STANCE, Rachel spent 17 years in operations at Chubb. During this time, she supported underwriters in public D&O and had a pivotal role onboarding new hires on her team. Rachel’s passion is workflow optimization and helping others learn. Rachel lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three kids. When she’s not watching her sons play lacrosse and her daughter in gymnastics, you can find her enjoying her new crafting hobby or volunteering her time at church.
Brian Colegrove
Brian began his career in insurance at Marsh in San Francisco in 2008, where he worked as a casualty broker serving clients in a variety of industries. Later transitioning to underwriting in financial lines, Brian worked at both AIG in Los Angeles and Chubb in Chicago. While at Chubb, Brian managed a team of underwriters, oversaw a book of publicly traded clients with a focus on directors & officers liability and served as a technical liaison for crime and kidnap & ransom risks. His varied career provides deep experience with a broad array of specialized insurance products. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Illinois State University with minors in French and Spanish. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and overseas travel. He lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter and their family dog, Leila.