LEADERS AND TEAM MEMBERS
Demetrius Navarro – President/Consultant
Demetrius has over thirty years of experience in the life and health insurance profession. He is a native Houstonian and attended the University of Texas at Austin. Demetrius began his insurance career in 1985 with Cigna Individual Financial Services. This position provided a platform in marketing, sales, service, development and implementation of financial planning strategies to high net worth individuals, business owners, corporate executives and retirees. This lead to the development and entry into the employee benefits arena. Demetrius’s focus is to develop his position as an expert and leader in the marketplace of comprehensive executive/employee benefits in conjunction with estate planning and key-man/buy-sell strategies. In 1999 he opened the doors of Navarro Insurance Group, a boutique insurance agency in Houston. The agency is committed to providing the highest quality of service and personal attention to their current, as well as prospective, client base. Demetrius is involved in various civic, professional activities along with his local church activities. He enjoys travel, art, fishing, hunting and spending time with his wife of twenty-nine years and two sons.
Sam Pineda – Broker
Sam joined the team at Navarro Insurance Group 11 years ago. He has been in the insurance industry for over twenty-five years, and his areas of expertise include all areas of medical coverage including employer-sponsored and individual, life & accidental death and dismemberment as well as other ancillary and voluntary products.
As a senior broker, Sam is a key asset to Navarro Insurance Group due to his concierge style service in listening and focusing on the needs of the client. His ability to conduct meetings in Spanish is especially appreciated with employers who have a need for bilingual communications.
As a native Houstonian, Sam is a tireless mentoring advocate for the advancement of educational and business development incentives. As such, he is a familiar face with the Hispanic non-profit and business community. Previous long-term member of TAMACC, Sam has also served on board of directors of TBH (Talento Bilingüe de Houston) and NAMC (National Association of Minority Contractors) and is an active volunteer for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Livestock Committee. He enjoys volunteering his time in assisting at-risk youth by sharing his passion on the importance of helping people. Sam and his wife Julia have enjoyed over forty-five years of wedded bliss and they enjoy spending time with their daughter, son-in-law, two handsome grandsons, and lovely granddaughter who arrived in March 2016.
Lenora Sorola-Pohlman – Broker
Beginning her career at Travelers Insurance in the late 80’s during the HMO boom, Lenora brings with her over thirty years of experience in the insurance industry. She has worked both with carriers and brokers and has performed many roles from implementation to management to sales. With her commitment and dedication, she has contributed to the award of “Sales Office of the Year” at two of her prior employers. She possesses a vast array of insurance knowledge, honed to perfection over her years of experience. Joining us in 2010, she has added a familiar face to the sales team and contributes to positioning Navarro Insurance Group as a leading agency in the Houston area.
A second-generation native Houstonian, Lenora serves her community, giving countless hours back to her church, local civic organizations, non-profit and business community. Lenora received the “2015 Houston Estrella de Tejas” award from the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas and the “2015 Vida Award” from Navidad En El Barrio.
She is currently serving as co-chair of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hispanic Advisory Board (MHAB) and has served as a (MHAB) board member to the past five Mayors of Houston; as a Trustee and Vice President for the Houston Foundation, City of Houston; a Board Member for the Port of Houston Authority Chairman’s Citizen Advisory Council; a Board Member of the Houston Community College Procurement Committee; a Board Member and Past President of the Woman Contractors Association (WCA); a Board Member of the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) Governmental Affairs Committee, just to name a few.
She enjoys spending her free time with John, her husband of 26 years.
Elizabeth Downey – Senior Client Manager
Elizabeth began her insurance and benefits administration career nearly thirty years ago working part-time for a group insurance brokerage firm while attending school. Due to her dedication and commendable work ethics, Elizabeth turned a once part-time job into a full-time career. In the summer of 1995, Elizabeth began working with Demetrius. Elizabeth’s knowledge of corporate benefits expanded even more with the relationships she established with our clientele and insurance carriers.
Elizabeth’s role is to assist with the marketing, client/employee relations and employer presentations, which is a vital part of Navarro Insurance Group’s commitment to professional and personal attention to our client base. She provides assistance to Demetrius answering incoming calls, claims processing and reconciliation, analysis of utilization, communicating with carriers and clients. During her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She keeps busy with her children’s sporting events, familial commitments and volunteering for church activities.
Selena Ables – Individual Products Specialist / Diversity & Procurement / Office Manager
Selena started her insurance career in 1999. Selena’s commitment to staying on top of changes in the insurance industry has assisted her to better serve our clients and integrate this skill into a profession. She assists Demetrius with the individual health and life insurance marketing areas that include estate planning, implementation of individual life insurance policies along with long-term care and disability lines of coverage.
In addition, she is an integral part of the firm’s diversity and procurement program, maintaining the firm’s certifications and memberships with various organizations, and reviews and answers RFP opportunities. As Office Manager she oversees all the pieces to assure the office runs smoothly and each person has the tools required to fulfill their roles. Her free time is spent with her husband and two daughters, traveling the country on her motorcycle, and volunteering for various charitable causes.
Ana Repa – Client Manager
Starting her insurance career working as a quoting specialist at United Healthcare, Ana came to our agency with knowledge and experience. Her responsibilities at our firm include client servicing, new business support and helping Individuals find a medical plan. She assists in answering calls and claims issues, addressing disputes and providing resolutions, providing reports of account activity and assuring complete client satisfaction.
Ana was born in Mexico, but has lived most of her life in the Houston area. She is fluent in English and Spanish as a result of her parents’ diligence in keeping her Hispanic Heritage. She is an integral member to the team, especially offering bilingual services to our Spanish speaking clients and their employees. Ana enjoys spending time with her husband and son and traveling during her free time.
Jessica Murga Ambrosio – Client Manager
In 2019, Jessica joined our team as our customer service representative. She assists our team in their every day roles. In 2021 she received her Group I license and is beginning her career as a client manager. We are excited to have her and watch her learn and grow. She is bilingual and is a great support to our bilingual clients.
Jessica was born in Houston and has lived here most of her life. She is a newlywed and loves spending time with her family and most especially her nephew and niece.