About Us

Rick Ferguson is the CEO of SIF, Idaho Worker’s Compensation. For over three decades Rick has led private and public insurance companies with his thoughtful and collaborative approach. His success is founded in building relationships and finding innovative solutions to meet stakeholders’ needs.

Mike joined SIF in 2017 as our Vice President of Claims. He’s a seasoned executive leader with more than 30 years of Idaho workers’ compensation operations experience in claims management, cost containment, compliance, project management, data reporting, and analytics.  He is passionate about relationship building, teamwork, providing excellent customer experiences to our stakeholders, and promoting continuous improvement initiatives. Mike has spearheaded several innovative claims advancements that focus on creating operational efficiencies and ensuring that cost-effective and customer-focused business processes are developed and maintained.  In addition, Mike is an experienced change agent who drives the implementation of high-priority business projects and objectives that align with enterprise strategy. As COO at SIF, he provides high-level oversight and direction to the business operations of Claims and Policyholder Services.

Katie Farrell joined SIF as our Chief Actuary in 2020. She brings over 25 years of actuary experience in P&C with an emphasis on workers’ compensation, reinsurance, and enterprise risk management. Katie is a strong manager and team member with an eye toward the big picture. Her motivation, proactive analytical approach, open communication, and decision-making skills have helped SIF form our data analytics and business intelligence initiatives.

An Idaho attorney with over 30 years of experience, Richard is currently SIF's Chief Legal Officer. His valuable knowledge in insurance regulation and application, contracts, and legal analysis guides SIF as it insures over 33,000 Idaho businesses. Before joining SIF, Richard worked as lead counsel for the Idaho Department of Insurance and spent 11 years as in-house counsel with Albertsons and its successor, SuperValu. His early practice focused on civil litigation in environmental law, water law, and contract disputes and resolutions. 

Jaye B. Pierce joined SIF as the company's first Human Resources Manager in 2015. Bringing over 30 years of experience to the field, she started her career with Boise Cascade and has worked for several other large organizations including Micron Technology, Micron Electronics, and the American Red Cross. Jaye B. currently serves on the Board of the Human Resources Association of Treasure Valley (HRATV) as the Co-Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In her spare time, She enjoys spending time outdoors exploring the beauty our state has to offer and camping in the Idaho mountains.

John Thompson is the Chief Technology Officer at SIF, Idaho Workers’ Compensation. John has worked in a variety of tech roles for over 20 years covering a broad range of disciplines. He keeps his finger on the pulse of insure-tech and continuously seeks out innovative solutions to help grow and adapt SIF to the changing marketplace. Prior to joining SIF, John spent many years managing Web Systems for Micron.

Chris Farnsworth graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. He started his Finance career with the City of Caldwell as an Accountant before moving to the State of Idaho’s Legislative Services where he advanced through various levels of Auditing responsibility in his tenure there.  In 2013, he joined SIF as the Controller and moved into the role of Chief Financial Officer in 2015.  Chris is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Idaho and as a resident for 35 years, he has enjoyed working with Idaho’s youth in various positions in the Cub and Boy Scouts of America.