API Advisory Board
- Freddie L. Contreras, M.D.
- Thomas W. Eades, M.D.
- Gregory M. Jackson, M.D.
- Norris C. Knight, Jr., M.D.
- William J. Peche, M.D.
- Lawrence S. Pierce, M.D.
- Richard S. Shoberg, Jr., M.D.
- Michael Green Jr., M.D.
- Duane Boyd, Jr.
API was founded in 1975 by physicians to provide a stable source of medical professional liability insurance in the Texas market and we are able to retain this physician-driven insurance philosophy through the use of the API Advisory Board. The API Advisory Board is made up of the 2006 APIE board members (prior to the conversion and merger with APS Group) - 8 physicians and 1 non-physician member whose focus is on financials and accounting. The group meets regularly with API's management team through various committees including underwriting, marketing, claims, finance, and physician liaison, among others. Below is a list of the Advisory Board members along with short biographies of each member. To contact any of the Advisory Board members, please call or send an e-mail to Sharon Stripling, Executive Secretary, at 800-252-3628 or sstripling@api-c.com.
Freddie L. Contreras, M.D.
Neurosurgeon; Texarkana, Texas
Dr. Contreras has been a Board Certified partner with the Neurosurgical Associates of Texarkana since 1987. He is also affiliated with Wadley Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Michael Health Systems in Texarkana. He attended Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma Medical School, followed by internship and residency work at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Contreras was a member of the APIE Board of Directors since 2001 and continues his service to API today as a member of the Advisory Board.
- American College of Sports Medicine
- Texas Association of Neurological Surgeons
- American Assocation of Neurological Surgeons
Thomas W. Eades, M.D.
Cardiologist; San Antonio, Texas
Dr. Eades is currently a cardiologist with San Antonio Heart Associates in San Antonio, Texas. He earned his degrees from Southwestern College at Memphis and the University of Tennessee Medical Units, followed by an internship with the University of Tennessee and a residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Units. He was the Chief Resident of Internal Medicine at the City of Memphis Hospitals in 1973 and an instructor in Internal Medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Units in 1974. He also served as a Consultant in Cardiology at Brooks Air Force Base from 1974-76. Dr. Eades was a member of the APIE Board of Directors since 1978 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1985-88.
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Cardiology (Fellow)
Gregory M. Jackson, M.D.
Family Practitioner; San Antonio, Texas
Medical Director of API
Dr. Jackson is Board Certified in Family Practice and has operated his own private practice in San Antonio, Texas, since 1981. He is affiliated with numerous hospitals in the San Antonio area. He attended UT for his undergraduate education and received his medical education in Mexico, at the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, and received full residency training and board certification at Baylor College of Medicine and Affiliated Hospitals by an internship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine and Affiliated Hospitals in Houston. Dr. Jackson became a member of the APIE Board of Directors in 1990, serving as Medical Director and Chairman of the Claims Committee since 1996.
Norris C. Knight, Jr., M.D.
Orthopedic Surgeon; Texarkana, Texas
Dr. Knight has been in the private practice of orthopedic surgery since 1965 in Texarkana, Texas. He graduated from the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, followed by an internship at the University Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, and a residency at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He also served two years as an orthopedic surgeon in the U.S. Army Medical Corp. He is currently a staff member at various Texarkana hospitals and a courtesy staff member at Hope Memorial Hospital in Hope, Arkansas. Dr. Knight was a member of the APIE Board of Directors since 1978 and served as Chairman of the Board since 1998. He also now serves on the board of APS Group, the parent company of API.
- Bowie-Miller County Medical Society
- Texas Medical Association
- American Medical Association
- Certified American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery
- American College of Surgeons (Fellow)
William J. Peche, M.D.
Ob/Gyn; San Antonio, Texas
Dr. Peche has a private practice in San Antonio, Texas, with a specialty in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, as well as Nuevo Leon University. He completed a rotating internship at the University of South Texas Medical School in the Bexar County Hospital District, followed by a residency at the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio. During his years of practice, he has been the Chairman of the Ob/Gyn Departments at Santa Rosa General Hospital and North Central Baptist Hospital, both in San Antonio. He was also the Chief of Staff at Santa Rosa in 1988. Dr. Peche was one of the founding members of the APIE Board of Directors and has served since the organization's formation. He also now serves on the board of APS Group, the parent company of API.
- Bexar County Medical Society
- Texas Medical Association
- San Antonio Ob/Gyn Society
Lawrence S. Pierce, M.D.
Ob/Gyn; Allen, Texas
Dr. Pierce has a private practice in Allen, Texas, specializing in Routine and High-Risk Obstetrics as well as Gynecology. He is an active staff member of Presbyterian Hospital of Allen. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and then Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He later completed an internship and residency at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas. Dr. Pierce has been a member of the APIE Board of Directors since 1989, serving at various times as Vice Chairman, Secretary and Chairman of the Executive Committee.
- Chief Resident at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas (1980-81)
- Chief of Staff and President of the Medical Staff, Presbyterian Hospital of Allen
- Diplomat and Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Physician Reviewer for the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
- Vice President of the Texas Alliance for Patient Access (T.A.P.A.)
Richard S. Shoberg, Jr., M.D.
Anesthesiologist; Austin, Texas
Dr. Shoberg began his private anesthesiology practice with Capitol Anesthesiology Association in Austin, Texas, in 1974 from which he retired in July of 2007. He is board certified and was a Staff Anesthesiologist at Seton Medical Center Hospitals and Brackenridge Hospital in Austin. He received degrees from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He completed an internship at the University of New Mexico Affiliated Hospitals, then completed his residency training in anesthesia at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Shoberg has been a member of the APIE Board of Directors since 1978.
- Chief of Anesthesia and Operative Services at Dwight David Eisenhower Hospital, Ft. Gordon, Georgia (United States Army, 1970-74)
- Chief of Staff, Seton Medical Center in Austin, TX (1984-86)
- Medical Executive Committee, Seton Medical Center in Austin, TX (1981-88)
- Chairman, Credentials Committee, Seton Medical Center in Austin, TX (1989-94)
- Shareholder, Member and Past-President, Capitol Anesthesiology Association
- Member Texas and American Societies of Anesthesiologists
- Member Travis County Medical Society and American Medical Association
Michael Green Jr., M.D.
Bariatric Surgeon; Dallas, Texas
Dr. Green is currently the medical director of Obesity Surgical Specialists at Renaissance Hospital in Dallas, TX. He holds a medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Illinois and completed his fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopic/Bariatric Surgery at the Providence Hospital. His training and experience in surgery are an asset to the Advisory Board of API.
Duane Boyd, Jr.
Mr. Duane Boyd holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry and Masters in Public Accounting from the University of Texas in Austin. He is a Certified Public Accountant and worked with Peat, Marwick and Mitchell and KPMG over a 17 year period. He worked in a variety of areas including insurance and entrepreneurial companies. His clients included APIE and APS. In 1991 Mr. Boyd became President of APIE and its Attorney-in-Fact, in which position he remained until 2000 when he retired from the company. Mr. Boyd is the first non-physician Board nominee and will provide financial and accounting expertise to the Advisory Board.
We honor the following physicians as Director Emeritus in recognition of their service to American Physicians Insurance Exchange and to the practice of medicine.
- Jack R. Chandler, M.D.
- Carlos D. Godinez, M.D.
- Kemal E. Kutait, M.D.
- Frank S. Martin, Jr., M.D.
- David T. McMahon, Jr., M.D.
- John H. Meador, M.D.
- H. Elvin Shuffield, M.D.