Thomas J. “TJ” Obrokta Jr.

Thomas J. “TJ” Obrokta Jr. is president and chief executive officer of Encova Insurance. A super-regional carrier ranked in the top 25 mutual insurance companies in the United States, Encova is rated A (excellent) by AM Best, the leading provider of insurer ratings.

 Encova includes more than 1,100 associates writing in 27 states and Washington, D.C., premiums in excess of $1.2 billion, a surplus in excess of $2.1 billion and assets in excess of $5.1 billion. The group markets insurance solutions through more than 2,000 independent agencies in the Midwest, Northeast and South. TJ first served as BrickStreet Insurance’s general counsel, senior vice president and secretary when the company launched in 2006. He became its chief operating officer in 2012 and gave up his general counsel position in June 2014 to focus on operations.

He was BrickStreet’s president from May 2015 until BrickStreet’s affiliation with Motorists Insurance Group closed in 2017, when he was named president and chief operating officer. The combined company rebranded to become Encova Insurance in July 2019, and TJ was named president and CEO in January 2020. Under his leadership, the company was upgraded by AM Best to an A (excellent) rating with a stable outlook from an A- (excellent) rating in 2022.

Before helping to launch BrickStreet, TJ was general counsel of the West Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission and was part of the team that played a central role in the successful reform and privatization of West Virginia’s workers’ compensation system. He has been practicing law in both the public and private sectors since 1994.

TJ is currently on the board of advisors of the Columbus Partnership; board of directors of the Ohio Insurance Institute; board of directors of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA); board of directors of the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI); board of directors of the New Albany Community Foundation; and is on the executive committee of the Ohio Business Roundtable.

TJ is a 1994 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Columbia University in 1991.