About Us

Principal

Tim McQueen

Tim McQueen has been the President of McQueen Kalligan Insurance Services (MKIS), since January 2004.  He earned a degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara before starting a successful sales career and beginning his insurance career as a brokerage manager at a Transamerica Life General Agency.  Tim is passionate about the insurance industry and the solutions and service that MKIS provides. 

Tim has served as a leader in the brokerage community as a founder of several organizations including The R Group LLC, Aimcor Group LLC, and Aimcor EIG.  He served on the R Group’s board and is currently serving his seventh year on the Aimcor board.  Tim has also volunteered in industry organizations such as NAIFA of San Diego and helped found the San Diego Young Advisors chapter.

Throughout his career, Tim has helped thousands of sales agents across the western United States, assist their clients.  He takes pride in leading a team that provides protection to those who need it at the time they need it most.  The MKIS team is a spectacular group of experienced talent and a pleasure to work amongst.

In addition to enjoying time with his family he pursues golf, and just about any other outdoor activity in the mountains or at the beach.  Both he and his family support many San Diego and Bend local charities including The Office Group, Rady Children’s Hospital, Mountain Star, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Nativity Prep Academy, and Friends of Rollo to name a few.

Operations Manager

Alex Suarez

Alex has 16 years of experience in the life insurance industry, mostly with AXA Equitable and Penn Mutual. He joined McQueen Kalligan Insurance Services in 2020 as the operations manager.

Alex and his wife have 3 kids, 2 cats, and 1 dog.  He has a passion for audiophile equipment, soccer and plays tennis in his spare time.

New Business Operations Manager

Clay Johnson

Graduated from University of Redlands in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  I joined McQueen Kalligan Ins in the summer of 1993.

 I am currently the new business manager for Life, Annuities, DI and LTC Products.  I also process the contracting & licensing.  

 In my free time, I enjoy playing golf & watching movies.

Wholesaler

Colin Johnson

A SoCal native and graduate of UCLA, Colin has been Life Insurance and Securities Licensed since the ‘90’s, working mainly as a wholesaler.  For nearly fourteen years, he wholesaled for Pacific Life’s Retirement Solutions Division, representing the company’s Annuities and Mutual Funds to Financial Advisors in both the Wirehouse and Independent Planner channels in the greater Los Angeles area.

Colin went on to wholesale for the Steadfast Capital Markets Group’s REIT offerings in the Pacific Northwest, relocating to Bellevue WA with his wife and two children in 2014. A few years later, he went on to run his own Allstate insurance agency in Redmond WA.

Missing the SoCal sunshine — among other things — and taking advantage of remote work possibilities brought on with the pandemic, he and his family moved back to Newport Beach CA. He eventually sold his WA insurance agency and is now very happy to be back working as a Wholesaler.

On a personal note, 2023 will mark thirty years of marriage to his wife Julee, and he has two grown children in their 20’s. He loves spending time with his family, and doing just about anything outdoors including tennis, pickleball, golf, hiking and body surfing.

Case Manager

Maria Mojica

Maria has 23 years of experience in the insurance industry. 10 of those years was with an insurance vendor for insurance exams and obtaining medical records.

She joined McQueen Kalligan in 2012 and works as a case manager maintaining case status and works as a liaison between the agents and the carriers.

Maria has experience with Life Insurance, Long Term Care, Disability and Policy service.

Maria is married with 5 kids and 5 grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at her church, spending time with friends and family, trying new restaurants in San Diego, and finding fun experiments and art projects to do with her grandchildren.

Sr. Case Manager & Office Manager

Melissa Botticelli

Melissa has been with McQueen Kalligan since 2000.  She is a Senior Case Manager and Contract and Licensing specialist.  Outside the office, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, participating in car shows and fundraising events with her Mustang club, and listening to true crime podcasts. 

Brokerage Manager

Scott Buttler

Graduated from California State Fullerton with a Business Finance Major in 1991.

Recruited out of college as an Operations Manager for Sav On Drug stores, for 4 years.  Then acquired my Life License & Series 6 & 63, went to work as an internal wholesaler for SunAmerica/AIG, 5 years.  Promoted to External Wholesaler for Variable & Fixed annuities, worked on the East Coast, 2 years.  Changed over to Wholesale for Travelers Life, selling Variable Annuities after 911.

Eventually missed the West Coast & family, so took a job with Transamerica in Pasadena as a Life Insurance Internal Wholesaler, 5 years.

Finally, went to work for McQueen Kalligan in 2007, until present.

Brokerage Manager

Sharon Harms

Brokerage Manager for San Diego Office

CLTC, FLMI, ACS Designations

A transplant from the Midwest, Sharon has called San Diego her home for almost 50 years. 

With an undergraduate degree from SDSU in Business & HR Management, her career started In Human Resources with large corporations helping employees with their health & retirement benefits.  Looking for an opportunity to move to the other side of the table, she joined one of the largest P&C/Employee Benefits agencies in San Diego and helped find the best benefit solutions for their corporate clients and employees.  Almost immediately, that led to her working with her original mentor who was also brought to that agency to create and develop their Financial Services Division. 

Over that 30+year brokerage career, she worked with all types of organizations and financial professionals, always in a capacity to educate and develop their practice, while bringing knowledge, expertise and listening skills to those professionals.  Over the last 10+ years she has become certified with the CLTC designation and developed a passion for the Long-Term Care market, using that expertise to broaden the agency’s individual solutions for financial professionals.

Sharon first met and worked with the McQueen agency while with other organizations for access to Transamerica.  After working for large and small organizations over the years and the McQueen agency becoming a General Agency, she continued to follow them. When an opportunity became available, she joined Tim’s team and continues to enjoy the small agency atmosphere, the family feel, and the challenges that brokerage brings with product, underwriting, and the different types of professionals that work with the agency.

She enjoys her twin sons and wives who are local, crime novels and videos, gardening, that annual visit to see her 98-year-old Mom and working from home. 

Case Manager

Vicki Birchum

Vicki is a graduate of Western High School, Anaheim, CA and attended Los Angeles Medical/Dental College, with a degree as a dental assistant.

She joined our agency in Jan 2000, and is a case manager, which works as a liaison between agents, our insurance carriers and customer service.

Outside of the office, she enjoys ballroom dancing, karaoke, swimming and spending time with long-time friends.