About Us
Our Story
McQueen Kalligan has been an independent brokerage agency since 1982.
What began as a small Transamerica General Agency in 1982 has grown into a multi-carrier BGA offering products from 20+ quality insurance carriers providing life, disability, LTC and fixed annuity solutions. With over 60 years of combined experience, Our Team is there to walk you through from the initial “I gotta guy” to a solution in place and policy in hand.
With offices in San Diego and La Palma, CA we have a West Coast presence but work in all 50 states. We have the expertise, resources, technology, and products to help you grow and find the best solutions for your valued clients in this competitive marketplace.
McQueen Kalligan is also a founding member of the Aimcor Group, a unique, leading national marketing organization for a select group of brokerage general agencies. That partnership with Aimcor gives us the ability to negotiate high level commission arrangements with the carriers we represent, while maintaining a more personal relationship with our professionals.
Our Commitment
We are committed to excellence in brokerage utilizing best of class technology, employing industry expertise, and maintaining a pleasant environment to do business. We strive daily to provide the best products with superior personal service.
Our Team
Tim McQueen
Principal
Alex Suarez
Operations Manager
Clay Johnson
New Business Operations Manager
Colin Johnson
Wholesaler
Maria Mojica
Case Manager
Melissa Botticelli
Sr. Case Manager & Office Manager
Scott Buttler
Brokerage Manager
Sharon Harms
Brokerage Manager
Tim McQueen
Principal
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.
Phone: 619-295-0921
Email: tim@mkisinc.com
Alex Suarez
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.
Phone: 562-596-2722
Email: alex@mkisinc.com
Clay Johnson
New Business Operations Manager
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.
Phone: 562-457-4010
Email: clay@mkisinc.com
Colin Johnson
Wholesaler
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.
Phone: 619-295-9936
Email: colin.johnson@aimcoreig.com
Maria Mojica
Case Manager
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.
Phone: 619-295-9942
Email: maria@mkisinc.com
Melissa Botticelli
Sr. Case Manager & Office Manager
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.
Phone: 619-295-9937
Email: melissa@mkisinc.com
Scott Buttler
Brokerage Manager
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.
Phone: 562-596-1925
Email: scott@mkisinc.com
Sharon Harms
Brokerage Manager for San Diego Office
CLTC, FLMI, ACS Designations
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.
Phone: 619-295-9938
Email: sharon@mkisinc.com