Candy Embray, President
As the executive leader of both Main Street America Insurance and Commercial-Farm/Ranch at American Family Insurance since March 2025, Candy leads a team of more than 500 employees dedicated to operational commercial and farm/ranch underwriting, policy servicing, and high-quality customer and agent experiences.
Her expertise in sales and leading large teams combine with more than 20 years of progressively senior roles at American Family Insurance including Sales Vice President — East Region, Vice President of Sales and Service Operations, and Commercial Farm/Ranch President. A successful 15-year career in the retail industry preceded her joining American Family Insurance in 2001.
A passionate advocate for Inclusive Excellence, Candy serves as an executive sponsor for the Women’s Business Resource Group. She is deeply committed to mentorship, guiding individuals both within American Family Insurance and in the broader community. Candy is known for her encouragement and dedication to helping others realize and pursue their potential.
Candy resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband, John, and their dog, Armani. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Richard Vaughn, Head of Sales
In leading Main Street America’s Sales organization, he is accountable for overall sales strategy and distribution management, overseeing the company’s four sales regions as well as our sales effectiveness, brand marketing, and agency service and support functions.
Based near Charlotte, N.C., Richard has deep experience in commercial underwriting, sales management, and executive leadership during his 20-plus years in the P&C industry. Most recently, he served as vice president, head of Global Specialty Distribution at The Hartford, where he was responsible for advancing key partner relationships, driving distribution strategy, and establishing sales excellence practices across a diverse set of products and channels. Prior to Global Specialty, he was vice president of Distribution Management for The Hartford’s Enterprise Sales & Distribution function.
Richard is passionate about working with independent agencies to maximize profitable growth opportunities, especially now as Main Street America continues to expand product offerings and introduce new technology to help independent agents better serve their customers.
He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, earning bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Insurance & Risk Management. He has also held the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation since 2008.
