Our Team.

Ron Gilbert owns Rubens Insurance, an independent agency that has served Silverdale and Kitsap County since 1968. He purchased the agency on October 1, 2024, continuing a local legacy that stretches back to founder Marie Ella Rubens, the first female insurance agent in Silverdale.
Ron is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and spent about 24 years in South Florida. Music came into his life early: he started piano at age 4 and took up the French horn at age 11. He went on to study at Florida International University, earning a Bachelor of Music in brass performance, and worked as a professional French horn player. Over the years he has performed with most of the orchestras and groups across Kitsap County, as well as the Tacoma Symphony, the Olympia Symphony, and many more.
After his mother passed away, Leslie brought Ron to Kitsap County, and his path into insurance began in 2014, when he earned his Washington insurance license and joined Eagle Harbor Insurance as an independent agent. He went on to hold licensed producer roles with agencies in Bremerton, Silverdale, and Port Orchard, including Bradley Family Insurance, West Hills Insurance Agency, and Daniel Judd Farmers Insurance Agency, before joining Chisholm Insurance, an independently owned Allstate agency in Poulsbo, in 2019. There he rose to Operations Manager, responsible for the day-to-day running of the agency, and later served as Agency Manager at Sean Crowder's Allstate agency in Seattle.
Ron's Washington producer license (WAOIC 866621) is active in property, casualty, life, disability, and travel lines. He owns the agency through Gilbert Insurance Solutions, LLC, which does business as Rubens Insurance.
Ron's philosophy is simple: insurance is protection, not a transaction. He believes no client should leave the office without fully understanding what they've signed and chosen, and he treats every account, large or small, with the same personal attention. Clients regularly mention his responsiveness in reviews; one wrote that Ron "is prompt to reply and to take care of any questions," and another that he was "easy to work with" and helped navigate policy questions.
Since taking ownership, Ron has expanded the agency's offerings to include home warranties, pet insurance, collectibles coverage, travel insurance, dental, vision, and term life insurance, while keeping the small-agency personal touch that Kitsap County clients have trusted for decades. His focus on proactive service and follow-through has raised the agency's client retention from about 68% to about 82%. He is committed to shopping multiple carriers to find competitive rates, explaining coverage in plain language, and advocating for clients during claims.
Ron, his wife Leslie, and the rest of the Rubens Insurance team welcome clients warmly, and they look forward to continuing to serve the community that has trusted the Rubens name since 1968.

Owner & Insurance Specialist

Leslie Gilbert is the office manager at Rubens Insurance, where she has supported the agency's daily operations since October 2024, when her husband Ron Gilbert took over ownership of the agency.

Leslie met Ron at a good friend's wedding in Florida, after she had finished college, while Ron was working as a professional French horn player. Since then she has been at his side in business and in life, helping him since he purchased Rubens Insurance, and she is currently working toward her Washington insurance license to add producer credentials to her already wide-ranging skill set.

A Bremerton native, born at Harrison Hospital, Leslie grew up in the community the agency serves and still remembers a little of her high school Spanish. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Hollins University, and her career reflects that range: she has managed social media and marketing, optimized websites, supported software and systems, handled data management, and built processes that help teams work more effectively. Her earlier roles include office operations at Keller Williams West Sound, quality control and account management at a Bremerton pest management company, and customer support and licensing roles at software companies, most recently as a Channel and Customer License Engineer.

At Rubens Insurance, Leslie wears many hats. Her responsibilities include human resources and staff coordination, social media and marketing, IT and technology support, website management, and the administrative work that keeps a busy small agency running smoothly.

One thing Leslie does not claim is musical talent. She cheerfully admits to being practically tone deaf, so she leaves the French horn to Ron, and instead the couple spends their time enjoying local music and theater productions together. They also donate to and volunteer their time for Ducks Unlimited, supporting wetland and waterfowl conservation.

At home, Leslie and Ron share their lives with one puppy, Penny, who joined the family in June. Office visitors may spot her around the agency, where she serves as the unofficial chief greeter.

For Leslie, the agency is a family business in every sense. She believes a small agency's advantage is its people, and she works to make sure every detail, from a well-kept client file to a fast response to a question, reflects the care the Rubens name has stood for since 1968.

Leslie and Ron are part of the Silverdale community the agency has served for decades, and behind the scenes she helps deliver what clients notice at the front desk: a welcoming office, quick answers, and the personal touch that defines Rubens Insurance. If you call, email, or stop by, the friendly, organized experience you have is Leslie's work as much as anyone's.

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Penny Gilbert is the office dog at Rubens Insurance, and by popular demand she is getting her own bio before some of the staff did.
Penny was born on February 26, 2026, in Texas, and her start in life was about as far from a cozy office as you can get: she was rescued from a barn. A local rescue called Wet Nose Foster Paws, which brings in dogs from other areas, helped her make the journey to Washington, and in early June 2026 Leslie and Ron Gilbert adopted her. She arrived weighing about 12 pounds and has grown into a sturdy 20-pound ball of personality.
Her DNA panel reads like a frequent-flyer list of the dog world: 39% pug, 17% Shih Tzu, 12% Xoloitzcuintli, 8% Chihuahua, 6% Lhasa Apso, 3% Pekingese, 3% toy poodle, 3% Peruvian Inca Orchid, 3% miniature Schnauzer, 2% American Cocker Spaniel, 2% pit bull, 1% Dalmatian, and 1% Sarplaninac. Thirteen breeds, one very good girl.
At the office, Penny is a feisty terrier-mix who is learning how to be an office dog. She loves long walks, chasing leaves, and visiting the dogs who live at other local businesses around Silverdale, making her something of a neighborhood ambassador as well as a greeter.
Penny has decided that Leslie is her person, so if you visit the office, look near Leslie and you'll likely find Penny not far away, keeping watch over her favorite human and the client files that come with her.
Being an office dog is a job Penny takes seriously, even if her training is still in progress. She greets the day with terrier enthusiasm, takes her walks and her leaf-chasing duties very seriously, and is working on her patience with paperwork. Clients who stop by the office may well meet her, and if the welcome comes with a wag instead of a handshake, that's just Penny doing her part to make Rubens Insurance feel like what it is: a local agency where even the dog knows your name.