David Altmaier
David Altmaier joined the Southern Group in 2023 after spending 14 years with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. As the former top insurance regulator in Florida, he brings deep knowledge of the complex insurance market.
Altmaier began working for the Office of Insurance Regulation in 2008 after working as an insurance agent and high school math teacher. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Office of Insurance Regulation and was appointed to serve as the Florida Insurance Commissioner by the Financial Services Commission in 2016, a role he held until 2022. In his capacity as Commissioner, he led the Office of Insurance Regulation and had oversight over one of the largest insurance markets in the world. Under his leadership, Florida passed a sweeping reform bill aimed at stabilizing the insurance market.
Throughout his tenure as commissioner, Altmaier was also heavily involved in national and international insurance regulatory policy. He served as the President of the NAIC in 2021, after serving as the President-Elect in 2020 and Vice President in 2019. He also served as a Vice Chair of the Executive Committee for the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), representing insurance regulators and supervisors of more than 200 jurisdictions worldwide. In 2023, Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited appointed him to its Board as a non-executive director.
In addition to his leadership roles in the insurance industry, Altmaier was appointed by Governor DeSantis to serve as a member Florida’s Blockchain Task Force; during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was selected as a member of the Governor’s Re-Open Florida Task Force Industry Working Group on Agriculture, Finance, Government, Healthcare, Management and Professional Services.
Altmaier graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics. He lives in Tallahassee.
Marc Altschull
As a recognized leader in insurance asset management, Marc Altschull is currently serving in the following industry-leading roles: Chair for the American Academy of Actuaries (AAA) Life Investment Analysis Subcommittee; representative for the AAA in the NAIC IMR Ad Hoc Group; member of the AAA C-1 Subcommittee; Vice-Chair for the AAA Life Valuation Committee; and as a section council member for the Society of Actuaries Joint Risk Management and Smaller Insurance Company sections.
Leveraging his asset modeling experience, Altschull has been a regular panelist presenting on asset modeling for Principle Based Reserving (PBR) Bootcamp; he participated on the AAA Asset Adequacy Testing Task Force and contributed to the discussion paper Asset Adequacy Testing Considerations for Year-end 2020. Furthermore, as a member of the AAA PBR Analysis Templates Task Force, he created templates for insurance companies to demonstrate compliance with the asset modeling reporting requirements in Sections VM-20 and VM-31 of the Valuation Manual. Most recently he co-authored a paper titled Practitioner Considerations for Guideline Excess Spread Attribution Methodology under Actuarial Guideline LIII (AG53) to assist Appointed Actuaries in complying with AG53.
Most recently as a Vice President, Strategic Risk Management at F&G, Altschull monitored regulatory risks and coordinated internal discussions with relevant stakeholders to inform, evaluate implications, and develop action plans. Additionally, he was developing a strategic risk framework to modernize the risk management approach for the company and lead the team to enhance the quantitative capabilities to provide more real-time, actionable, and prospective guidance to the business. His team is focused on actuarial and model risk management and risk reporting.
Prior to joining F&G, Altschull was a Senior Consulting Actuary and Chief Operating Officer at Actuarial Risk Management, where he enhanced the marketing capabilities of the firm’s actuarial services, particularly within the life insurance industry and with a focus on investment solutions. Altschull launched his actuarial career as a life insurance consultant at Tillinghast – Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson), where he focused on modeling all types of investments to track the Greeks associated with cashflows of life insurance (and annuity) liabilities. In the 19 years that have followed, he has built robust risk management functions for both Pacific Life Insurance Company and Voya Investment Management.
In addition to his traditional actuarial work, Mr. Altschull’s career included a stint as an “aviation actuary” for an aircraft leasing subsidiary of Pacific Life Insurance Company—Aviation Capital Group—where he developed a financial model to assess residual value options for aircraft and assisted in the negotiation of aircraft leases. He also coordinated financial transactions in aircraft acquisitions, refinancing, and sales and managed the firm’s interest rate exposure on new and existing financing programs.
Mr. Altschull received his Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Mathematics and Economics from the University of Michigan. In addition to his undergraduate studies, he is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
He lives with his wife and two children in Atlanta.
Sean Brennan
Sean Brennan has served as Athene Holding’s Executive Vice President of Pension Group Annuity and Flow Reinsurance since January 2020. He is responsible for overseeing the strategy of the company’s pension risk transfer and flow reinsurance businesses and is responsible for expanding opportunities for development within those businesses.
Prior to assuming his current role, Brennan served as Senior Vice President and Head of Pension Group Annuity at Athene Holding. Before joining the company, he served as Global Pensions Director for Marsh & McLennan Companies, where he was responsible for developing and implementing its global pension strategy and oversaw $15 billion in global asset-liability management. He also spent 14 years with Mercer, holding several positions, including Partner in the Financial Strategy Group. In that role, he was responsible for leading Mercer’s efforts to develop its pension risk transfer capabilities and sales strategy as well as leading several large pension risk transfer transactions. In addition, he provided investment strategy and risk management advice to corporate plan sponsors regarding the pension risk transfer business.
Brennan received his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and political science from Emory University. He is a CFA Charterholder and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries.
Kirsten Byrd
Clients rely on Kirsten Byrd to dissect and translate complex insurance issues, then develop successful resolution strategies. Her practice focuses on insurance regulatory law and insurance disputes, including compliance with state and federal regulations, coverage, and extra-contractual liability. She is fluent in a broad array of insurance products, including:
- Commercial general liability
- Commercial property and business income
- Crisis management
- Professional malpractice
- Life insurance
- Management liability
- Cyberinsurance
Byrd also focuses on complex commercial and professional malpractice disputes. She is adept at anticipating all angles of a dispute. Among her achievements are numerous favorable trial verdicts dealing with contract, malpractice, and tort claims. Understanding the time and cost demands clients face, she has also been instrumental in developing innovative ways to use software to streamline litigation for faster and more efficient results.
Richard Cantor
Richard Cantor is Vice Chairman of Moody’s Investors Service (MIS) and a key external spokesperson for the credit rating agency on market developments with investors, regulators, academics, and other market participants. He is particularly focused on shaping the methodological approaches employed by the company in ESG- and climate-related markets. Cantor also serves as Chair of the US National Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and as International Co-Chair of PECC.
Prior to his current role, from 2008–2022, Cantor served as MIS’s Chief Credit Officer and was responsible for the rating agency’s global credit strategy and thematic Research; the quality and consistency of its ratings across regions and sectors; and the procedures, methodologies, models, and tools used in the determination of ratings. Concurrently, from 2009 to 2019, he also served as Moody’s Corporation’s Chief Risk Officer; in this role, he led the firm’s global risk management function.
Cantor was appointed in 2015 by the U.S. State Department to a three-year term on the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC), during which he chaired ABAC’s Financial and Economic Working Group. Prior to joining Moody’s, he held a variety of positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, including in the Capital Markets Group and the Discount Window, and was an adjunct professor at New York University’s and Columbia University’s business schools. He has also taught Economics at UCLA and The Ohio State University.
Cantor holds BA degrees in English and Economics from Tufts University and a PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Buddy Combs
Buddy Combs is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for OneShare Health, a Texas-based health care sharing ministry serving members nationwide. After spending eight years at the Oklahoma Insurance Department—where he was ultimately First Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff—his background in insurance and insurance-adjacent legal and regulatory issues is extensive.
Today, Combs is responsible for overseeing the ministry’s compliance, regulatory, and legal teams. This includes directing the ministry’s nonprofit compliance, corporate governance, risk management, and contracting operations. He also oversees the handling of all member complaints and disputes, as well as all regulatory and industry relationships, including the ministry’s activity as a member of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries.
A lifelong Okie, Combs resides in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife and two daughters.
Michael Conway
Michael Conway was appointed as Colorado Insurance Commissioner by Governor Jared Polis on December 21, 2018, and was confirmed to this position by the Colorado State Senate on January 22, 2019. Prior to this, he served as interim Commissioner, a position he was appointed to by Governor Hickenlooper in January 2018.
As Commissioner, Conway serves as the chief executive of the Division of Insurance and oversees the regulation of the insurance industry in Colorado. His role brings together consumers, the insurance industry, and other stakeholders to create an inclusive, firm, and fair regulatory approach to all lines of insurance such as auto, health, homeowner, life, property and casualty, title, and workers’ compensation.
Prior to his appointment, Conway served as the Division of Insurance Deputy Commissioner for Consumer and Compliance Services since March 2016. In this time, he was instrumental in developing and guiding the Division’s strategies regarding health insurance during what was a tumultuous time for that industry in Colorado and the nation. He advised the previous Commissioner and the Governor’s staff regarding the possible implications of federal changes to the regulation of health insurance in Colorado.
Conway’s duties also entailed appearing before state legislative committees to advocate for the Division’s positions regarding insurance and its regulation. He cultivated relationships with consumer groups and the insurance industry to create a regulatory environment that helped Colorado consumers but was a fair, level playing field for the industry. He also worked within the Division to establish objectives that provided for better protection of insurance consumers.
Before joining the Division, Conway was an assistant Attorney General for the Colorado State Attorney General’s Office from 2010 to 2016, where he represented the Division of Insurance in all facets of the regulation of the insurance industry including mergers and acquisitions of insurance companies, insurer rehabilitation/liquidation, and producer and company licensure litigation. He served three Commissioners of Insurance during that time. While in the Attorney General’s Office, he worked with the Colorado Attorney General Pro Bono Family Law Clinic, advising clients on matters of divorce and child custody.
Conway has also worked as an attorney for Colorado Legal Services, advocating for indigent clients regarding housing rights, homelessness prevention, evictions, and subsidized housing.
With the exception of three years he spent in Miami for law school, Conway has called Colorado home for nearly 20 years, since moving to the state to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Eric Dunning
Governor Jim Pillen appointed Eric Dunning as Director of Insurance effective January 5, 2023. Prior to his appointment, Dunning served as Director of Insurance and, before that, as the Director of Government Affairs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. He has over 15 years of experience as an attorney for the Department of Insurance, having advised the agency leadership on legal matters pertaining to insurance regulation from 1998 to 2013. His professional career began as an attorney for the Colorado General Assembly.
Dunning earned his bachelor of arts in History from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Nebraskaland Foundation.
In his spare time, Dunning enjoys spending time at his family's place in Wheeler County, Nebraska. He is happily married with two children.
Beth Dwyer
Beth Dwyer was appointed Superintendent of Insurance on January 11, 2016, and named Director of Business Regulation in May 2023. Prior to this appointment, she had been employed by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation for 15 years, first as General Counsel to the Insurance Division and later as Associate Director. Prior to government service, Director Dwyer was engaged in private law practice in California and Rhode Island, specializing in litigation and insurance regulation.
Director Dwyer is a member of the NAIC and is the current Secretary/Treasurer of the organization. She has served as Chair and Vice Chair of various committees, task forces, and working groups and has served on the Board of Directors of the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) and as an Officer of the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission (Compact). She is the NAIC representative to the Financial Stability Oversight Counsel (FSOC). She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) as well as a member of the ICS and Comparability Task Force (ICSTF), the Strategic Plan and Financial Outlook Task Force (SPFOTF), and the former Vice Chair of the Climate Risk Steering Group (CRSG.)
Director Dwyer is a Past-President of the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association. She was awarded the 2010 Rhode Island Attorney General’s Justice Award for Consumer Protection. She completed an Executive Education Program at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was the recipient of the NAIC’s 2023 Raymond G. Farmer Award for Exceptional Leadership.
Director Dwyer holds the designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) from The Institutes, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) from The American College, and Senior Professional in Insurance Regulation (SPIR) from the NAIC. She was admitted to practice law in California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, the Federal District Courts of California, and Rhode Island and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She earned a JD from Pepperdine University and a BA in Political Science and Public Administration from Providence College.
Matthew Gaul
Matthew Gaul is a partner in Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Corporate & Financial Services Department and a member of the firm’s Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Group. His practice lies at the intersection of the insurance business and public policy. He advises insurance companies and other financial institutions on government investigations and complex regulatory matters, including the application of insurance regulation to artificial intelligence and other technological innovations. He has extensive experience with market conduct examinations, insurance product innovation and regulation, financial services regulation reform and modernization, and insurance and reinsurance transactional matters.
Gaul spent nearly seven years in New York state government serving in a variety of leadership positions. He was Deputy Superintendent for Life Insurance in the New York State Insurance Department (now the Department of Financial Services), where he oversaw regulation of the financial solvency and sales practices of life insurers in the state. He also served in the New York State Attorney General’s Office as Chief of the Investor Protection Bureau.
Chambers USA (2023) ranks Gaul among the leading practitioners in the area of Insurance: Transactional & Regulatory – New York.
Nathan Houdek
Nathan Houdek has served as Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Wisconsin since his appointment by Governor Tony Evers in January 2022. He previously served as Deputy Commissioner of Insurance for three years under former Commissioner Mark Afable.
Commissioner Houdek serves as the state’s chief regulator of insurance and oversees the operations of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. He is also Chair of the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund Board of Governors and a member of the Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund Board of Directors.
As a member of the NAIC, Commissioner Houdek currently serves as Chair of the Financial Condition (E) Committee, the Accelerated Underwriting (A) Working Group, and the Health Innovations (B) Working Group, and as a member of the Life Insurance and Annuities (A) Committee and various task forces and working groups. He is also Vice Chair of the Governance Committee of the Interstate Insurance Compact Commission.
Having spent over 20 years working in state legislative and regulatory affairs, Commissioner Houdek has extensive experience finding solutions to complex public policy and regulatory challenges across all lines of insurance. He has held several senior-level roles in the public and private sectors, including serving as a principal at one of Wisconsin’s largest public affairs and business consulting firms and as Chief of Staff to a former minority leader in the Wisconsin State Senate.
Commissioner Houdek grew up in northern Wisconsin and earned his BA and MBA degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is actively involved with the Madison Public Library Foundation.
John Huff
John Huff is President and CEO of the Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR). He directs the association’s worldwide public policy, regulatory, advocacy, and education initiatives. He currently serves on the Bermuda Ministry of Finance, Insurance Advisory Committee and was named to the Bermuda Risk Transfer Hall of Fame. He has spent his entire professional career in the insurance sector.
In 2016, Huff served as President of the NAIC, the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the nation’s chief insurance regulators, and as Director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, a position he held for 8 years. In 2010, he was the first state insurance commissioner appointed to serve on the U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Prior to entering public service, Huff served in executive positions with leading global insurers and reinsurers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland. A former practicing attorney, his knowledge of the insurance industry is global in scope, spanning the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and Asia markets. He brings to the table a keen understanding of the public policy, regulatory, legal, financial, and operational challenges that insurance and reinsurance companies face.
Huff earned his JD from Washington University School of Law and holds an MBA from St. Louis University and a BSBA from Southeast Missouri State University. He previously served as an adjunct professor of insurance law at both Washington University and St. Louis University.
Laura Jehl
Laura Jehl is Co-Chair of Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Privacy, Cybersecurity & Data Strategy Practice Group and is a member of the Communications & Media Department as well as the AI & Emerging Technologies, Crisis Management, and Willkie Digital Works Practice Groups. She has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer for both Privacy and Cybersecurity and FinTech Data Protection and Cybersecurity.
Focusing on the intersection of data, law, and emerging technologies, Jehl advises clients on a broad range of privacy, cybersecurity, social media, and emerging technology matters, including the development and use of AI and blockchain technologies. She has extensive experience identifying and mitigating privacy, data protection, and liability issues arising out of the collection, use, and storage of data; use of third-party data and content; and implementation and design of new business models, products, and technologies. A former senior in-house counsel and C-suite executive, she understands the business, legal, and technological challenges and opportunities her clients face and helps develop innovative approaches to maximize the value of their data-based assets.
Jehl advises clients on U.S. and international privacy and cybersecurity compliance, including obligations imposed by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as well as other U.S. state privacy laws. She also advises clients on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), as well as other data security and breach notification laws. She has helped hundreds of clients build and enhance comprehensive privacy programs while anticipating emerging and quickly evolving privacy and security obligations.
Jehl also advises clients across a broad range of industries on the opportunities and risks related to deployment of new technologies, particularly AI, generative AI, and blockchain-enabled solutions. She also works with internet and social media companies on the development and deployment of new features, functionality, and sharing of third-party content, including issues related to immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and related to law enforcement and other government access to personal data.
Jehl also handles complex data security incidents, including several of the largest reported significant data breaches in the healthcare, fintech, internet, social media, and hospitality sectors, among others. She directs forensic investigations, advises on notifications to U.S. and international regulators, and leads sensitive interactions with law enforcement and national security agencies related to cyber incidents.
Emily Kresowik
Emily Kresowik is Assistant General Counsel at EquiTrust Life Insurance Company. Upon graduation from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2005, she began her legal career at the Iowa Insurance Division. During her time there, she represented the Division in administrative proceedings involving insurance producers, registered representatives, and investment advisers. She also coordinated with law enforcement related to criminal cases and Ponzi schemes and assisted with several MAWG exams.
After nearly nine years with the Division, Kresowik transitioned to the “dark side,” first as Compliance Advisor at an insurance-owned broker dealer and then as Senior Counsel at a large annuity carrier. She joined the EquiTrust team in November 2019.
Kresowik has four kids (ages 26, 6, 5, and 3), no free time, and therefore no interesting hobbies. In a prior life, she was a mediocre triathlete and an excellent consumer of craft beer.
Chlora Lindley-Myers
Chlora Lindley-Myers has served as the Director of the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance since March 2017. She has served in many senior positions in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government as well as in the regulatory and insurance industry. She currently serves as the 2024 Past-President of the NAIC.
Director Lindley-Myers holds an undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and a law degree from the University of Connecticut. She is licensed to practice law in several states and has received national recognition for her work as a regulator, including the Robert Dineen Award for Outstanding Service and Contribution to the State Regulation of Insurance, as well as the 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Trailblazer Award at the Bermuda Risk Summit for her work in breaking down racial barriers for future generations of insurance regulatory professionals.
Paul Lombardo
Paul Lombardo is an Assistant Deputy Commissioner and Director of the Life & Health Division at the Connecticut Department of Insurance. He oversees a division responsible for reviewing all Life & Health form filings submitted to the Department as well as implementing any changes that may have a future impact on policy forms. This includes a thorough review and analysis of all state and federal legislation.
In 2020, Lombardo was awarded the prestigious Robert Dineen Award by the NAIC. The Robert Dineen Award is the highest and most prestigious award given to a state regulator for outstanding service and contributions and is named in honor of the founder of the NAIC’s Support and Services Office.
Prior to becoming Director in 2018, Lombardo was the Chief Actuary for the Life & Health Division for over 21 years. Currently, he is the Co-Chair of the NAIC LTC Actuarial Working Group. He also serves on the NAIC AG-51 and AG-53 review groups and is a member of the LTC Multi-State Actuarial Review team.
Before becoming a regulator, Lombardo held various actuarial positions at Aetna, including five years in the group LTC pricing and valuation area.
Andrew Mais
Andrew Mais was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont to be Connecticut’s 33rd Insurance Commissioner. Mais is President of the NAIC for 2024 and has served on the NAIC’s Executive Committee since 2021. He currently serves on the NAIC’s International Relations, Property & Casualty, and Financial Regulation Standards Committees.
In addition to his NAIC leadership roles, Mais is a member of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) Executive Committee (ExCo) and was elected as ExCo Vice Chair in May 2024. He also continues to serve on the IAIS Insurance Capital Standards Task Force and was a member of the IAIS Macroprudential Committee from April 2020 to April 2024.
Mais has led discussions in several forums on race, diversity, and inclusion at the state level and within the insurance industry and insurance practices. He has also joined the efforts led by Governor Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz to address social inequities in Connecticut, including the Council on Women and Girls and other cultural competency initiatives. Mais is also Co-Chair of the NAIC’s Special Executive Committee on Race and Insurance, which is the NAIC’s coordinating body charged with conducting research and analyzing issues relating to race, diversity, and inclusion within the insurance sector.
Prior to joining the Connecticut Insurance Department, Mais held both private and public sector leadership roles. He was a member of Deloitte’s Center for Financial Services, providing industry-leading thought leadership and insight on U.S. and international regulatory affairs. Prior to that, he served as a Director at the New York State Insurance Department. As part of the Department’s senior leadership team, he served four governors and led the Department through several significant events, including the 2008 financial crisis and major state and federal changes in health insurance regulations and laws.
Outside of state government, Mais has dedicated much of his life to public service. He most recently served as Chair of the Council on Ethics for the town of Wilton, where he lives. He has also held roles with the Maritime Aquarium of Norwalk, the American Red Cross, the Board of Finance of the Town of Wilton, and the Rotary Club of Wilton.
Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald is Senior Counsel with NOLHGA. He is a member of the Global Bankers Insurance Group Task Force, the Security Advisory Committee, the MPC Executive Committee Model Plan of Operations Subgroup, and other groups, where he provides legal guidance to NOLHGA’s member guaranty associations.
Before joining NOLHGA in 2021, McDonald worked for the NAIC as Financial Policy and Legislative Counsel. He previously worked for the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer as the Assistant General Counsel, and he served as Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. He has experience in various legal matters, including government relations, litigation, and transactional work.
McDonald received his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and his law degree from The Catholic University of America.
Glen Mulready
Glen Mulready serves as Oklahoma’s 13th insurance commissioner. A former state legislator and longtime insurance professional, he was recently unopposed in his bid for reelection, and he began a second term as insurance commissioner in 2023. He was first elected to the statewide position in 2019.
Commissioner Mulready’s background includes eight years as a state representative, where he quickly became the point person for the House of Representatives on insurance issues. He passed legislation that expanded insurance options and resulted in more insurance companies offering services in the state. Seeking to improve the Oklahoma business climate, Commissioner Mulready sponsored the Insurance Business Transfer (IBT) Act, which is now law, and recognized as one of the most innovative pieces of insurance legislation nationally.
As Commissioner, Mulready has brought a business-like, bottom-line approach to budgeting and management of the Insurance Department. He continues to focus on providing a strong and competitive market to give Oklahomans choices when shopping for products to meet their family’s needs. Glen, his wife Sally, and their three grown sons reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Pamela Epp Olsen
Pamela Epp Olsen is General Counsel and Administrator for the Nebraska Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association, having served in these capacities since 2003, and has served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association since 2019 and as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Life Insurance Guaranty Association since 2024. She is also the managing partner of Pamela Epp Olsen Law, PC, LLO, where her practice focuses on insurance, estate and business transition planning, and elder law–related and long-term care benefits matters.
Olsen’s work with NOLHGA includes current service as Chair of the Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania (SHIP) Task Force, Chair of the CoOportunity Health Task Force, Treasurer of the GABC Board, and member on the AF&L/SAIC Task Force, the NOLHGA Legal Committee, and the MPC Health COOP Task Force. She currently serves as a Director on the NOLHGA Board of Directors and previously served on the NOLHGA Board from 2015–2017. She served as Chair of the Members’ Participation Counsel Chair from 2015–2017 and also formerly served as Chair of the Medical Savings Task Force, a member of the LTC Re Board of Directors, Chair of the MPC Executive Committee Best Practices Subgroup, and a member of the MPC Executive Committee.
Ms. Olsen received her Bachelor of Journalism/Honors Program degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating with highest distinction in 1993; earned her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from Creighton University School of Law in 1996; and served as judicial clerk for both the Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court (1996–1997) as well as for the Honorable George Fagg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (1998–2000). She practiced as an associate and then partner with the law firm of Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, LLP, for 22 years before opening her own firm in 2021.
William O’Sullivan
William O’Sullivan serves as chief legal officer for NOLHGA and manages NOLHGA’s Legal Department. As Senior Vice President and General Counsel, he is responsible for advising NOLHGA’s Board of Directors, senior management, Members’ Participation Council, and individual guaranty associations on legal issues and policy matters germane to the operations of the organization. He also serves as the staff contact for NOLHGA’s Legal and Coverage/Claims Committees and as the staff contact/project manager for a number of insolvency task forces, including the Executive Life Insurance Company (California) Task Force.
O’Sullivan joined NOLHGA in 1995 as Vice President and Counsel and was named to his current position in 1998. Prior to joining NOLHGA, he was employed in the corporate law departments of Prudential Capital, a subsidiary of the Prudential Insurance Company of America, and KTI Energy.
O’Sullivan received his B.A. in economics from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Andrew Perlman
Andrew Perlman is the dean of Suffolk University Law School. In 2024, National Jurist named Dean Perlman as one of the top-20 most influential people in legal education.
Among other leadership roles, Dean Perlman has served as an Advisory Council member of the American Bar Association Task Force on the Law and Artificial Intelligence; the inaugural Chair of the governing council of the ABA’s Center for Innovation; the Vice Chair of the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services; and the chief reporter of the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, which was responsible for updating the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct to reflect changes in technology and increased globalization.
Dean Perlman’s scholarship has included numerous articles on professional responsibility and legal innovation that have appeared in some of the nation’s leading law reviews. He also co-authored a civil procedure casebook, Civil Procedure: A Coursebook (with Professors Joseph W. Glannon and Peter Raven-Hansen) that has been adopted at more than 80 law schools.
Dean Perlman has served as a presenter or panelist at more than 100 academic, judicial, and other professional programs in more than 20 U.S. jurisdictions, three continents, and six countries.
Prior to entering academia, Dean Perlman clerked for a federal district court judge in Chicago and practiced as a litigator there. He is an honors graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, and he received his LL.M. from Columbia Law School.
Paul Petrelli
Paul Petrelli is the President & CEO of Assuris, the not-for-profit, industry-funded organization that protects Canadian policyholders if their life insurance company fails. He is passionate about the value of sound financial planning and the critical role of life insurers in helping to protect the life, health, and wealth of Canadians. He is proud to be part of a dedicated team ensuring the financial security of Canadians.
Petrelli joined Assuris in 2021, bringing extensive experience from over 20 years in the life insurance industry. He held senior leadership roles at Sun Life, including Sun Life’s Global Head of Compliance and CFO of its Canadian business and Head of Investor Relations. He was responsible for the global M&A, securities, technology, and intellectual property legal teams; corporate secretarial; and legal operations.
Petrelli obtained his B.A. (Honours) from the University of Toronto in 1991 and his LL.B. from the University of Windsor School of Law in 1995. He was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada as a member in 1997. He also completed his Master of Law degree from the University of Toronto School of Law in 2019, specializing in Innovation, Technology and Law.
As President & CEO, Petrelli is a member of Assuris’s Board of Directors.
Preston Rutledge
Preston Rutledge is the Founder and Principal of Rutledge Policy Group. In addition to his many notable bipartisan legislative and regulatory achievements, he has an uncommon combination of expertise both in legal and tax matters. He is also a sought-after speaker in the areas of retirement; health plans; taxation; and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.
Prior to founding Rutledge Policy Group, Rutledge was the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). As the nation’s top pension regulator, he oversaw an agency of over 800 employee benefits professionals in Washington, D.C., and 13 regional offices throughout the United States. At EBSA, he led the drafting and publication of guidance to implement retirement, health, and workplace benefits policies, including rules governing:
- Association retirement plans
- Electronic disclosure
- 401(k) auto-portability and private equity investment
- Fiduciary advice and exemption
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing
- Proxy voting
- Health reimbursement arrangements
- Medical price transparency/surprise billing
- Association health plans
In international affairs, Rutledge led the U.S. Delegation on private pension policy at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, was a member of the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee, served as Chair of the OECD Working Party on Private Pensions, and worked with the International Organization of Pension Supervisors (IOPS). He also led oversight of the Federal Thrift Savings Plan, the world’s largest defined-contribution plan, and represented the Secretary of Labor on the Boards of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds.
Before joining the Department of Labor, Rutledge served as senior tax and benefits counsel for Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) on the Majority Tax Staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. He drafted the Chairman’s primary retirement initiatives: the Secure Annuities for Employee (SAFE) Retirement Act and the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act (RESA). RESA became the SECURE Act, the most sweeping reform of retirement savings policy in over a decade.
Prior to joining the Finance Committee, Rutledge served as a senior tax law specialist on the Headquarters Staff of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and as a senior technical reviewer in the Qualified Pension Plans Branch of the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. He also served as a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked in private law practice as an employee benefits counselor and ERISA litigator.
Rutledge earned a BS in business, cum laude, from the University of Idaho; JD, with high honors, from the George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review; and an LLM – taxation, with distinction, including a certificate in employee benefits law, from the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school, he was a Naval Officer and served on the USS Bagley (FF-1069).
Nicholas Schmidt
Nicholas “Nick” Schmidt is the Founder and CTO of SolasAI and holds the title of AI Practice Leader at BLDS, LLC. Residing in Philadelphia, he has deep expertise in the domains of algorithmic fairness, model governance, and explainable AI. His approach intertwines statistics and economics to address critical questions related to law, regulatory compliance, and model governance best practices.
Schmidt’s pioneering work in data science includes devising techniques foundational to SolasAI, a cutting-edge data science software platform that equips its users with the ability to measure, understand, and counteract bias and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making. His contributions have found their way to some of the nation's leading lenders, fintechs, and insurance providers, enabling them to pave the way for more equitable outcomes for their customers.
Beyond his hands-on work, Schmidt is a passionate communicator who recently testified before the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development regarding AI innovation and associated risks. He is a frequent writer and speaker, focusing on the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence, the complexities of Explainable AI, and the critical task of developing fairer machine learning algorithms.
Nolan Tully
Nolan Tully advocates for insurance and financial services clients facing challenges in various aspects of their businesses. He assists life, long-term care, and disability insurers as well as annuity issuers with product development, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution and litigation.
As co-Chair of the firm’s long-term care insurance (LTCi) practice, Tully assists clients with issues relating to product development and marketing, policy wording, regulatory approval, claims review, complaint handling, premium rate issues, block closure, market conduct exams, litigation avoidance and predispute consulting, individual and class action litigation, and insolvency/liquidation issues. He also represents carriers in the sale, acquisition, or reinsurance of LTCi blocks. Additionally, he assists carriers with life insurance and annuity combination products that include chronic illness coverage. He also represents third-party administrators in all aspects of LTCi administration.
Tully frequently writes about LTCi issues and is asked to present to carriers and industry groups. Active in industry groups, he consults with clients on innovations in care delivery and management, proactive policyholder engagement to improve health outcomes, regulatory and legislative changes to allow the market to respond better to the elder-care population, improvements to the rate increase application and approval process, and new concepts for effectively covering the next generation of long-term care needs.
Prior to joining the firm, Tully worked as a law clerk for the Hon. Eduardo C. Robreno at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Nancy Turnbull
Nancy Turnbull is Senior Associate Dean for Educational Programs and a senior lecturer in health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her professional interests include health insurance and expanding health care coverage. Earlier in her career, she was the First Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Health Policy at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. She has also held senior leadership positions in health philanthropy and Medicaid managed care.
Turnbull was an active participant in the passage of the landmark Massachusetts coverage expansion law in 2006, and she has served since 2007 as the consumer representative on the board of the Commonwealth Health Connector, the health insurance marketplace in Massachusetts. She regularly advises a range of consumer health advocacy groups and serves on several other nonprofit boards and advisory groups.
Katie Wade
Katharine Wade became President of the National Organization of Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Associations (NOLHGA) in August 2023. She is responsible for leading NOLHGA to fulfill its mission to support state guaranty associations in protecting policyholders in multi-state insolvencies and promoting the values and interests of the guaranty association system.
Wade is an insurance executive with more than 30 years of experience in insurance operations, compliance, public policy, and regulation. In her more than 20-year career with Cigna, a Fortune 100 global insurer, she oversaw federal and state government affairs, public policy, and compliance for the health and group life and disability businesses.
After Cigna, she served nearly four years as Connecticut’s 32nd Insurance Commissioner, responsible for consumer protection and the regulation of an industry that generated $170 billion in written direct premium in one of the nation’s top insurance markets. As Commissioner, she chaired the Health and Managed Care (B) and International Insurance Relations (G) Committees and served on the Executive Committee of the NAIC. She represented the state insurance regulatory system in testimony before Congress. In addition, she served as a member of the Executive and Policy Development Committees of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) and on the U.S. Treasury Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance.
Prior to joining NOLHGA, as a Principal at Dunraven Strategies, Wade worked with large global insurers and start-ups to navigate regulatory complexity and understand how insurance markets work. Her work included launching companies and products, managing the risk of various regulatory issues, and providing strategic counsel on emerging business or regulatory issues.
Jennifer Webb
Jennifer Webb joined NOLHGA as Chief of Staff in April 2024. In her role, Webb serves as a strategic partner to the President and supports the NOLHGA leadership team and staff in the development and implementation of organizational goals and priorities, operational policies and guidelines, and the development and execution of strategic planning. She also helps to manage the day-to-day affairs of the organization, working with the President.
Prior to joining NOLHGA, Webb served as Assistant General Counsel and Head of State Government Affairs for Pacific Life Insurance and its subsidiaries. Webb directed a comprehensive state government affairs program focused on developing and executing advocacy strategies around product development, product compliance, investment policy, enterprise risk management, and other financial and insurance issues, including managing the processes around Pacific Life’s 2023 designation as an Internationally Active Insurance Group. She also provided Pacific Life with legal advice related to state guaranty system issues and served on four guaranty association Boards (California, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Oregon) during her tenure with the company.
Before Pacific Life, Webb served in organizational, legal, policy, and advocacy roles for three different insurance trade associations: the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (the Big “I”), the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA), and the National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL).
Webb is a graduate of Tulane University and the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. She currently resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son and their dog Herbert, who is a very good boy.