Legal Seminar Planners Seek New Ideas

Planning has begun for NOLHGA's 17th Annual Legal Seminar, which will be held July 9-10, 2009, at The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. An MPC meeting is scheduled for July 7 and 8.

The Legal Seminar Planning Committee held its kickoff teleconference on January 14 to develop an agenda for the seminar. This year's committee is made up of Chair Jan Funk (Indiana), John Colpean (Michigan), Jack Falkenbach (Delaware), Joel Glover (Rothgerber, Johnson and Lyons), Charles Gullickson (South Dakota), Jim Lenaghan (New Jersey), John Mathews (Allstate Life Insurance Company), Tad Rhodes (Oklahoma), and Charlie Richardson (Baker & Daniels).

As always, the committee is seeking current topics of interest and importance to the industry. Please submit any fresh ideas you might have to Meg Melusen at [email protected]. Suggestions regarding potential speakers are appreciated as well.

NAIC Names Vaughan New CEO

Former Iowa Insurance Commissioner Therese M. (Terri) Vaughan, Ph.D., has been named Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), effective February 18, 2009.

Vaughan replaces Catherine Weatherford, who left the NAIC in July 2008. Andrew Beal, who served as Acting Executive Vice President and CEO in the interim, has been promoted to Chief Operations Officer and will continue to serve as the NAIC's chief legal officer.

According to an NAIC press release, Vaughan will serve as the association's primary representative and chief spokesperson in Washington, D.C. She will also be in charge of outreach to federal governmental entities and state government associations as well as consumer and insurance industry representatives. Vaughan will oversee the launch of the NAIC's new Center for Insurance Information, which will make NAIC information and resources more accessible to members of Congress and other federal agencies.