Arizona appoints new director of insurance

Barbara Richardson has been appointed as the next director of the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI).

The appointment was announced by Arizona’s Governor Katie Hobbs.

Most recently, Richardson led the Nevada Division of Insurance as its commissioner, a position she had held since March 2016. Prior to leading that agency, Richardson served for twelve years as the director of operations and fraud for the New Hampshire Insurance Department.

Additionally, she has worked at various times in her career for CNA, Kemper Financial, the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago and Putnam Securities.

On a national level, Richardson has been an active member on various committees, task forces and work groups of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), including most recently, the Innovation Task Force, the SERFF Board and the AntiFraud Task Force.

“I look forward to working with Barbara, a well-respected and experienced leader in her field,” said Governor Hobbs. “I believe the depth of regulatory experience possessed by Barbara will be a tremendous asset to DIFI, industry stakeholders, and most importantly, to Arizona consumers who rely on DIFI for information, education and consumer assistance.”