Governor Rick Perry Appoints Eleanor Kitzman as Texas Insurance Commissioner
Jul 21, 2011
Above: Newly appointed Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman
Texas Governor Rick Perry has appointed Eleanor Kitzman as Texas Insurance Commissioner, effective August 15, 2011. She replaces past Commissioner Mike Geeslin, who stepped down when his term ended earlier this year.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty commented, “I would like to commend Governor Rick Perry for selecting Eleanor Kitzman as the next Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Texas. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ms. Kitzman for many years and believe she is an excellent choice to lead the insurance department of one of the largest premium volume states in the country. Ms. Kitzman combines impressive private sector success with a dedication to public service, and I look forward to working with her in her new role. As the former South Carolina Director of Insurance, she also has invaluable experience handling national issues such as health care and catastrophe insurance. I expect her to become an active and influential member of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and I am confident that she will contribute substantially to our state-based regulatory system.”
Ms. Kitzman is the outgoing executive director of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, and is a past director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance.
A news article on the appointment is reprinted below.
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Kitzman Appointed as Next Texas Insurance Commissioner
Published in Insurance Journal on July 21, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced the appointment of Eleanor Kitzman of Austin as Texas Insurance Commissioner, effective Aug. 15, 2011, for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2013.
She will replace Mike Geeslin, who announced earlier this year that he was not interested in serving another term as commissioner.
Kitzman is the outgoing executive director of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, and is past director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance. She is also a former clerk for the Texas Supreme Court, and a past associate at Akin, Gump, Strauss and Feld. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and South Carolina Bar Association.
“I’m confident that Eleanor’s expertise in the insurance industry will make her a strong advocate for insurance customers in Texas, and I appreciate her willingness to serve the state in this capacity,” Gov. Perry said. “I’m thankful for Mike Geeslin’s service as insurance commissioner over the past several years, where he worked to protect Texans by ensuring that insurance is available and provided at fair rates, and look forward to continuing this strong leadership at TDI with Eleanor’s appointment.”
“Eleanor Kitzman appears to be uniquely qualified to serve as Texas insurance commissioner,” said Mark Hanna, spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. “Her experience in running the insurance commission in South Carolina as well as representing insurers and managing insurance companies should give her a jump start in assessing the Texas marketplace. We look forward to building a good working relationship and offering our support for Commissioner Kitzman as she tackles one of the toughest jobs in Texas government.”
The American Insurance Association also congratulated in Kitzman on her nomination as commissioner.
“Ms. Kitzman’s significant insurance background makes her well-qualified to be the next commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance,” said Fred C. Bosse, AIA Southwest region vice president. “Texas is a large state with diverse insurance needs. Her tenure as South Carolina’s insurance commissioner coupled with her efforts to reform that state’s auto and coastal insurance systems uniquely position her to run TDI.”
Prior to her appointment by Gov. Nikki Haley to run the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, Kitzman was employed by Goldman Sachs. She served as the director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance from 2005 to 2007. Kitzman is a graduate of the University of Houston and earned her law degree from the South Texas College of Law.
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