Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner


The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of Wisconsin is an independent agency of the Wisconsin state government responsible for supervising and regulating the insurance industry in Wisconsin. The office licenses insurers operating in the state, examines their financial and business practices, investigates consumer complaints, ensures compliance with state laws and regulations, and provides information on the insurance industry to the public.
The Office is headquartered in the State Education Building, or GEF-3, in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.

History

The insurance business was first authorized and regulated in Wisconsin in 1870. The original law vested insurance regulation as a power of the Secretary of State of Wisconsin. These powers were transferred to a separate commissioner of insurance by an act of the Wisconsin Legislature in 1878. The office was initially designed as a gubernatorial appointee, and the first insurance commissioner, Philip L. Spooner, Jr., was appointed by Governor William E. Smith. In 1881, however, a new act of the Legislature converted the appointed office into a state-wide elected office. This continued until 1911, when the office was converted back into a gubernatorial appointee.

Organization

The senior leadership of the Office consists of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, along with the administrators and directors of the internal divisions of the Office.
  • Commissioner: Nathan Houdek
  • Deputy Commissioner: Rebecca Easland
  • Administrator of Financial Regulation: Amy Malm
  • Administrator of Market Regulation & Enforcement: Rebecca Rebholz
  • Director of Operational Management: Lilian Kahite
  • Director of Public Affairs: Sarah Smith
  • Director of the Office of Administrative Services: Kristina Thole
  • Chief Legal Counsel: Lauren Van Buren

    Subordinate boards

Separate from the ordinary organizational structure of the Office, there are a number of commissions and boards created by acts of the Wisconsin Legislature to oversee, advise, or administer certain funds.
  • Board of Directors of the Insurance Security Fund
  • Board of Governors of the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund / Wisconsin Health Care Liability Insurance Plan
  • Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund Peer Review Council

    Commissioners

OrderCommissionerTook officeLeft officeNotes
1Appointed by William E. Smith, then elected in 1881 and 1884.
2Elected in 1886 and 1888.
3Elected in 1890 and 1892.
4Elected in 1894 and 1896.
5Elected in 1898 and 1900.
6Elected in 1902 and 1904.
7Elected in 1906 and 1908.
8Elected in 1910. The law changed in 1911, turning the office into an appointed position. Governor Francis E. McGovern attempted to remove him in 1913, but he successfully sued the governor to remain in office.
Appointed by Francis E. McGovern, but appointment was enjoined by the court, then vetoed by the Wisconsin Senate.
9Appointed by Emanuel L. Philipp. Resigned.
10Appointed by Emanuel L. Philipp.
11Appointed by John J. Blaine. Resigned.
12Appointed by John J. Blaine. Resigned.
13Appointed by Fred R. Zimmerman.
14Appointed by Philip La Follette.
15Appointed by Julius P. Heil. Re-appointed by Walter Samuel Goodland and Oscar Rennebohm. Died in office.
16Appointed by Oscar Rennebohm.
17Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr.
18Appointed by Walter J. Kohler Jr.
19Appointed by Gaylord Nelson. Re-appointed by John W. Reynolds Jr.. Reached mandatory retirement age.
20Appointed by Warren P. Knowles. Resigned.
21Appointed by Warren P. Knowles.
22Appointed by Patrick Lucey.
23Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus.
24Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus.
25Appointed by Tony Earl. Resigned.
26Appointed by Tommy Thompson. Resigned.
Acting commissioner.
27Appointed by Tommy Thompson.
Acting commissioner.
28Appointed by Tommy Thompson.
29Appointed by Jim Doyle.
30Appointed by Jim Doyle.
31Appointed by Scott Walker.
32Appointed by Tony Evers.
33CurrentAppointed by Tony Evers.