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NEWPORT, R.I. (June 26, 2024) — The Insurance Compact presented its inaugural Compact Champion Award to its outgoing Commission Chair, Maryland Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Birrane. The Compact Champion Award recognizes members for their distinguished service and stewardship to the Insurance Compact. 

"Commissioner Birrane's leadership has earned her the inaugural Compact Champion Award," said Nebraska Department of Insurance Director and Insurance Compact Vice Chair Eric Dunning. "Her determination has gotten us to the starting line and finish line on so many key projects at the Compact, including the Compact Roundtables and the creation of the Adjunct Services Committee. Executive engagement is higher than it has ever been, and that's due to Commissioner Birrane's leadership." 

"It was an absolute pleasure to work with Commissioner Birrane at the Insurance Compact," said Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation Director, Insurance Compact Past Chair, and NAIC Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer. "The innovations championed during her Chairpersonship will assist insurance consumers for years to come. She will be missed. I also want to congratulate her on the well-deserved honor of becoming the first recipient of the prestigious Compact Champion Award." 

"Commissioner Birrane will be sorely missed," said West Virginia Insurance Commissioner and Insurance Compact Treasurer Allan McVey. "I truly enjoyed working with her and always appreciated her preparedness and professionalism. I would also like to extend my congratulations on receiving the first Compact Champion Award." 

"As she embarks on this next leg of her journey, I want to express my sincere gratitude for Commissioner Birrane's outstanding service and dedication as Maryland Insurance Commissioner," said Connecticut Insurance Commissioner and NAIC President Andrew Mais. "Her leadership has been exemplary, and her contributions to the insurance sector have left an indelible mark. The NAIC and the consumers we protect are immeasurably better off because of her." 

"It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work with Commissioner Birrane over the years," said North Dakota Insurance Commissioner and NAIC President-Elect Jon Godfread. "Her leadership, particularly in AI regulation and the Interstate Compact, has had a profound impact not only on Maryland but across the entire NAIC community and the United States. Her efforts were instrumental in guiding North Dakota to join the Interstate Compact, a milestone we could not have achieved without her influence." 

"Commissioner Birrane has been a dynamo during her tenure as Commissioner," said Virginia Insurance Commissioner and NAIC Vice President Scott White. "I greatly admire all she has accomplished in so many different areas. Her legacy will no doubt be the amazing work she did in developing the AI Bulletin and getting it to the finish line. We will all greatly miss her passion and intelligence. We will miss her greatly and wish her the best of luck in the future." 

"When I think of my work with Commissioner Birrane, it is hard to list everything about her that impressed me," said Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance Director and NAIC Most Recent Past President Chlora Lindley-Myers. "Certainly, I must admit I am in awe of her mental attributes – she can assess and analyze complex situations quickly and discern and plan her actions decisively. She has always been willing to take on any challenge, and the insurance commissioners have had many complex problems to address in the past four years. We have been fortunate to have her mind and talent directed toward helping solve some of those problems." 

Kathleen A. Birrane was appointed Maryland Insurance Commissioner by Governor Larry Hogan in May 2020, and she was first elected Insurance Compact Chair during the fall 2021 Joint Meeting of the Management Committee and Commission in San Diego, CA. Commissioner Birrane is leaving the Maryland Insurance Administration at the end of June to return to private practice. The Compact Champion Award was created to recognize transformational leadership and unwavering dedication to the mission and membership of the organization.