Webb Joins Employers Direct as Head of Governmental Relations

James Little, CEO, president and chairman of California-based Employers Direct Insurance Company, reported the appointment of Mark Webb as vice president/Governmental Relations of the company.

Webb, a nationally recognized governmental relations expert, was most recently assistant general counsel and director of State Affairs for American International Group (AIG) for the Western United States. From 1997 to 2003 Webb was vice president of the American Insurance Association (AIA) in its Sacramento office.

According to Webb, 2006 will be a year in which several of the constituencies adversely affected by workers’ comp reform will be aggressively attempting to roll-back employer gains through legislation and voter initiatives.

Webb served on the board of directors of the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC), participated on Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi’s task force on workers’ comp reform, and is a frequent speaker on California workers’ comp issues both at state and national forums. He will continue to serve on several technical advisory committees at the Division of Workers’ Compensation. He is a former deputy director of the Arizona Department of Insurance. He also has served on the California Advisory Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).