PHOENIX, AZ - Governor Hobbs has announced the appointment of Barbara Richardson as the next Director of the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI). Ms. Richardson is expected to join DIFI on March 6, 2023.

Ms. Richardson brings an impressive resume of regulatory experience to the DIFI Director position. Most recently, Ms. Richardson led the Nevada Division of Insurance as its Commissioner, a position she has held since March 2016. Prior to leading that agency, Ms. 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.

Ms. Richardson is a graduate of Vassar College, has a law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law and an MBA from Loyola University in Chicago. On a national level, Ms. 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 Katie 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.”