California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday announced the newest members of the Insurance Diversity Task Force, which makes recommendations to the commissioner on ways to increase diversity within the industry.
Lara’s newest appointments include the first Hmong-American member, and an appointee who leads a national organization representing the interests of 1.3 million women business owners in California.
The task force was formed in 2012 as part of the California Department of Insurance’s Insurance Diversity Initiative, which encourages insurers to increase procurement contracts with diverse business owners, including women-owned, veteran- and disabled veteran-owned, minority-owned, and LGBT-owned businesses, as well as advance the diversity of insurance company corporate boards. The task force was formally codified in law on Jan. 1, with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of Senate Bill 534.
According to the CDI, in 2017 insurers reported that board seats continue to be disproportionately represented by men, with 80% of governing board seats held by men and only 12% of board seats held by persons of color.
The next task force meeting will be held on June 3. More details are available at: www.insurance.ca.gov/diversity.
Members of the Task Force include:
- Linda Akutagawa, president and CEO of leadership education for Asian Pacifics Inc. She is also chair of the Alliance for Board Diversity, a national organization focused on advancing gender and ethnic/racial diversity on corporate boards. Akutagawa rejoins the task force as an advocate/expert of governing board diversity with a term ending on March 23, 2022.
- Imelda Alejandrino, CEO and creative director of AP42 Integrated Marketing. Alejandrino also serves on the leadership forum as the vice chair of the global service team for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. Alejandrino rejoins the Task Force as an advocate/representative of minority business enterprises with a term ending March 23, 2022.
- Annalisa Barrett, senior advisor at KPMG Board Leadership Center. Prior to joining KPMG, Barrett was the CEO of Board Governance Research LLC. Barrett is also an Adjunct Lecturer of Finance at the University of San Diego School of Business. Barrett rejoins the task force as an advocate/expert of governing board diversity with a term ending on March 23, 2022.
- Jay Greene, an Attorney/CPA and owner of Jay Greene Law Firm and Greene Estate, Probate, and Elder Law Firm, a certified LGBT business enterprise. Greene is a member of the Golden Gate Business Association, an LGBTQ chamber of commerce. Greene rejoins the task force as an advocate/representative of LGBT business enterprises with a term ending on March 23, 2022.
- Salvador Peinado, Jr., senior supplier diversity consultant at CSAA Insurance Group. He also serves on the board of the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council and is a member of the Financial Services Roundtable for Supplier Diversity. Peinado rejoins the task force as an insurance industry representative with a term ending on March 23, 2022.
- Cecil Plummer, CEO and president of the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council. Plummer has over 20 years of executive leadership experience and has a background in strategic sourcing, change management, supplier diversity and risk management. Plummer rejoins the task force as an advocate/representative of minority business enterprises with a term ending on March 23, 2022.
- Vikita Poindexter, president-elect of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) -California, a regional partner of NAWBO that represents the issues and interests of more than 1.3 million women business owners in the state. She is president of Poindexter Consulting Group LLC. Poindexter joins the task force as an advocate/representative for women business enterprises with a term ending on May 13, 2022.
- Blong Xiong, executive director for the Asian Business Institute & Resource Center. Xiong was a council member for the City of Fresno, where he was the first elected Hmong council member in California. He is also a board member of the Valley Small Business Development. Xiong joins the task force as an advocate/expert for supplier diversity with a term ending on May 13, 2022.
Topics California
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