Moving Into Leadership as a Liberal Arts Student

From Liberal Arts to Leadership

Friday, January 29

2:30-3:30 p.m.

IMU Sassafras Room

Michael McRaith, IU Distinguished Alum with a BA in Psychology and English, will discuss his career path and the idea that career/life are inseparable and inform each other. He will also speak about the issues that may arise in the corporate workplace for LGBT individuals. RSVP Here.

Bio

Michael T. McRaith was appointed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to serve as the inaugural director of the Federal Insurance Office (FIO), an office created by the Dodd-Frank Act, in 2011. In his role, McRaith and his team monitor all aspects of the insurance industry in order to ensure affordable, dependable insurance options are available and safe guards are in place to avoid an economic or industrial collapse.

Under his leadership, FIO:

·         Enacted policies which require insurance companies to have ‘living wills’ or resolution plans in case companies experience a financial collapse. The purpose of this policy is to “substantially mitigate the risk that the failure of a company would have serious adverse effects on the financial stability of the US economy.”

·         Challenged auto insurance companies to provide driving discounts to all couples, regardless of their marital status

·         Collaborates with law enforcement communities, state agencies, and others to develop a cyber-security strategy for the insurance industry

·         Provides insurance expertise as a non-voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (Council), and has authority to recommend oversight of an insurer or its affiliates by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

·         Coordinates federal efforts and works to develop policy on standardizing insurance both here in the US and abroad – working closely with other federal agencies, international organizations and state regulators

 

McRaith spent 15 years working in Chicago as a commercial litigation attorney before being appointed as the Director of Insurance for the State of Illinois in 2005. During his time as director, McRaith was known to be a compassionate, knowledgeable leader who worked with colleagues to build bi-partisan support for initiatives that protected Illinois consumers while creating economically viable situations for companies.  

Throughout his career as a public servant, both at the state and federal level, McRaith has enacted and implemented social reforms that champion equality and remove prejudicial barriers from the insurance industry. An Evanston, Ill. native, McRaith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English from Indiana University in 1986.

RSVP Here.