SYMINGTON NEW LEADER OF BIG “I” FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Comes to IIABA from House Financial Services Committee Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. February 17—Charles E. Symington Jr., a seasoned Capitol Hill veteran with solid insurance experience, is the new head of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America’s (IIABA) federal government affairs program, announces Big “I” CEO Robert A. Rusbuldt today.
Symington comes to the Association from the House Financial Services Committee, where he served as a senior counsel for the majority and focused on insurance issues, including congressional efforts to assess state insurance regulation, notes Rusbuldt. Symington has served on the Financial Services Committee staff since its inception at the start of the 107th Congress in 2001. He begins his new assignment with IIABA March 1.
“We are excited to have Charles as a member of the Big ‘I’ team. He brings a wealth of insurance and Hill experience to his new role with the Big “I,” says Rusbuldt. “His background working with the Financial Services Committee the last three years and before that with the Energy & Commerce Committee has prepared him well for his responsibility as the head of our federal government affairs activities.
Rep. Richard Baker, Chairman of the Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises says, “Charles has been an integral part of the Committee’s staff team. His knowledge and expertise are highly respected by the members of the Committee. I know I speak for all of my colleagues in wishing Charles the best as he begins his new career with IIABA.”
Rusbuldt continues, “His combination of hands-on legislative experience and know-how regarding the workings of Congress and how to advance legislation will serve him and IIABA’s 300,000 members well in the coming months and years.”
During his time with the Financial Services Committee, Symington actively was involved in drafting the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, the Financial Services Anti-Fraud bill, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, and other legislative proposals.
Before joining the Financial Services Committee, Symington worked as a majority counsel for the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, where he concentrated on health care policy and the panel’s oversight responsibilities.
Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Symington was an attorney with the law firm of Matricardi & Moylan in Springfield, Va., and before that was an associate attorney with the firm of Drew, Eckl & Farnham in Atlanta, Ga., where he specialized in insurance defense litigation.
Symington graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor degree in history and graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Ga.
IIABA also announced the promotions of Wes Bissett to Sr. Vice President of Government Affairs and State Relations, and Justin Roth to Vice President of Government Affairs.
Founded in 1896, IIABA is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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