In the latest entry in our commissioner spotlight series, we are focusing on the head of the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), Commissioner Mike Kreidler. Commissioner Kreidler has led the OIC for six terms since 2000. Earlier this year, Commissioner Kreidler announced he will not seek reelection and will retire when his current term concludes in 2024.
Before becoming insurance commissioner, Commissioner Kreidler represented Washington’s 9th congressional district for one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Commissioner Kreidler also spent 16 years in the Washington state legislature, where he served in both of Washington’s state legislative chambers.
Commissioner Kreidler has a bachelor’s degree and a doctor of optometry from Pacific University. He spent 20 years serving as an optometry officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and retired as a lieutenant colonel. Commissioner Kreidler also holds a Master of Public Health degree from UCLA.
Why Commissioner Kreidler is Important to Agents:
Throughout his long tenure with the OIC, Commissioner Kreidler has been a leading advocate for state and federal health insurance reform. He currently serves as a co-vice chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioner (NAIC) Health Insurance and Managed Care (B) Committee. Commissioner Kreidler has also been active on the issue of climate change; he is currently a co-vice chair of the NAIC’s Climate and Resiliency Task Force, which began as the Climate Risk and Resilience Work Group. Commissioner Kreidler previously chaired the predecessor Work Group.
Elsewhere within the NAIC, Commissioner Kreidler also serves on the Government Relations (EX) Leadership Council; and the Special (EX) Committee on Race and Insurance.
In 2016, under the leadership of Commissioner Kreidler, the OIC became a founding member of the Sustainable Insurance Program within the United Nations Environment Programme, where he worked with other insurance regulators to address sustainability challenges facing the insurance industry. Commissioner Kreidler was also named an insurance industry leader on climate change by InsuranceERM in 2020.
PIA appreciates Commissioner Kreidler’s long and dedicated service to the insurance industry and looks forward to continuing to collaborate with him during the remainder of his term. We will continue our collaboration with Commissioner Kreidler’s successors in the years to come and wish him well in his retirement.