Maryland Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Birrane announced her intent to resign effective June 30 and to return to private practice at DLA Piper, where she was a partner until being appointed commissioner in May 2020.
“My decision to return to private practice is bittersweet. Serving the residents of this state as the insurance commissioner has been a source of great joy. I am blessed to work with a remarkable team of professionals who dedicate themselves every day to keeping the Maryland insurance market sound and making sure that insurers keep their promises,” she noted. “But, after four incredibly intense and productive years, this is the right time for me.”
“From accessing healthcare, to driving to work, to starting a business, it is critical that our insurance system runs well and that customers are treated fairly,” Gov. Wes Moore said. “Birrane is a leader in this industry not just here in Maryland, but across the country. She has led the insurance administration with foresight and dedication, and I thank her for her service to our state."
Birrane expressed gratitude to Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller for their leadership and support. “It has been a particular honor to have been part of the Moore-Miller administration and to have experienced first-hand the hope, energy, and heart for service they have brought to state government. I will always appreciate the confidence the governor and his team have shown in allowing me to remain in this role, and I thank them for their support of this agency and the work that we do.”
Birrane was appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan in 2020. She was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 and remained as commissioner under the Moore-Miller administration.
During her tenure, the insurance administration made significant progress in rebuilding its enforcement teams and infrastructure, as well as expanding the state's oversight of insurers with respect to cybersecurity and the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. The agency also adopted network adequacy standards and mental health parity reporting requirements that are the most comprehensive in the nation, resulting in Birrane's receipt of the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the Mental Health Association of Maryland.
Birrane also worked to expand Maryland’s footprint on the national and international level. With respect to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, she served as a member of the executive committee; is the inaugural chair of the innovation, cybersecurity and technology committee; co-chairs the special committee on race and insurance health workstream; serves on the climate and resiliency taskf as the chair of the solvency workstream; and is chair of the interstate insurance product regulation commission.
She is also one of two U.S. regulators who serve with the Federal Insurance Office and EIPOA on the EU-US Insurance Dialogue within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. On an international level, Birrane chairs the supervisory forum of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors and serves on the sustainable insurance forum, a project of the United Nations.
“We have accomplished a great deal in the last four years, and I will continue to diligently serve Maryland until June 30,” Birrane said. “But I have great confidence in our team to continue to carry this important work forward.”
A search is underway for the next commissioner.