Regulate. Educate. Advocate.
- About the Department
- Our Mission
- Meet Commissioner Vicki Schmidt
- Key Staff
- Contact Information
- Employment Opportunities
The Kansas Legislature established the Kansas Insurance Department in 1871. The first Superintendent of Insurance, later changed to Commissioner of Insurance in 1927, was William C. Webb. There have been twenty-six Commissioners to lead The Kansas Insurance Department, including current Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. The longest-serving Commissioner was Frank Sullivan, who served from 1947 to 1971.
In 2017, the Kansas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 23, which merged the Kansas Securities Commission with the Kansas Insurance Department. Prior to the 2017 Legislation, the Securities Commission was an executive branch agency that reported to the Governor. Established in 1911, Kansas became the first state to pass a law regulating the sale of investments.
According to J.N. Dolley, a driving force for the law’s passage, it was an effort to prevent the sale of securities by promoters who promised rain, but delivered only “blue sky.” In the next few years, other states passed similar laws and today, all states’ securities laws are referred to as “blue sky laws”. Following the great stock market crash of 1929, the federal government began to regulate investment activity with the passage of the Securities Act of 1933, and the creation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934.
Insurance and securities have changed over the years but the responsibility of the Kansas Insurance Department to the people of Kansas remains unchanged.
Regulate:
Review companies that sell policies in Kansas to ensure solvency and compliance with insurance and securities laws and regulations.
Educate:
Consumers about all things insurance and securities by publishing brochures and rate guides to assist in the shopping process, giving presentations to groups across Kansas and serving as a non-biased source of information.
Advocate:
For a strong and competitive market to give Kansans choices when shopping for products that meet their needs.
Vicki Schmidt is a lifelong Kansan. She was born and raised in Wichita. She and her high school sweetheart, Mike, both attended Wichita South High School. Their families lived two blocks from each other and they shared similar upbringings focused on hard work, honesty and faith. They headed off to KU to continue their education together and then married in 1974. Vicki graduated from KU’s School of Pharmacy and went to work as a pharmacist, while Mike attended medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. They made their home in Topeka, where they raised their two sons, Jonathan and Tyler.
She has worked for more than 40 years, serving Kansas families and seniors as a local pharmacist. It was her pharmacy experience and her commitment to bettering Kansas that drew her to run for the Legislature. As a pharmacist, Vicki found errors in the Kansas Medical Assistance Program, errors that were costing the state millions of dollars. She became a voice for reform – speaking up about ways Medicaid could be more cost-effective in its drug rebate program and implementing her plan, which resulted in more than $391 million in recouped dollars for the state.
Vicki brought her expertise to the Legislature, where she served 14 years representing Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties, including six as the Chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. As a State Senator, she fought to protect Medicare for Kansas seniors and voted to ensure Kansas families could count on insurance companies to cover the critical treatments needed for children diagnosed with autism. She consistently stands up to career politicians and lobbyists to fight for what is right for Kansans. She received her most important title in 2014 when she became a Grandma. She and Mike now have three grandsons and one granddaughter.
On November 6, 2018, she was elected, with the largest vote total statewide, as Kansas Insurance Commissioner. When she was sworn in on January 14, 2019, she became the first pharmacist to serve as Kansas Insurance Commissioner and is one of only two pharmacists in America to hold a statewide office.
Currently, Commissioner Schmidt serves on the Life and Annuity (A) Committee and the Property and Casualty (C) Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Additionally, she is Co-Vice Chair of Financial Regulation Standards and Accreditation (F) Committee, is immediate past Chair of the Property and Casualty (C) Committee of the NAIC and serves on the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) board.
To contact the Kansas Insurance Department staff members, please email kid.commissioner@ks.gov.
Vicki Schmidt – Insurance Commissioner
785-291-3299
Dan Klucas – Securities Commissioner
785-291-3299
Barbara Rankin – Assistant Commissioner
785-296-4568
Mandy Roe – Chief of Staff
785-296-7807
Bobbi Mariani – Director of Administrative Operations and Human Resources
785-296-7802
John Eichkorn – Director of Compliance, Enforcement and Anti-Fraud
785-296-5203
Justin McFarland – General Counsel
785-296-7847
Tish Becker – Director of Financial Surveillance
785-296-7816
Eric Turek – Director of Government and Public Affairs
785-296-2461
Julie Holmes – Director of Rate and Form Compliance
785-296-6410
LeAnn Crow – Director of Consumer Assistance
785-296-7827
Linda Scott – Director of Information Technology
785-368-6527
Charlotte Daubert – Comptroller
785-291-3191
Monicka Richmeier – Director of Producer Licensing
785-296-5185
Nicole Boyd – Chief of Actuarial Services
785-296-6253
John Hesse – Chief of Securities Compliance
785-296-3911
Karen Perez – Assistant to the Commissioner
785-291-3299
Main
Address : 1300 SW Arrowhead Road, Topeka, KS 66604 – 4073
Telephone : 785-296-3071
Fax : 785-296-5806
Email : kid.commissioner@ks.gov
Securities Email : ksc.ksc@ks.gov
Producer Licensing Division
Mail to: ATTN Producer Licensing Division
Telephone : 785-296-7862
Email : kid.licensing@ks.gov
Consumer Assistance Division
File a consumer complaint or make a consumer inquiry
Consumer Assistance Hotline : 800-432-2484 (in Kansas only)
Telephone : 785-296-7829 (out-of-state caller)
Fax : 785-296-5806 TTY/TTD: 877-235-3151
Email : kid.webcomplaints@ks.gov
Current career opportunities at the Kansas Insurance Department.
Documents & Services
Online Forms
Online Services
Contact
Kansas Insurance Department
1300 SW Arrowhead Rd.
Topeka, KS 66604
Phone: 785-296-3071
Consumer Hotline:
800-432-2484 (in state)
785-296-7829 (out of state)
Email: kid.commissioner@ks.gov