Dana Popish Severinghaus

Director, Illinois Department of Insurance

Dana Popish Severinghaus, Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance, has served since January 2021. She brings extensive legal, policy, government relations and insurance industry-related experience to her role heading a state regulatory agency.

Popish Severinghaus was formerly Legislative and Regulatory Counsel at Allstate Insurance Company where she advised Allstate and its subsidiaries on legal, regulatory and legislative matters across the Midwest. Before that, she served as Senior Policy Advisor at the State of Illinois in Central Management Services where she oversaw the Bureau of Benefits. Prior to that, Popish Severinghaus was the Director of Government Relations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.

Popish Severinghaus formerly served on the board of the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund and was a member of the Illinois Insurance Association. Currently, she is an Advisory Board Member and Co-Chair of the Government Relations Advisory Council for the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, a Women in Law Mentor at Chicago Kent College of Law, and an Auxiliary Board Member of ChildServ.

She also holds leadership roles with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), including serving as Vice Chair of the NAIC Consumer Participation Board of Trustees, Co-Vice Chair of the Innovation, Cybersecurity and Technology (H) Committee and as a member of the International Insurance Relations (G) Committee.

Popish Severinghaus earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of Iowa and Juris Doctor from Chicago Kent College of Law.