The National IRES Continuing Education (“NICE”) Program is a professional development initiative that requires all members holding the AIE®, CIE®, and/or CICSR® designations to earn 15 hours of continuing education (“CE”) credit annually. The program aims to ensure that every active designation holder actively pursues ongoing education throughout their career to stay informed about the challenges facing the insurance industry. The NICE program is designed to provide maximum

A message from the IRES President. I hope your Spring is off to a good start and you all had a Happy Easter with family and friends.  My Granddaughter is eight months old and is the “star” of the show, as my husband puts it.  We are enjoying every minute we get to spend with her!

Tell us about yourself. I graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.S. in Business Management & Leadership in 2011. My insurance...

The 31st Annual IRES Foundation National School on Market Regulation took place in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico on April 6-8, 2025. This year’s theme, Reaching New Heights in Compliance, was appropriate as every year the event seems to reach a new level of excellence.

Tell us about yourself: I am coming up on 30 years with DIFI. I currently serve as the Assistant Director of the Market Regulation and Consumer Services Division which includes oversight of Market Conduct, Consumer Complaints (insurance and financial institutions), and Health Care Appeals.  Not every day results in dollar wins but providing consumer education and walking away at the end of the day knowing we did that best we could, is the best advice I can provide my staff. 

Understanding the Challenges: Regulating mental health parity under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (“MHPAEA”) presents significant challenges for policymakers, compliance professionals, and regulators. Since its passage in 2008, MHPAEA has aimed to create equitable access to mental health and substance use disorder (“SUD”) treatment. However, enforcing and interpreting its provisions has proven difficult due to regulatory overlap, ambiguous language, and ev