South Carolina Insurance Director Resigns

David Black resigned as director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance effective Dec. 28, and Gwendolyn Fuller McGriff will serve as acting director until a new director is appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley, according to a department announcement.

Black had served as director since February 2011. No reason was given for his decision to leave, and Ann Roberson, the department's public information officer, could not be immediately reached for more information.

During his tenure, the department continued its work to make the agency's processes more effective and efficient for the stakeholders the department serves, the announcement said. Under his leadership, the department worked to attract more insurers to the state and reorganized the divisions within the agency to more closely align the department's structure with the agency's mission, related functional areas and regulatory focus. It also automated licensing, taxation and financial- and consumer-reporting processes, the announcement said.

McGriff, acting deputy director of Financial Services and general counsel, has been with the department for 16 years and has served in various leadership capacities, including acting agency director in 2004. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee in 1986.

Before his confirmation as insurance director by the South Carolina Senate, Black was president and chief executive officer of Liberty Life Insurance Co. from 2004 to 2010 (Best's News Service, Feb. 7, 2011). He also served on the board of directors of the state chamber of commerce.

(By Ron Panko, senior associate editor, Best's Review: Ronald.Panko@ambest.com)