PLEASANTON, CA, Nov. 13, 2020 - State Fund President & CEO Vernon Steiner last week received the IIABCal Ramsden/Sullivan Memorial Award during the Opening Session of the InsurPATH 2020 Virtual Conference.  For nearly 100 years, the Ramsden/Sullivan has been the most prestigious award IIABCal bestows on an individual, and it is given only when a deserving individual merits this high honor.

"This year’s recipient truly exemplifies service to the American agency system and the insurance industry, and has an outstanding record of service to IIABCal and to the community," IIABCal President Melissa Phillipp-Himes said when announcing this year's recipient. "Vernon has enjoyed a distinguished insurance career."

Steiner was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of State Compensation Insurance Fund in 2014 and has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience, the majority in workers’ compensation. As the President and CEO, he reports directly to the Board of Directors and is responsible for the day-to-day operations at State Fund. Established in 1914 by the state legislature, State Fund is a vital asset to California businesses.

Vern began his career in 1990, as a Claims Examiner. Early in his career, Vern experienced the workers’ compensation system from the point of view of a third party administrator, a self-insured/self-administered employer and a managed care organization. In 1995, Vern joined AIG as a Service Center Manager, and by 2003, when he left AIG, he was the Regional Vice President, Northwest. He worked for CNA from 2003 to 2007, starting as the Vice President, Field Operations and ultimately Vice President, Workers’ Compensation. Prior to joining State Fund, Vern served as Senior Vice President, Claims at Zenith Insurance from 2007 to 2014.

Vern was a member of the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute’s (WCRI) advisory board from 2009 to 2016, and he served as the California Workers’ Compensation Institute's (CWCI) Board of Directors Chairman and as a member of the Fraud Assessment Commission from 2014 to 2016. He is currently on the CWCI board, the executive committee of the board, and has served on the WCIRB Governing Committee since 2014. Vern received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Under Vern's leadership, the State Fund supports the entrepreneurial spirit of the California's independent insurance agents and brokers and plays a stabilizing role in the economy by providing fairly priced workers' compensation insurance, helping California employers keep their workplaces safe, and restoring injured workers," Phillipp-Himes said. "In addition, State Fund is a participating partner of IIABCal events, such as InsurPATH, the Blue Ribbon Conference and LULU.  His company's support of IIABCal allows us to provided needed resources to position independent agents and brokers to be successful in California's workers' comp marketplace."