AIA Staffer Named Ill. Asst. Director of Insurance

Deirdre K. Manna has been appointed assistant director of the Illinois Insurance Department. Manna will be involved in various department issues and programs including overseeing the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan and the Senior Health Insurance Program.

Prior to joining the department, Manna held a variety of positions in insurance, communications and government. For the past seven years, Manna held the position of assistant vice president with the American Insurance Association (AIA), a property/casualty trade group. Responsible for state affairs, she oversaw the legislative and regulatory agenda for a five-state region for AIA.

She started with the association as a member of the public affairs team and was responsible for public relations and grassroots organization for property/casualty insurers for the entire Midwest region.

Prior to joining AIA, Manna worked for Agenda Communications, a public policy management firm that represented a wide variety of clients from industries ranging from health care to utilities to finance. Manna started her career in Springfield on the staff of the Illinois House of Representatives. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.