Commissioner of insurance
LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE
A native of New Orleans, James Donelon has spent decades serving the state of Louisiana. After graduating from Jesuit High School, the University of New Orleans and the Loyola School of Law, Donelon was first elected to public office in 1975 as chairman of the Jefferson Parish Council. He also served as chairman of the Committee on Insurance in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1981 to 2001. In 2006, he was appointed to his current position as the state’s insurance commissioner and was elected to fill the unexpired term that same year. He has since been re-elected to four consecutive full terms; his current term is up in 2023.
Prior to becoming insurance commissioner, Donelon served in various leadership positions within the Department of Insurance, including as chief deputy commissioner and executive counsel. He was elected president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in 2013 and currently serves as chair of the NAIC’s Surplus Lines Task Force and on its executive committee.
