Director Named for UA’s New Center for Insurance Information

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. J. Michael Hardin, dean of the Culverhouse College of Commerce at The University of Alabama, has announced the appointment of Dr. Lars Powell as the inaugural director of the newly created Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research.

Powell is a professor of finance and holds the Whitbeck-Beyer Chair of Insurance and Financial Services at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in insurance and finance from the University of South Carolina and a doctorate  in risk management and insurance from the University of Georgia.

Before pursuing an academic career, he worked as an insurance agent and as a medical malpractice claims adjuster. Powell has been an active consultant to private and public entities in matters related to insurance operations, regulation and empirical analysis.

“I am impressed with the experience and credentials that Dr. Powell brings to the newly created center and director position,” Hardin said. “I was impressed with the enthusiasm shown by Dr. Powell for the University, the Culverhouse College of Commerce and the state of Alabama during his visit to Tuscaloosa last month.

“He seemed genuinely excited about the possibilities of this new Center,” Hardin said. “I am confident that his leadership will be instrumental in leading the Center to become the ‘go to source’ for insurance research in the state of Alabama.”

The Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research was authorized in 2013 by Gov. Robert J. Bentley and is designed to be a non-partisan and highly credible source for information about various insurance issues of importance to the people of the state of Alabama. The Center will be located on UA’s campus as an outreach center within the Culverhouse College of Commerce.

An initial focus of the Center will be the study of methods to improve the availability and affordability of homeowners insurance in counties along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The Center will bring together resources from The University of Alabama, other universities within the state and from resources ​outside of the state to provide a diverse analysis and solutions concerning insurance issues in the state.

The search process was conducted by a committee of UA faculty, business leaders and state government officials, chaired by Dr. Samuel Addy, director of UA’s Center for Business and Economic Research and associate dean of research at the Culverhouse College of Commerce.