PULLMAN, Wash. – Steve Patterson, president and CEO of Oregon Mutual Insurance Company, will present “Risky Business: Regulated Insurers in Catastrophic Times” from 5–6:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, as the guest speaker for the annual Walton Lecture offered by the Washington State University Carson College of Business.
The presentation is free to the public. Registration is available online.
Patterson is responsible for stewarding the welfare of the company, its employees, agents and policyholders, as well as Oregon Mutual’s subsidiary, Western Protector’s Insurance Company, located in McMinnville, Oregon. He will talk about insurance regulation and market conditions in relation to current events and catastrophic times, such as COVID‑19.
Patterson joined Oregon Mutual in 2006 after 12 years in the legal department of the State Farm Mutual Insurance Company, where he worked at State Farm’s home office on institutional bad faith cases. He also served as legislative and regulatory counsel in California, Michigan, Texas and Canada.
He is an honors graduate from Portland State University and a law graduate from Willamette University in Salem. He has served on the Association of California Insurance Companies Board and its advisory board. He was chairman of the legal committee for the National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds from 2000–2010. He served on the state guaranty association boards for both Texas and Oregon, chairing the Oregon board since 2015. He is a member of the Oregon Department of Insurance Advisory Council and served on the Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council. In 2019, he was elected to the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association’s Board of Governors.
Oregon Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1894, is the oldest mutual insurance company west of the Mississippi. Established in McMinnville, Oregon, the company provides personal and commercial insurance in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and California. Its products are available exclusively through independent insurance agencies.
Each fall, the Walton Lecture brings a distinguished leader in insurance and risk management to campus to share professional perspectives. The lecture is hosted by the WSU Carson College of Business’s Department of Finance and Management Science and made possible through an endowment from the Insurance Agents and Brokers of Washington. The endowment honors Max Walton, the group’s past president.
Media contacts:
- Michael McNamara, finance professor, Carson College of Business, 509‑335‑5632, mjmcnam@wsu.edu
- Sue McMurray, assistant director of communications, Carson College of Business, 509‑335‑7578, sue.mcmurray@wsu.edu
