Mike McGavick, chair, president and chief executive officer for SAFECO Insurance Co., will present the annual Walton Lecture at Washington State University on Oct. 7.
The 2 p.m. lecture is open to the public and will be in the Samuel H. Smith Center for Undergraduate Education, Room 203.
“Washington State is honored to welcome Mike McGavick to campus to present his insights on the insurance industry,” said WSU President V. Lane Rawlins. “Our students, faculty and guests at the Walton Lecture welcome the opportunity to meet with such an accomplished business leader as Mr. McGavick.”
A Seattle native, McGavick worked in public affairs positions for The Rockey Co., the Washington Round Table, U.S. Sen. Slade Gordon, and The Gallatin Group. He began his insurance career in 1992 and spent three years directing the Superfund Improvement Project for the American Insurance Association. McGavick was the lead negotiator for the insurance industry with Congress, federal agencies and groups concerned about reform of the nation’s Superfund laws.
Prior to joining SAFECO in 2001, McGavick worked for the Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. starting in 1995. He served CNA as president and CEO of the company’s largest operating unit, responsible for the majority of CNA’s commercial insurance business. He also engineered CNA’s e-commerce strategy.
This is the 11th Walton Lecture, a series in the WSU College of Business and Economics. It began in 1993 and is sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Washington to honor members’ past president, Max Walton. Former lecturers include Mike Kreidler, Washington state insurance commissioner; Gerald P. Schmidt, president and CEO of Mutual of Enumclaw; and the late Stanley O. McNaughton, president and CEO of PEMCO Insurance Cos.
A reception will follow the lecture.
