Allstate Insurance Co. is beefing up its presence in Washington, D.C., hoping to further education for members of Congress on regulatory issues it supports.

Dean Pappas

“Insurance is front and center in Congress’ thinking right now,” said Dean Pappas, who has been lobbying for the national insurer in Washington, D.C., for the last six years.

Allstate’s public policy interests include advancing legislation to provide a federal backstop for insurers after natural catastrophes, creating uniform safe teen driving standards and pushing for a national insurance regulator, according to company officials.

Although daily headlines focus on comprehensive health care reform, Congress remains interested in financial services reform, said Pappas, who was promoted to assistant vice president and assistant general counsel for federal legislative and regulatory affairs. He will lead Allstate’s D.C. Federal Affairs Office.

Ever since then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s blueprint for reform in April 2008, legislators have been exploring means of reform. Those efforts require Allstate to participate in “additional education efforts,” Pappas said.

Ensuring suitable reform of insurance is even more important since members of Congress had to deal with American International Group, a global financial service firm with a large insurance arm, taking nearly $180 billion in federal assistance since September 2008.

“AIG certainly put the dominoes in motion” for financial services reform, said Pappas, who previously served as director of Allstate’s federal affairs.

To help him lobby, Stacy Sharpe, former assistant vice president of reputation leadership for Allstate in Northbrook, Ill., was named assistant vice president for federal legislative and regulatory affairs.

Pappas has been in the Federal Affairs office since 2003 promoting Allstate’s key legislative initiatives, including the ProtectAmerica.org team that has been advancing the Homeowner’s Defense Act, legislation that would establish a federal backstop for natural catastrophes.  He also worked to help pass the Class Action Fairness Act and advocated for important provisions ultimately included in the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act. Previously, Pappas served as regional counsel for Allstate’s Northeast Region in Pennsylvania and New England as well as managing attorney for Allstate’s staff counsel offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Sharpe previously worked with Allstate CEO Tom Wilson and other senior management team members to help create, guide, and champion the company’s reputation strategy.