Joe Stewart

As Vice President for Governmental Affairs, Joe spearheads IIANC efforts on state legislative and regulatory matters involving the NC Department of Insurance and other state agencies, and the NC General Assembly; he also leads efforts to raise money for IIANC PAC and InsurPac (our state and federal political action committees), and coordinates with IIABA staff on getting IIANC members engaged on federal issues that impact independent agents. Working with the IIANC Board and Government Affairs committee, which he staffs, Joe shepherds the process of identifying, researching and creating proactive advocacy strategies on public policy issues of interest to IIANC members. 

Joe is a Raleigh native and UNC alumnus, and has worked in politics in Washington, DC, and North Carolina for most of his adult life. In addition to being a lobbyist, he's run political campaigns and served in key positions in state government (was eligible for license plate 50 when serving as Chief Deputy State Treasurer, meaning that if the Governor and 48 other government officials all disappeared, he would have become North Carolina’s chief executive - slightly more than ‘a heartbeat away,’ but still). He’s a proud father to a wonderful daughter, an avid golfer, active in his church, and serves on several local non-profit boards.

• The book that informs his life philosophy starts with the line, ‘George was a good little monkey, and always very curious,’ because he has learned the key to happiness is being as nice as you can to everyone and wanting to know more about the world around you.
• Among his favorite quotes from his father is ‘remember that any tool can be used as a hammer, given the situation.'
• Joe got sick of politics in 1992 and took a job as director of membership and annual giving at an art museum - never worked in a more political place in his life, and learned politics is an naturally occurring phenomenon in every human institution.