Debra Ballen

Debra Ballen joined the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) in 2008 as the general counsel and senior vice president of public policy and became chief risk officer in 2019. She is responsible for all of IBHS’s legal matters and oversees a number of important public policy initiatives, including adaptation, community resilience, and economic incentives for mitigation. In addition, Ballen serves as the organization’s corporate secretary and manages member relations.

Before her work with IBHS, Ballen was the executive vice president of public policy management for the American Insurance Association (AIA). She developed and implemented policy for AIA’s priority federal and state public policy issues.

Ballen is a frequent speaker about the broad benefits of mitigation and has testified before Congress and state legislatures on these matters. 

Ballen graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.