Full Name
Robert Watkins
Job Title
Associate General Counsel
Company
State Farm Insurance
Speaking At
Speaker Bio
Robert Watkins, CPCU, CLU, ChFC is Associate General Counsel in the Law Department of State Farm® at its Bloomington, Ill. Corporate Headquarters. Bob leads the Public Policy Resource Group (PPRG) in the Legislative/Regulatory Section of the Law Department. The PPRG team works with key business and legal partners to develop State Farm's public policy positions on state, federal and international issues that affect the Enterprise. This includes development of positions on emerging issues as well as maintaining and updating our positions on ongoing public policy challenges. PPRG also provides administrative support and legal compliance counsel to the State Farm Federal Political Action Committee. Prior to assuming PPRG leadership in 2019, Bob led the State Legislative/Regulatory Section, which monitors state legislative and regulatory proposals affecting State Farm® and its customers throughout the United States.
Bob joined State Farm in 1992 after three years in private corporate law practice in St. Louis, Missouri. Bob served as legislative/regulatory counsel to Texas from 1992 to 1999. In 1999, he was promoted to a Zone Leader position supervising attorneys handling State Farm's legislative and regulatory activities in the western and southwestern United States. In 2001 Bob began leading the HR/Agency Counseling and Litigation Unit in the Law Department, supervising the attorneys advising and defending State Farm® in agency and employment matters. In 2009, he returned to the Legislative/Regulatory Section as Lead Attorney for the Eastern Team, and then the subsequent leadership roles note above. He has served as Secretary to the Board of Directors of State Farm General Insurance Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company and the other life insurance affiliates.
Bob received a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1989. He earned the Chartered Property/Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 2001, his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation in 2004 and his Chartered Financial Consu
ltant (ChFC) designation in 2006. Bob and his wife Charmelle are parents to three adult children, Ryan, Reid and Mariana.
Bob joined State Farm in 1992 after three years in private corporate law practice in St. Louis, Missouri. Bob served as legislative/regulatory counsel to Texas from 1992 to 1999. In 1999, he was promoted to a Zone Leader position supervising attorneys handling State Farm's legislative and regulatory activities in the western and southwestern United States. In 2001 Bob began leading the HR/Agency Counseling and Litigation Unit in the Law Department, supervising the attorneys advising and defending State Farm® in agency and employment matters. In 2009, he returned to the Legislative/Regulatory Section as Lead Attorney for the Eastern Team, and then the subsequent leadership roles note above. He has served as Secretary to the Board of Directors of State Farm General Insurance Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company and the other life insurance affiliates.
Bob received a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1989. He earned the Chartered Property/Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 2001, his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation in 2004 and his Chartered Financial Consu
ltant (ChFC) designation in 2006. Bob and his wife Charmelle are parents to three adult children, Ryan, Reid and Mariana.
