January 17, 2025
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer announced six additions to her executive staff on Friday. Kuderer was sworn in as the Evergreen State’s ninth insurance commissioner on Wednesday.
The new staff members joining the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) include:
- Andrew Davis, Deputy Commissioner for Consumer Protection
- Tanya Lavoy, Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs
- Larry Robinette, Tribal Liaison
- Tom Zuvela, Chief Financial Officer
- Sam Gutierrez, External Communications Manager
- Alissa Julius, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner
“I couldn’t be happier to bring these talented team members with me to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner,” Kuderer said. “I’m excited to work alongside them in protecting the people of Washington and improving the insurance market for everyone.”
Davis most recently worked as Travelers Insurance’s in-house legal counsel. He was previously a Property and Casualty Policy Advisor with the OIC, where he participated in rulemaking teams, drafted rules and legislation, and served as the co-chair of the OIC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council. Before that, he worked in claims management and compliance at Allstate Insurance and managed complex liability claims for Progressive Insurance.
Lavoy joins the OIC from the Washington State Senate where she spent over six years working for now-Commissioner Kuderer. While at the Senate, she was part of the employee bargaining team that successfully negotiated the first contract for the newly formed WPEA legislative staff union. She holds an MPA from the Evergreen State College.
Robinette, an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, has over 20 years of experience in Tribal relations, program management, and policy advocacy. He led the Senior Wellness Program for the Colville Confederated Tribes, where he achieved a 60% compliance improvement and served over 3,000 participants and earned recognition as Tribal Program of the Year.
Zuvela has 10 years of experience in accounting, financial and business analysis across the public, private and non-profit sectors. Most recently, he worked for the University of Washington across multiple departments including UW-IT and the UW Finance Transformation program, where he supported the implementation of Workday Finance across the University.
Gutierrez served now-Commissioner Kuderer during her tenure in the senate. His background in political and community organizing, as well as agency rebranding, have put him to work at all scales from university boards and national nonprofits to campaigns for local, state house, and president.
Julius has worked for the State of Washington since 2018, with the Liquor and Cannabis Board, Results Washington, and most recently as deputy scheduler to Governor Jay Inslee.
Charles Malone, who previously served as Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs in the OIC, had been previously announced as Kuderer’s Chief Deputy Commissioner.