Meet Our Team
Bart Rowland – President
Bart Rowland became the President of IIK at the beginning of 2024. Before joining IIK in March 2023, Rowland served as the District 21 State Representative in the Kentucky General Assembly for more than a decade, serving his last six years as Chairman of the House Banking and Insurance Committee. As a legislator, he was an active member of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), serving as Chair of the Workers Compensation Committee and two terms as Chair of the Property and Casualty Committee.
Bart has been a licensed Insurance Agent for property, casualty, life, and health since 1999, and he serves as Vice President of Rowland Insurance Agency, with locations in Tompkinsville, Glasgow, and Burkesville, Kentucky. He holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and the Certified Workers’ Compensation Advisor (CWCA) designation. He resides in Tompkinsville, Ky. With his wife Jerri and three children, Thomas Stone, Jay Cooper, and Cariana Jewell.
Chris Nolan – Executive Director and Lobbyist
Chris Nolan of MMLK Government Solutions became IIK’s contract lobbyist early in 2017. He is a veteran lobbyist and communication specialist who provides lobbying, media advice, and strategic planning for a wide range of clients. He specializes in state and local taxation, alcohol regulation, insurance, telecommunications, and state budget appropriations. Chris is a journalism and political science graduate from the University of Kentucky and began his career as a reporter at The Lexington Herald-Leader. After spending several years covering government and politics at a newspaper in West Virginia, he returned to Kentucky to cover Frankfort’s government and politics for Kentucky Roll Call and The Kentucky Gazette. As a reporter and later as editor, Chris covered the Kentucky federal delegation and General Assembly for nearly five years, following the state bureaucratic process and the elections. He was a regular on Kentucky Educational Television’s election and political coverage, serving as a commentator on Comment on Kentucky, Kentucky Tonight, and the special election night coverage. Chris has also served as a panelist on several seminars, speaking on subjects ranging from grassroots and key contact programs to politics and elections. He is a distinguished Bingham Fellow, a graduate of Leadership Kentucky, and a Certified Bourbon Steward.
Mark Treesh – Financial Director
Mark Treesh served as Executive Director of IIK from 2006 through 2023. After retiring from that role, he works part-time managing financial matters and website management for IIK. Before joining IIK, Mr. Treesh was the Kentucky Commissioner of Revenue and earlier Director of Government Relations for ResCare, Inc. He also served five terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1993 to 2002.
Mark holds both CPA and CMA certifications, and he is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants. During his accounting career, he has been in CPA practice and has been a corporate controller and accounting educator. Mark received his B.S. in Management and his M.S. in Management from Purdue University. He and his wife Jan have 7 children and 21 grandchildren.
Catherine Mefford – Administrative Assistant
Catherine Mefford of MMLK Government Solutions began working with IIK in 2023 after joining MML&K in 2023 as a Client Relations Associate. Catherine assists in maintaining operational efficiency, facilitates communication with the Legislative Research Commission (LRC), conducts research to improve client/firm relations, and provides administrative assistance where needed to ensure client satisfaction.
Catherine, a Frankfort native, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Louisville. Before joining the firm, Catherine spent two legislative sessions with the Kentucky Senate Majority as an intern. She was then promoted to a full-time position as leadership staff for Senate President Robert Stivers and Senate President Pro-Tempore David Givens where she served for 2 years.
History of the Insurance Institute of Kentucky
In 1995, representatives from numerous property and casualty insurers gathered to discuss how they might collectively have a more visible and effective presence with the Kentucky General Assembly and with state insurance regulators. Following several meetings by members of the planning group, organizational by-laws were drafted, and the new organization to be known as “The Insurance Institute of Kentucky” was registered as a non-profit organization with the Kentucky Secretary of State on September 12, 1996. Membership was open to any insurer doing business in Kentucky, as well as national and state insurance trade associations, individuals such as Agents or lawyers, and groups, such as agencies and law firms.
In 1997, Carl Sumner was named the first President of IIK. After many years of excellent service, he retired at the end of 2006 and was replaced by Executive Director Mark Treesh, a former legislator and KY Commissioner of Revenue, who began with IIK in September 2006.
In the fall of 2013, IIK expanded its scope to also include life insurance topics in addition to property and casualty insurance.
In late 2016, IIK retained the firm of MMLK Government Solutions as its contract lobbying firm, with Chris Nolan working as its lead lobbyist.
IIK’s newest leader, former State Representative Bart Rowland, joined IIK in March 2023 and became its President after Mark Treesh retired as Executive Director at the end of 2023. Mark continues to work with IIK on a part-time basis dealing with accounting, tax, and billing functions.
IIK continues to represent the interests of its members and insurance consumers before the Kentucky General Assembly and the Kentucky Department of Insurance. It is represented ably by its legislative agent Chris Nolan of MMLK Government Solutions, as well as the rest of the MMLK team which includes Chris’s assistant Catherine Mefford.