Former Blue Cross KC Exec Jeff Ahlers Named NAIC Chief Financial Officer

Posted August 24, 2026

Former Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City executive Jeff Ahlers joined the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as its next chief financial officer.

Ahlers begins his new role at NAIC effective immediately and will be based in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a release. Ahlers will be stepping into the role, which has remained vacant since former CFO James Woody retired in 2025, NAIC staff wrote in an email. Woody was named CFO in 2011. 

Ahlers joined NAIC from Blue KC, where he most recently served as vice president of finance and corporate controller for over 4.5 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He spent over 6 years with the health insurance organization, joining in 2020 as the director of financial reporting. He has held several other leading financial roles at other companies such as The Andersons, Inc., where he served as director of financial planning & analysis and reporting, and at Hostess Brands as director of financial reporting.

“Jeff’s strategic financial expertise, collaborative style, and strong alignment with the NAIC’s mission and guiding principles are a great fit as we support state insurance regulators in protecting consumers,” Jeff Johnston, CEO of NAIC, said in the release.

Johnston was promoted to NAIC’s new CEO in May, and served as interim CEO following Gary Anderson’s departure from the organization. Johnston also served as CFO for NAIC from 2006 to 2008.

The NAIC is a 155-year-old insurance standard-setting organization with chief insurance regulators in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. NAIC is headquartered in Kansas City at 1100 Walnut St.