Jim L. Ridling, a native Arkansan who has lived and worked in Montgomery since 1987, was appointed Insurance Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Insurance by Governor Bob Riley on September 15, 2008. He was reappointed by Governor Robert Bentley in 2011 and Governor Kay Ivey in 2017.

Ridling is a graduate of the University of the Ozarks. Upon graduation, he entered a management training program with Fireman’s Fund Insurance, leading to several management positions and culminating in his service as Executive Vice President U.S. operations, based in California. In 1987, he left California and traded his interest in American Express (which owned Fireman’s Fund at the time) for ownership in Southern Guaranty, a Fireman’s Fund subsidiary headquartered in Montgomery, where he served as the company’s President and CEO. The following year, Southern Guaranty sold to Winterthur Swiss, and he remained in his previous role and added the duties of Chairman until his retirement in 2003.

Following his retirement from Southern Guaranty, Ridling and other local business leaders formed River Bank and Trust, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors. Ridling is a former chairman of the Board of Directors for Jackson Hospital and has served on the Board of Directors of the Montgomery Airport Authority, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Central Alabama Community Foundation. He is a former Chairman of the River Region United Way and continues to be involved in local business, charitable and community activities.

Ridling is married to the former Catherine Turner, a native of Northern California. He has two daughters – Erin Ridling and the late Hannah Ridling.