Dirk Kempthorne, the former U.S. secretary of the Interior and governor of Idaho who spoke at last year’s National Association for Pupil Transportation Summit and shared his insight on several topics with SBF, has been appointed president and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).

Kempthorne will assume the role on Nov. 3. He will replace Frank Keating, a former Oklahoma governor who has led ACLI since January 2003, according to a story on insurancenewsnet.com.

Kempthorne said in a statement that a thriving life insurance sector is key to a strong economy, helping families protect assets while preparing for the future. "It is even more critical in today’s challenging economy for insurers to maintain open communications and promote understanding with our national and state leaders, and I’m excited to lead that effort," he added.

Eli Lehrer, national director of the Center on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate at the Heartland Institute, praised Kempthorne's broad mix of political experience. "To me, this is a sign that ACLI is very serious about staying in the political game," Lehrer said. "Given that life insurers are going to have to spend a lot of time dealing with a wealth of new financial regulations that will impact almost every investment product they sell, I think it makes a lot of sense that they picked someone who has a lot of experience working with regulations."

Kempthorne served as interior secretary from May 2006 to January 2009, following two terms as governor. He represented Idaho in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 1999 and was mayor of Boise, Idaho, from 1986 to 1993. As governor, he chaired the National Governors Association and the Western Governors Association and served as president of the Council of State Governments and member of the Homeland Security Task Force.