Former I.I.I. President, Mechlin D. Moore, Passes Away at 87

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York Press Office: (212) 346-5500; media@iii.org

NEW YORK, June 16, 2017 — Mechlin D. Moore, former president and chief executive officer of the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), passed away on Tuesday, June 13, following a lengthy battle with cancer. 

Moore, of Rye, New York, led the I.I.I. from 1979 until his retirement in June 1991, when he formed MDM Communications, a marketing, advertising, public affairs and media relations firm.

Moore began his career as a reporter for The Washington Post and later served with the Urban Land Institute and the National Association of Real Estate Boards (now known as the National Association of Realtors) in Washington, DC. For five years, he was executive director of the Seattle Downtown Development Association. For many years he served as the National Risk Retention Association’s director of Communications; as a marketing communications executive at Ultimate Risk Solutions, LLC, an international financial risk software firm; and a feature writer with the Risk Retention Reporter. Prior to his years with I.I.I., Moore was senior vice president of United Airlines, responsible for all public and government relations, and industry and consumer affairs.

Moore graduated from Harvard University, where he studied philosophy, and attended Culver Military Academy in northern Indiana, a college-preparatory boarding school. 

“For 12 years, Mechlin led the organization on many important issues including drunk driving,” said Sean Kevelighan, chief executive officer of the I.I.I. “He was instrumental in launching the I.I.I.’s first-ever industry drunk driving ad campaign.”

“Mechlin was a forward thinker,” added Kevelighan. “Decades ago, he was already talking about the incredible pace of technological change and the proliferation of technology choices facing insurance agents.”

In an article he penned for Roughnotes, Moore urged agents to use fear as an ally in taming technology. “Getting scared should be the first step toward success,” Moore wrote. “It means that you know there’s a whole new world of competition out there, not just the direct writers but before too long, the banks, credit card companies, Internet start-ups, and others you haven’t even dreamed of yet.”

Moore is survived by his wife, Valery. His first wife, Betsy, preceded him in death as did his daughter, Pamela Moore. He is also survived by a son, Lansing Moore and a grandson, Lansing Moore Jr.

THE I.I.I. IS A NONPROFIT, COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED BY THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY. Insurance Information Institute, 110 William Street, New York, NY 10038; (212) 346-5500; www.iii.org