Joe Stewart

Of Counsel

Joe Stewart is the current Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina.  Prior to joining IIANC, Joe was Executive Director of the NC Free Foundation.     

Prior to NCFEF, Joe served as Political Director of the NC Chamber of Commerce, and presided over the Chamber’s first-ever efforts to support pro-business candidates during the 2010 elections. He received the Business and Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership & Service for his work at the NC Chamber.

Joe’s professional experience also includes serving as Executive Director of the Insurance Federation of North Carolina (IFNC), a trade association representing the insurance industry on legislative and regulatory issues. During his tenure with IFNC, he was ranked 48th most influential lobbyist in North Carolina by the NC Center for Public Policy Research (2008).

He’s also been Chief Deputy State Treasurer of North Carolina, and Assistant Secretary of the NC Department Public Safety. He’s worked in government, politics, fundraising, association management, and advocacy for more than 30 years, having begun his professional career in fundraising, working in the UNC Chapel Hill Development Office while still an undergraduate.

Joe currently serves President of the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC) and is a member of NC Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses’ (NFIB) Leadership Council, and is Board Secretary/Treasurer of the NC Dental Society’s for-profit subsidiary, the Dental Services Corporation; he also serves as Vice Chair of the board of The Hope Center, a non-profit that helps young people aging out of foster care in Wake County, NC.  He is active in his church and with his 16 year old daughter’s various sports teams.