GERALD “Jerry” STEPHENS, CPCU, is the retired chairman and founder of RLI Corp., a specialty property and casualty insurance company headquartered in Peoria, IL. Stephens founded RLI in 1961, and developed one of the first Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) in 1974. After 39 years as president and 11 years as chairman of the board, he retired from the RLI Board of Directors in May, 2011.
Stephens is past president of the National Society of CPCU. His national board membership affiliations include: American Institute for CPCU (member of the Executive Committee); Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (formerly known as National Association of Independent Insurers); International Insurance Society; Harry J. Loman Foundation; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business Advisory Committee.
He has also served on the board of directors for numerous Peoria-based organizations: Maui Jim, Inc. (past chairman); Jefferson Bank and Trust Company, Bank One-Peoria (member of the Advisory Board); Bradley University, Country Club of Peoria; Fayette Companies; OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Advisory Board (past president); and the Economic Development Council of Peoria, IL.
He and his wife, HELEN, established the Gerald & Helen M. Stephens Foundation in 1988, and have endowed chairs at three universities, including Johns Hopkins.
In 2015, Helen and Jerry established The Stephens Professorship to support urological stone disease research, teaching and patient care, held by Dr. Brian Matlaga. In July 2018, the Stephens made a generous contribution to transform the existing professorship to The Gerald D. and Helen M. Stephens Directorship, and establish The Gerald D. and Helen M. Stephens Center for Stone Disease at The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute. With their gift, Helen and Jerry aspire to help current and future generations that suffer from stone disease find the best treatments possible.
