David Smith

David C. Smith, JD REBC is Vice President for Compliance and Risk Management Strategies of EbenConcepts. A native of Banner Elk, North Carolina, he is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University School of Law’s competitive Evening Program. David directs all compliance matters for the agency, its agents and their clients, as well as serves as the primary sales director for its technology and risk management strategies for larger clients. In addition, he spearheads strategy and data analysis for the agency’s self-funded clients.

He began his career working on policy and regulatory issues at the state level in the early 1990’s and remains actively involved with the NC Department of Insurance on issues effecting employers and agents within the state. David also worked with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state’s largest health insurer, in numerous capacities in the sales and marketing division while completing law school before practicing law on a full-time basis until 2009, focusing on employee benefits and insurance related matters.

David is acknowledged nationally as an expert on employee benefits, including ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA Privacy, Wellness, and the Affordable Care Act. He has worked with federal and state regulators on David has written numerous articles for national publications on the impact of new and evolving federal laws and regulations on employers and employee benefit plans and is frequently quoted in numerous media outlets on these topics. David authors opinion and compliance articles and blog posts frequently for Employee Benefit Advisor.

A very active member of the National Association of Health Underwriters, David has served in leadership positions at the local, state and national levels for the organization.

His leadership in our industry has been recognized numerous times. David was named the 2013 Health Plan Advisor of the Year by Employee Benefit Advisor magazine and twice named to the Hot 100 Insurance Professionals by Insurance Business America magazine. In June 2018, David was awarded the Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award, NAHU’s highest honor that carries with it the distinction of being recognized as the Health Insurance Industry’s Person of the Year.

David has been certified by NAHU as a Specialist in the Affordable Care Act, Worksite Wellness, HIPAA Privacy & Security, Benefits Technology, Self-Funded Health Plans, and Advanced Self-Funded, having not only completed the necessary educational requirements for each, but also by authoring (and co-authoring) five of these top-ranked certification programs for agents, brokers and consultants. He earned the Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC) designation in 2018 and is licensed as a continuing education provider in fifty states and the District of Columbia.