On February 9, 2016, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey appointed Leslie Hess as the Interim Director of the Arizona Department of Insurance. Hess has more than 25 years of experience in both public and private sectors of the insurance and financial service industries. Prior to being appointed as the Interim Director, Hess served as the director of compliance and corporate secretary for Oxford Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries. Over the course of her career, Hess has worked for the Arizona Department of Insurance as deputy receiver and legal advisor, Arizona Legislative Counsel, Arizona Corporation Commission, Securities Division, and Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns in New York.

Hess earned her J.D. from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., and is licensed to practice law in both Arizona and New York.