Stan Smith has joined the board of directors of the Central Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Smith was a senior executive with The Farmer’s Insurance Group for more than 33 years. After his wife, Anne, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Smith retired in 2007 to become her caretaker.

“I wanted to join the board of Alzheimer’s because I see it as a tangible way to help fight back against the disease that has afflicted my wife of 39 years,” Smith said. “She was diagnosed four-and-a-half years ago, when she was 54. I also have experience working on both non-profit and for-profit boards, and I thought that I would like to make use of this experience in a way that could possibly help make a difference.”

Smith managed all 18 regional offices for Farmers and served on the board of directors of Farmers Group, Inc., the management company that serves the insurance exchanges.

In 2001, he headed up strategic planning for the insurance giant, working closely with his counterparts in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region. In his final five years at Farmers, Smith was the executive vice president in charge of Property Casualty Operations. The business wrote about $14 billion annually and his team oversaw the activities of 15,000 people.

Smith has served on the board of directors of The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Institute for Business and Home Safety. Since his retirement in 2007, he has kept his hand in board work, serving on the board and the audit committee of Farmers New World Life Insurance Company in Mercer Island, Washington and on the board of regents of Farmers Corporate University in Agoura Hills, which was just named the sixth-ranked learning organization in the world — outranking companies such as Microsoft, GE and McDonalds. In March 2011, Smith will become a member of the board of governors of Farmers, representing auto and home customers.

For more information, visit alz.org/cacentralcoast.

The California Central Coast Chapter is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donor-supported organization covering Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. Programs and services are made possible through contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. The chapter uses 80 percent of funds raised for programs, services and research efforts. The Alzheimer’s Association envisions a world without Alzheimer’s and aims to eliminate the disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.