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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews François Beaume about the AMRAE 2026 RMIS Panorama available now and about the RISKWORLD 2026 session that François presented. Justin and François discuss ESG functional coverage. They discuss how François uses AI daily. They discuss the continuing increase in RMIS users, moving RIMS out of the niche tool category into an enterprise governance platform. They discuss the 2026 RMIS Panorama findings, the Panorama database, and how you can access it. Listen for insight into the 2026 RMIS Panorama and how your organization compares.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. We are delighted to welcome back to RIMScast AMRAE President François Beaume. He's here to discuss the findings of the 2026 AMRAE RMIS Panorama. We'll talk all about emerging trends. But first… [:48] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on June 16th and 17th. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA will be held virtually on July 21st and 22nd. Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:06] You can enroll now in the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management hosted by the famous James Lam. Beginning July 15th, workshops will be held bi-weekly from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The registration link is in the show notes. [1:27] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. We want to hear from you. Submit a session proposal by June 19th to reach engaged practitioners, innovators, and leaders looking for guidance they can utilize right away. [1:45] Help define what's next for Enterprise Risk Management. Submit a session proposal by Friday, June 19th. A link is in this episode's show notes. [1:53] Folks, through the generosity of industry partners, RIMS has launched The Foundation for Risk Management™, which provides scholarships for early-career professionals to attend RIMS events like the RIMS Texas Regional Conference, RIMS Canada Conference, and RISKWORLD. [2:11] The Foundation also helps beneficiaries earn their RIMS-CRMP and fund research projects. To learn more or contribute to the Foundation, visit RIMS.org/FRM and visit the link in this episode's show notes. [2:27] RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:46] On with the Show! Our guest today is making his third appearance here on RIMScast. He is the Senior Vice President for Risks and Insurance at Sonepar, and he is the President of AMRAE, the Association for the Management of Risks and Insurance in Enterprises. [3:04] François Beaume is here to discuss the 2026 RMIS Panorama, published by AMRAE, in partnership with EY. Panorama is free and publicly available. [3:14] Panorama provides an in-depth look at the organizations and professionals who are using risk management information systems, how well they've adapted, and guidance for those seeking their first or newest framework. It's always great to speak with him. Let's get to it! [3:28] Interview! François Beaume, Welcome Back to RIMScast! [3:36] François has been Chairman at AMRAE for a year and will be for two more years. Because of his role at AMRAE, Justin wanted to have him on the show to speak about this year's RMIS Panorama. [4:04] Justin mentions a difference between last year's RMIS Panorama and this year's RMIS Panorama. Last year, AI felt like an emerging capability. This year's report shows a 20-point jump in planned or actual AI integration and an 8-point increase in functional coverage. [4:19] At the same time, people aren't always happy with AI. The satisfaction part is still a little bit behind. Justin asks, Are we entering a phase where expectations are outpacing execution? [4:32] François says, Yes, probably. AI has moved faster in CEOs' and leaders' minds than in the organization. Everyone wants the data, governance, and skills. Educating the workforce users takes time. The ambition was there, but the "plumbing" is catching up. [5:11] François says that is what is being reflected in the 2026 RMIS Panorama's deep dive on AI. [5:29] François says he uses AI all day long for various things. As a risk manager, he uses it to increase his efficiency and daily productivity. He thinks that is quite common. He says it's also what we need for faster and better analysis. [6:00] Daily analysis from an AI engine using trusted sources is much faster than manual analysis. Now he has the time to tighten it, understand it, and complement it. [6:44] SONEPAR is using it for their benefit and to better spread risk management principles throughout the organization through Helpdesk or Chatbot, allowing people who are less skilled in risk management or insurance to ask questions through the tools to get support. [7:05] Those tools answer almost 90% of the questions. The remaining questions go to the Risk Management team because they are in a gray area. SONEPAR is using AI more and more and is entering a phase where they are looking at automating some risk management processes. [7:33] François says he is looking at automating business partner assessments, a cumbersome and complex process that the Risk Management team is doing with multiple tools. [7:49] Now, they are trying to streamline it, still with humans making the decisions, based on an AI data set that will be faster and easier to produce and much more reliable. [8:24] Justin says one of the more surprising findings in the RMIS Panorama is that ESG Functional Coverage dropped by 15 points this year. François explains why he thinks this is the case. It's not ESG fatigue, but it's in the way companies are approaching ESG. [9:22] François says a lot of ESG features are moved out of risk management information systems into dedicated tools and sometimes into dedicated teams. In the beginning, some ESG features were encapsulated in Risk Management systems. [9:39] François says it's less and less the case, at least in the tools that are sold in Europe. In the U.S., it could be more mixed. Separating ESG from Risk Management is more linked to maturity and topical evolution, rather than fatigue or a decrease in the importance of ESG. [10:06] Justin says the report also suggests that functional coverage overall has stabilized, which Justin asks if that indicates a mature market. François speaks of maturity and breaks down the RMIS Panorama, made from three surveys: Vendors, Risk Managers, and Insurers. [10:43] Maturity is reflected by a mix of these studies. Almost 250 Risk Managers from 36 countries took the survey. They want smarter features, better insight, better connections, and better decisions. They want the tools RMIS is using to be part of the group's way of functioning. [11:27] François says this is not yet the case. The tools are a bit apart and not fully connected with the CRM and other tools. François says they are starting to change. The risk managers using these tools are expecting change to come in the next few years. [11:52] Justin asks if it's easier today for a startup to build from the ground up with their Risk Management Information System embedded in their processes, or for an established organization. François says today it's easier for both, but big groups are more complex. [12:39] A Quick Break! There are so many other wonderful RIMS events coming up in 2026. The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [12:57] Register now for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, which will be held from August 10th through 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. [13:08] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [13:18] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [13:35] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. We will be in Quebec City to celebrate the 50th Live RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are already open. Advance registration will open on June 10th. [13:50] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [14:04] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 18th and 19th in Columbus, Ohio. The deadline for educational content submissions is Friday, June 19th. Get submissions in now. The link is in this episode's show notes. Registration opens in July. [14:27] Let's Return to Our Interview with François Beaume! [14:36] François Beaume presented at RISKWORLD 2026. You can check out the materials from his presentation on RIMS.org/ASC. You will have had to have registered for or attended RISKWORLD 2026 to check it out. We're here to continue the dialog. [15:12] François feels his session went well. There were 50 to 55 people gathered there to listen and take notes. For François, it was pleasant to do. [16:00] François says you have a feeling when you are connecting with an audience. You can see that they are following you, and the message is passing from you to them. [16:51] François says, If you are losing your audience, you can try to use humor. Sometimes you succeed. He tells of a session in a noisy room, where everybody, including himself, was provided with a helmet, to listen to like a podcast. He could not feel if they were getting the message or not. [17:47] When presenting, you try to hold the attention of the room. Justin says that sometimes he locks eyes with somebody who's listening and then talks to that person and hopes that others will pick up on that energy. [18:18] Justin says risk management is not the easiest topic to make exciting. You have to figure out ways to jazz it up a little bit. [18:31] François says if you are convinced that the topic is interesting, that conviction, at a certain point, will pass through the mic and go to the room. If you are not convinced, the public will feel it. Justin says, If you are not excited to present, the audience will not be captivated. [18:58] François notes that he is French and speaks English like a Frenchman, so he has to manage that. His message may not be phrased as the audience expects. The way an American would phrase it is not the way I am using it. Justin stresses listening better to different accents. [19:58] Justin says François is a very good presenter, and the RISKWORLD audience seemed engaged in his message. Justin says if one person walks away with something actionable, it was worthwhile. François says, "Mission accomplished!" [20:23] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [20:43] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [20:58] General Grant applications are open, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [21:09] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [21:17] The Spencer 2026 Funding Their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 17th, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at a different venue this year. It will be at the fabulous Waldorf Astoria in New York City. [21:32] Sponsorship opportunities and benefits are available now. A link to the Funding Their Future Gala is in this episode's show notes. [21:40] Next week's guest is the Funding Their Future Gala Honoree, Marya Propis! More Spencer celebrities and board members will be making appearances on RIMScast this summer, as well. [21:53] Let's Conclude Our Interview with François Beaume! [22:09] Justin says the Panorama notes an increase in organizations with more than 200 RMIS users. Does that signal that RMIS is becoming an enterprise-wide infrastructure, or is it still a niche tool for risk teams? [22:26] François says that this is really positive. A Risk Management Information System is not a niche risk tool anymore. It's becoming part of the company infrastructure. [22:44] Once you have hundreds of users, expectations explode, the momentum is there, and user patience drops. As the tool starts to become more massive and interconnected with other tools, you have to manage expectations. The scope of usage of these tools is widening. [23:16] You have not only niche risk usage, but you also have risk management, internal control, insurance, compliance, etc., that are managed inside the tool. The tool reaches all areas of development. The momentum is self-generating. [24:15] François says executive involvement in RMIS usage is positive. Executives want clarity from dashboards. They want to know what matters, why it matters, and what we can do next. They want the deep insight of the tool. They may not go into the tool, but will use the dashboard. [25:10] François speaks of the progress of the techniques of Risk Management Information Systems. Data mining, SaaS contracts, and AI usage have contributed to making RMIS easier to deploy, connect, and access in order to load data, analyze data, and extract data. [26:08] Now is a time of wider usage of Risk Management Information Systems; once they have been adopted, they are there for life, and then you have to make them evolve. [26:21] This means that we have more discussions inside the corporations on RMIS evolutions and replacement. Are we able to make it evolve on its own, or is it time to change? If yes, what kind of process can I depend on to contemplate and manage that change? [26:56] This is executive level. You have created expectations. You have provided dashboards and KPIs, and you have to manage the production. Once it's done, you need a different momentum to run the production and make it better and more accurate over time. It's not easy. [27:40] With their partner EY, AMRAE is finalizing the deployment of the 2026 Panorama Sessions. The French translation will be released by mid-June, and explanation sessions will be run with vendors, risk managers, insurers, and brokers. [28:05] François says AMRAE is already working on the 2027 Panorama, which will be ready for the next RISKWORLD session in New Orleans. [28:27] If someone wants to participate in the Panorama, they need to contact AMRAE. Risk managers will be contacted by the risk management association of the country where they operate. If you are a vendor, you can contact AMRAE. AMRAE contacts insurers and brokers. [29:35] Justin says if you wish to participate, reach out. Go through your risk association where you have membership, like RIMS, FIRMA, or IFRIMA. The confidential information collected helps educate the global risk community. This Panorama is very important for us. [30:08] François says that inside the Panorama, all the contact details are available. As part of the panel, you have access to an online data form. The Panorama has a PDF version, a snapshot of what's in the database. The full database is accessible to anyone. [30:27] François says that as a risk manager or a vendor, you can run your own analysis by filtering and sorting the Panorama database. [30:45] Justin says that's the nice thing about it: AMRAE has made it complimentary and is broadening the horizons of the global risk community by doing so. [30:57] Justin says, I do miss recording with you in person. So, next year, hopefully we get a chance to see each other and have some Cajun food, put the mic up, and eat some jambalaya and talk. It will be great. I want to thank you again, and you're welcome back any time. [31:17] Special thanks again to François Beaume for joining us here on RIMScast! We look forward to seeing him at a future RIMS event. You can visit AMRAE.fr to access the free and publicly available RMIS Panorama 2026. [31:34] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [32:03] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [32:21] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [32:39] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [32:55] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [33:09] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [33:21] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2026 | November 19‒20 in Columbus, Ohio | Session Submission Deadline: Friday, June 19 RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | www.rimscanadaconference.ca | Registration Opens June 10 RIMScast on YouTube! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam | Register Now! 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 | Aug. 10‒12 in San Antonio | Register Now! ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute | Look for the Awards Edition in "Digital Issues"! RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! RIMS, the Foundation for Risk Management The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RISKWORLD 2026 Presentations Available via Attendee Service Center — www.RIMS.org/Asc - and via the RIMS Events App RMIS Panorama: https://www.amrae.fr/bibliotheque-de-amrae/2026-rmis-panorama Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | July 21‒22, 2026 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | June 16‒17, 2026 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Strategy and Change with Ward Ching and Aaron Olson" "Live from RISKWORLD 2026!" "The Evolving Role of the Risk Analyst" "AI and the Future of Risk with Dan Chuparkoff" "Live from RISKWORLD 2025" "AI Risks and Compliance with Chris Maguire"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "AI-Scale, Risk Ready: Engineering Controls for the New Data Center Boom" (New!) | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL 'Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against an Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: François Beaume, SVP Risks and Insurance, Sonepar President of AMRAE   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Emily Buckley, Insurance Risk Manager at Specialized Bicycle Components. They discuss how, in her career, she arrived at risk management, from tossing T-shirts into the stands at Ball Stadium. They talk about her work leading risk at Kroenke Sports and Entertainment for years, and then joining Specialized Bicycle Components to become their Risk Management program and launch ERM for them. Emily talks about Specialized hiring the best people, including professional and Olympic athletes, to make the best product. Emily's purpose is to build the best Risk Management and ERM Program for them. Justin and Emily discuss how she feels about being named the RIMS 2026 Honor Roll Recipient. They discuss her involvement with the Rocky Mountain RIMS Chapter and her engagement in the ERM Engage Group. Listen for the excitement and energy Emily brings to the ERM Program at Specialized.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. We are so excited to welcome back to the show Emily Buckley of Specialized Bicycles. She was recently named to the RIMS Honor Roll at RISKWORLD, so we have lots to discuss regarding safety, career development, and ERM. But first… [:48] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep will be held on June 9th and 10th. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on June 16th and 17th. Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:04] You can enroll now in the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management hosted by the famous James Lam. Beginning July 15th, workshops will be held bi-weekly from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The registration link is in the show notes. [1:25] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. We want to hear from you. Submit a session proposal by June 19th that will reach engaged practitioners, innovators, and leaders looking for guidance they can utilize right away. [1:43] Help define what's next for Enterprise Risk Management. Submit a session proposal by Friday, June 19th. A link is in this episode's show notes. [1:51] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:10] On with the Show! Our guest today is one of the liveliest RIMS members I know! She is Emily Buckley, the Insurance Manager for Specialized Bicycle Components, a global performance brand. [2:23] Emily is the Vice President of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter. At RISKWORLD 2026, Emily was named to the RIMS Honor Roll in 2026. Emily made her RIMScast debut in 2024 for National Bike Safety Month in Man, and we're recording in May again. [2:47] We'll have a lot of fun talking about bicycle safety and how Emily embeds safety into all aspects of risk management and the risk culture over at Specialized Bicycle Components. [2:59] Emily has had a remarkable career at Specialized. She is the company's first-ever dedicated risk manager. She has built a modern enterprise-ready risk and insurance function from the ground up, which we are going to talk about today. [3:12] We'll talk about her risk philosophies, her approach to polycrisis and supply chain risk management, and why her involvement in the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter has been so critical for her career. Let's get to it! [3:27] Interview! Emily Buckley, Welcome Back to RIMScast! [3:50] Emily says receiving the RIMS Honor Roll award seemed surreal. It was very cool to be onstage, be recognized, and have the village she had built around herself there supporting her. Everyone was so excited for her. It was one of the coolest things she had ever experienced. [4:27] Justin calls Emily the Risk Queen of Denver and the Greater Denver Area and says she has a lot of support behind her. She's "got heat!" [4:48] Justin is recording this episode during National Bicycle Safety Month. This is Emily's month. At Specialized Bicycle Components, every day is National Bicycle Safety Month! [5:19] Justin talks about safety being embedded into the manufacturing and shipping of bicycles. [5:34] Emily says every day, even when she is sleeping, safety is on her mind. [5:46] Specialized Bicycle Components has a Safety Team. Emily's broker has a Safety Specialist assigned to her account. Emily has connected those two teams. She is a liaison between them, and she works very closely with her Safety Team at Specialized Bicycle Components. [6:02] Emily has monthly meetings with groups at Specialized Bicycle Components to discuss safety initiatives. She says the Safety Team at Specialized does a phenomenal job. [6:26] Emily says Risk Management is a department of many hats. She tells people that if there is pushback on an initiative, I'll be the bad guy. Tell them, Sorry, Risk Management is making us do this. Sometimes that's a little bit easier to sell. [7:11] Emily has been practicing risk management for almost 15 years. She started at Kroenke Sports and Entertainment in Customer Interaction, including tossing T-shirts into the crowd for the Denver Nuggets. People wanted those shirts. [9:05] When Kroenke posted a job for a risk analyst, Emily applied, and Peggy Miller hired her. Emily talked about this in her past appearance on RIMScast. Peggy is the President of Rocky Mountain RIMS. Peggy taught Emily almost everything Emily knows about risk management. [9:34] Peggy took Emily under her wing. She taught Emily how to review contracts for risk management wording and insurance requirements. Emily could go to Peggy with any question, and Peggy would explain it. Emily says that Peggy is a phenomenal boss. [10:07] Emily found an opportunity at Specialized when it was time to spread her wings. She still calls Peggy from time to time for advice. Peggy is always willing to help. [10:34] Emily joined Specialized Bicycle Components and became the risk management department. She came in two or three months before they did their insurance renewal, so it was initiation by firehose. [10:53] It was a great opportunity to learn about the program. She was also educating them about what risk management does and how they should be running their program, and educating them about insurance requirements. [11:16] Emily says Specialized has an amazing executive team and ownership. They were so receptive to all the ideas Emily brought them. They also had a lot of creative ideas. As a risk manager, it was fun to come into that environment. [11:49] The risk department has not grown since Emily joined Specialized. [12:21] Emily started an ERM Program at Specialized. It takes a team, and it takes the right partners. Emily thinks every company will benefit from an ERM Program. Stepping into a manufacturing company very dependent on the supply chain, Emily saw that ERM was a must. [12:49] Emily worked with the right partners, did a couple of different tabletops, and hyper-focused on three or four ERM initiatives, for which she built the ERM foundation and the risk management foundation on top. Every project she works on goes back to those initiatives. [13:24] Emily says she is very fortunate to have the ear of the executive leadership. [13:32] One of the mantras at Specialized Bicycle Components is Innovate or Die. Emily has taken that to heart in Risk Management and ERM. Emily is constantly trying to find ways to make the ERM stronger and better, going back to those three or four initiatives. [13:51] Emily thinks outside the box. She has seen some products that don't completely fit Specialized, but by working with the service providers and saying she likes this product, but she needs it to do this, she has found some amazing service providers and partners to work with.  [14:24] As a risk manager, Emily lives in worst-case scenarios. Professionally and personally, she can never get away from worst-case scenarios. A good risk manager is always preparing for the worst-case scenario, always thinking, what is the absolute worst thing that could happen. [14:46] Emily says one of the hardest things is realizing that a lot of people don't live in that headspace. When she goes to teams and tells them the worst thing that can happen, they ask if she is OK. She insists that this worst-case scenario is something they need to think about. [15:12] That's where education comes in. We need to think about it. If this worst-case scenario happens, all of these ripple effects hit every portion of the company. [15:43] Emily says Specialized has been around so long, and with the leadership and experts they have in place, Emily is amazed every day at the team that Specialized has assembled. She says they are the best in their class. There are Olympic and professional athletes on the team. [16:43] A service provider noticed that Specialized Bicycle Components recruits the best people in the world. They want that experience so they can build a better product with better processes. [17:07] A Quick Break! There are so many other wonderful RIMS events coming up in 2026. The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [17:27] Register now for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, which will be held from August 10th through 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. Advance rates are available through June 5th. [17:41] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [17:51] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [18:08] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. We will be in Quebec City to celebrate the 50th Live RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are already open. Early-bird registration will open in June. [18:22] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [18:37] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 18th and 19th in Columbus, Ohio. The deadline for educational content submissions is Friday, June 19th. Get submissions in now. The link is in this episode's show notes. We'll let you know when registration opens. [18:59] Let's Return to our Interview with RIMS 2026 Honor Roll Recipient Emily Buckley! [19:13] Justin speaks about the profile of Emily Buckley in the RIMS Risk Management Magazine Awards Edition. It mentions that Emily consolidated fragmented global insurance structures into a unified strategy across more than 30 countries. [19:38] Emily says, trying to get the insurance together at a global company was hard. A lot of people were autonomous, getting their own insurance and doing their own thing. In almost 15 years as a risk manager, Emily learned that insurance is very touchy for a lot of people. [20:23] Insurance costs a lot of money for something that you can't see. You're not using it unless something bad has happened. So it's a very sensitive subject for a lot of people. Emily says it's a job that won't ever really be done because there are so many different moving parts. [21:03] Emily says that in all the different countries we're in, every country has different insurance laws, different ways to buy and pay for insurance, and what kind of insurance you have to have. [21:13] Emily says in some countries, I have to have a locally placed general liability policy, but the property policy that I place on a global level will sit over that. In a different country, I have to have a locally placed general liability/property and a locally placed stock throughput. [21:31] For almost 40 different countries, you have to know which countries you have to have insurance in. That's when your broker becomes invaluable. [21:48] It's helpful to have a foreign team on your broker who are subject matter experts in placing locally placed policies. Emily says she would not be able to do that without the team at her broker, Brown & Brown.  [22:03] Emily talks about educating the people at your company: This is what we currently have, and this is what we need. We need it in almost 40 countries. These 20 are our top priority. You tier them down so you're not throwing everything at the wall. [22:27] You're formulating a plan, then educating and speaking with the people in your company. A lot of questions come up, not only about general liability, but also cyber, and directors & officers. [22:37] It's a sensitive subject that you have to take your time with. Build a relationship with those offices so that when something does happen, or they have a question, they come to you. [23:04] You will always be making connections with your offices, making sure they're happy with their insurance, they understand it, and they have a local contact. If something happens in Taiwan, they need a local contact who can answer questions and relay that to the global team. [24:12] Emily says that every year, there are two or three problem countries, from an insurance perspective, where the carrier or broker has thrown a curveball. Sometimes she has had to pull people out of the program and put them on their own. It's a constantly moving target. [25:13] Emily says at Kroenke, she and Peggy did a business continuity tabletop, where they sat down with all the different department heads at Ball Arena (Pepsi Center, then) and walked through scenarios. They presented a worst-case scenario tabletop with 30 people in the room. [25:52] Emily and Peggy also did a couple of cyber tabletop exercises. Emily stresses how important it is to do a cyber tabletop with your executive and leadership team. They're always amazed at how many different small issues and questions come up that they never thought of. [26:35] Emily says her leadership team at Specialized is fantastic. They've been very supportive. She can throw ideas at them, and they'll say, "Let's do it." [26:49] Justin says people receive these awards from RIMS not just for their achievements in risk management, but also for what they give back to the broader risk management community or their local chapters. [27:09] Justin says Emily is very involved in the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter and is a great Networker and is very plugged in. Justin says that if it weren't for Emily, he doesn't think he would have gotten Rich Lenkov from SERMA on the show this year. (Shout out to Rich!) [27:40] Emily says she started going to the Rocky Mountain RIMS Chapter when she was an analyst, working under Peggy Miller. She remembers walking into a Lunch and Learn. Going to Chapter meetings was very inspiring. She wanted to be that knowledgeable one day. [29:10] Emily says this industry is built on your connections to people and how you know people. She says we have the best people in our chapter. We're very involved with students and RRP. [29:24] Emily tells students in RRP, "Come to our meetings. If you don't know anybody, you know me. I will introduce you to everybody. This is where your career is going to take off. This is where you're going to be able to make steps and strides and really make connections." [30:11] Emily says she cannot say enough great things about Rocky Mountain RIMS. She thinks they have one of the best chapters in the U.S., because they have the best people. [30:24] Justin recalls that Ondrea Matthews with CoorsTek was on the show last year. She is in Rocky Mountain RIMS. Emily says Ondrea is one of the best people she knows. Justin says she had fascinating stories. A link to her RIMScast episode is in the show notes. [31:02] Emily says when she joined Specialized, she told them she's a Rocky Mountain RIMS board member, she speaks at conferences, and is a guest lecturer at CU Denver. They were super supportive. [31:47] Emily says Specialized wants to put the best product on the market, and Emily takes that into risk management and insurance. She wants to create the best risk program that she can. She wants to work with the best service providers that she can. [32:12] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [32:32] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [32:57] General Grant applications are open, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [32:59] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [33:07] The Spencer 2026 Funding Their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 17th, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at a different venue this year. It will be at the fabulous Waldorf Astoria in New York City. [33:23] Sponsorship opportunities and benefits are available now. A link to the Funding Their Future Gala is in this episode's show notes. [33:32] Be on the lookout for some of the honorees and Spencer Board members to join RIMScast in June and July. [33:41] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Honor Roll Recipient Emily Buckley! [33:48] Justin mentions the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. The RIMS ERM Engage Group is a member-only offshoot of SERMC for people to have candid dialogues. All RIMS members have exclusive access to the ERM Engage Group. Emily is a member. [34:38] Emily says the ERM Engage Group gets together monthly for an hour. Morgan O'Rourke, VP of Editorial at RIMS, leads it. Everyone brings issues, or Morgan will have a guest speaker. Emily says it's just such a great place to go and learn from industry peers with similar issues. [35:55] Emily is not trying to reinvent the wheel. If she can bring the problems she is dealing with to a group of professionals, ask how they have done it in the past, and get 10 or 20 ideas, it's amazing. [36:13] Emily recommends the movie, Project Hail Mary, which she calls amazing. [36:27] Justin talks about the monthly guest speaker, often from SERMC, who presents a topic and then engages the group in discussion. The Engage group lets the leaders see who the next ERM leaders are going to be through their participation. It's very interactive. [37:32] If you are a RIMS member, just check out the RIMS ERM Engage Group. Justin says Emily's involvement is above and beyond, not just for her job, but for RIMS, so he was not surprised she received the 2026 RIMS Honor Roll; it's well deserved. [38:18] Emily loves her job. She loves this industry.  [38:40] Emily admits her blood caffeine content was through the roof, preparing for the awards ceremony. Emily looked it up. She is the 43rd recipient of the Risk Management Honor Roll in 75 years of RIMS. She has the award in her window in her office. It is cool to be celebrated. [40:26] Emily says her award makes it into everything. After she got it, she carried it around with her. At lunch, it was sitting on the table. At dinner, it was sitting on the table. She carried it onto the plane with her. [41:22] In the profile about Emily, it talked about perseverance in mountain biking. Juston asks Emily for her inspiration for the next generation of risk professionals. [42:04] Emily's words: "Keep going. You're going to fail, and that's fine. It's part of the journey. Fail. Learn the lesson or lessons, but keep going. Always keep looking at the horizon, saying, OK, I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there, I'm going to get there. [42:21] "The absolute most important thing is, have fun on the way." Emily says she did a little dance on the awards stage, and some students told her they loved seeing her having fun with it. It made Emily's day for them to stop and tell her. "If you're not having fun, what's the point?" [43:21] Justin tells Emily, We look forward to more great things from you in the coming years. We thank you, and we congratulate you again. [45:33] Special thanks again to Emily Buckley of Specialized Bicycle Components for joining us here on RIMScast! Congratulations again to her for being named to the RIMS 2026 Honor Roll. More coverage is available in the RIMS Risk Management Magazine's Awards Edition. [43:27] Go to RMMAgazine.com and check out the digital issues section. We look forward to having Emily back again. [43:55] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [44:23] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [44:41] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [44:59] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [45:15] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [45:29] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [45:41] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2026 | November 19‒20 in Columbus, Ohio | Session Submission Deadline: Friday, June 19 RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | www.rimscanadaconference.ca | Registration Opens in June RIMScast on YouTube! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒ Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam | Register Now! 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 | Aug. 10‒12 in San Antonio | Register Now! ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute | Look for the Awards Edition in "Digital Issues"! RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RISKWORLD 2026 Presentations Available via Attendee Service Center — www.RIMS.org/Asc - and via the RIMS Events App Press Release: "RIMS Risk Manager of the Year Award Goes to Prologis Head of Global Risk Jeff Bray, Honor Roll to Emily Buckley" Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep | June 9‒10 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | June 16‒17, 2026 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Live from RISKWORLD 2026!" "RIMS Risk Manager of the Year Jeff Bray" "RIMS Rising Risk Professional Award Winner Tyler Vaughan" "Sports, Spotlight, and Risk Leadership with Rich Lenkov, Founder and CEO of SERMA" "Supply and Bike Chains with Emily Buckley" (2024) "Absence Management with Ondrea Matthews"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "AI-Scale, Risk Ready: Engineering Controls for the New Data Center Boom" (New!) | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation!  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Ward Ching and Aaron Olson of Aon about their recent session at RISKWORLD 2026 and the book they co-authored, Strategy and Change: Finding Opportunity in Disruption Through Insight, Choice, and Risk. They discuss the dizzying, disruptive transformation in today's market, where conventional risk management frameworks, tools, and solutions have become increasingly ineffective. They explore technological innovation in terms of the new powers of next-generation microprocessors and the accompanying robustness of machine learning-based analytics. Aaron explains how he built an AI analysis agent over a weekend. Aaron and Ward discuss their book and how to use it to help you and your organization navigate disruption. Listen for insight on how to use disruption without being disrupted in the risk ecosystem.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is strategy and change in a world full of innovation and disruption, and we will be joined by our guests, Aaron Olson and our friend Ward Ching of Aon, but first… [:45] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep will be held on June 9th and 10th. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on June 16th and 17th. Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:01] Webinars. On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:17] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [1:36] On with the Show! Our guests today are, respectively, the Executive Vice President at Aon Corporation and a Managing Director at Aon Corporation. They are Aaron Olson, making his debut on RIMSCast, and our good friend Ward Ching, also a former RIMS-CRMP Commissioner. [1:52] They presented a session at RISKWORLD 2026, titled "Strategy and Change: Understanding Disruptive Innovation Through Insight, Choice and Risk." They recently published a book, Strategy and Change: Finding Opportunity in Disruption Through Insight, Choice, and Risk. [2:11] We will talk about the risk management practices, philosophies, and frameworks that went into the book and the session, what it took for Mr. Olson to build an AI agent, and how you can assess whether this is the sort of business decision for your organization. Let's get to it! [2:32] Interview! Aaron Olson and Ward Ching, Welcome to RIMScast! [3:12] Aaron says Ward and he work together at Aon, and they work with risk managers around the world. They also do some academic work. Ward, at USC, Marshall School of Business, and Aaron, at Northwestern, just outside Chicago. [3:25] Aaron says that for 20 years, he's been working as a member of the faculty there, part-time, teaching on the topic of the intersection of strategy and leadership. [3:38] About 10 years ago, Aaron did some research and published a book focused on the intersection of strategy and leadership. He looked at different companies and examples to learn how individuals lead strategy. [3:55] Ten years later, Aaron and Ward talked about it regarding the clients they work with and the challenges risk managers working in those organizations face. In the last 10 years, the world has gotten a lot more complicated and volatile, and is facing more and more risk. [4:16] Aaron and Ward decided to do some new work. This time, it's not strategy and leadership; it's strategy and disruptive change. [4:27] They looked at what lessons they could learn from COVID, from the supply chain, and from the unpredictable rising cost of doing business. What can we do about that? [4:42] How can companies be successful? How can risk managers be successful? What is the changing, evolving role of risk in the midst of that?  [4:53] Ward says one of the interesting things is that disruption has always been part of the economic environment. It is now a hyper-important part of economic decision-making in every industry vertical. [5:12] Ward's research in the disruptive innovation space started with a paper for RIMS that he did with Paul Walker several years ago on the issue of enterprise risk management tools and capabilities. Paul and Ward did the research, looking at all the tools. [5:38] Then February 2020 rolled around, and the world went completely dark. Everybody predicted that there was exposure to a pandemic, but nobody had any thought of how it would go from ranking number 25 or 50 on risk registers to number one, overnight. [6:14] Paul and Ward asked each other what was underneath this. Why did all of our tools fail? They found an interesting literature base around disruptive innovation. Ward says a lot, if not all, of our core disruptive events throughout history started with a technological innovation. [6:38] Aaron and Ward went further, looking at all the disruption in the marketplace now: new silicon chips, our speed toward AI, agentic AI, the things we can do now with data that we couldn't do or see five years ago. That's creating a very interesting, disruptive environment. [7:10] Disruption needs to be considered as part of the decision calculus for most organizations. Similarly, disruption is a new risk issue that has not been well understood, measured, or evaluated in the past. That's what Ward and Aaron were trying to look at. [7:30] In the book and at RISKWORLD, Ward and Aaron looked at it from several perspectives: How is disruption creating advantage? How is disruption creating new opportunities? How is it changing the way we think about risk, risk management, and risk mitigation? [7:58] Aaron says one of the things we uncovered as we got into this was that going back 10 years ago, on any given day, your average executive was maybe dealing with one crisis or issue coming at them. [8:14] Aaron says that today, an executive coming into the office or dialing in on Zoom is probably dealing with two or three simultaneous challenges, and that has a compounding effect. Technology is an accelerant and also an amplifier. [8:37] The combination of speed and severity means that organizations deal with an external environment that has multiple concurrent risks. Then you have internal execution risks, and they, too, are more complicated. [8:52] Take AI, as an externality, but also inside. All kinds of new risks are surfacing as AI is changing workflows, processes, and the nature of people's jobs and work. That is a level of complexity we have not had to deal with in most of our professional lifetimes. [9:12] Ward says most of the tools that we use to mitigate those risks are now obsolete. When you look at a heat map, it is point-specific. You look at various risks along a series of axes. These point-specific numbers or locations don't answer the question, "So what do you do?" [9:59] You understand where the risk might be, on a frequency, severity, or likelihood scale, but if you were the CFO, you would be asking, "What investment do I have to make to move something that's at an extraordinarily high, or even uninsurable space, into someplace more acceptable?" [10:18] Those comparative static tools don't give you enough information to make significant decisions, especially now that a problem may have adjacencies that impact a decision, so that needs to be broader in terms of its context and execution. A lot of those tools don't work now. [10:41] A Quick Break! There are so many other wonderful RIMS events coming up in 2026. The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [11:02] Register now for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, which will be held from August 10th through 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. Advance rates are available through June 5th. [11:16] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [11:29] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [11:46] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. We will be in Quebec City to celebrate the 50th Live RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are already open. Early-bird registration will open in June. [12:01] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [12:15] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 18th and 19th in Columbus, Ohio. Details will follow on RIMS.org. [12:24] Let's Return to our Interview with Ward Ching and Aaron Olson! [12:33] Aaron built the strategy agent at Aon. Aaron shares how it was done. He was a one-man team on this project. Aaron tells about vibe coding. He took a routine that he and Ward have been doing for years, and he realized that an agent could do some of that work.  [13:36] Aaron and Ward have been working together for a couple of years. On the academic side, they wrote a book and codified some of the work they do with their clients. Aaron says they took a framework and turned it into a simple worksheet. [13:53] Aaron now uses that worksheet to prepare for clients. It's an analysis tool for what is going on in that client's industry, what key issues they need to deal with, and what insights, decisions, and risks Aaron will discuss with them. [14:09] As Aaron started to look at agents, he realized that he didn't have to do all that work himself. [14:16] Aaron uses ChatGPT. There's an ability within ChatGPT to create a Custom GPT. It asks you to follow a set of instructions. It isn't coding, just guidance. [14:36] Aaron wrote out his guidance, uploaded his worksheet, and constructed prompts. A prompt is a good question to ask. Aaron preloaded some good prompts to get an agent. [14:52] Aaron, Ward, and others use this agent, which they call the Strategy and Change Diagnostic. They input the client's name and problem, the type of conversation they want to have with the client, the situations they are focusing on, and the present disruptive changes. [15:16] Aaron asks the agent, "What are the things we should be focusing on?" It comes back with a lot of the work Aaron would have had to think through himself. It's pulling on the logic he taught it and pulling real-time, relevant financial information from the internet. [15:43] Aaron says it would have taken a team of people working for months to get the same result. We're living in a different world. [15:52] Ward says that Aaron can change the persona of the agent. The agent is looking at it from one point of view. It can look at it from a different point of view or a competing point of view. All of those will generate additional insights into what the client's issues might be. [15:14] Aaron built the Strategy and Change Diagnostic over a weekend and refined it by trying it out with some real situations. Aaron thinks this type of agent is in the future for all of us. [16:27] Ward says, Strategy and Change: Finding Opportunity in Disruption Through Insight, Choice, and Risk, and the recent RISKWORLD 2026 session, cover disruption and disruptive innovation in a clinical way, and case studies, new tools, and responsibilities that are coming out.  [16:54] Ward talks about the necessary skills. Many people in risk management are asking what skills and capabilities they need to be successful going forward. That's a big issue. What is the impact of AI? What is the impact on data analysis and on the types of things they need to do? [17:19] Risk professionals wonder if they should be coders, actuaries, or engineers. Ward says, the answer is yes. They need to be all of those, going forward. That's a big issue in question. [17:28] Justin says an editorial strategy shift at RIMS is that it's no longer just about identifying risk. It's how to leverage it to do your job better. It's what you need to know now to enable you to succeed later. It's not just about the "what." It's about the "why" and the "how." [17:52] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [18:14] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [18:27] General Grant applications are open, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [18:39] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [18:48] The Spencer 2026 Funding Their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 17th, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at a different venue this year. It will be at the fabulous Waldorf Astoria in New York City. [19:03] Sponsorship opportunities and benefits are available now. A link to the Funding Their Future Gala is in this episode's show notes. [19:12] Be on the lookout for some of the honorees and Spencer Board members to join RIMScast in June and July. [19:21] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Ward Ching and Aaron Olson!! [19:32] Aaron says this is the second book he has written and the first book he has written with Ward. They enjoyed the opportunity to bring together some things they had been doing in their respective professional backgrounds. [19:46] The book is an investigation into what is driving us to live in a world that's more complicated and faster-moving, where risk is different, and we need to work differently because of it. [20:01] They go into practical things with three different lenses on the issues we all face in a world of disruptive change. The lenses are insight, choice, and risk. They get to the practical aspects of what that means for us. [20:15] They address success in a world that's more complicated, is moving faster, and has a lot more volatility that's not going away. They use case examples. They look at real organizations. What happened to GE over the last decade? How did they navigate changes in their industry? [20:35] How did S&P Global evolve from a very different business a decade ago? They were McGraw-Hill, the publisher. These are real companies that have faced real challenges, and they've taken proactive approaches that have evolved the way they do business. [20:52] The book brings it down to individuals and how you lead through that kind of change. There are practical things and a few tools to use. [21:05] Ward adds that it points to some additional literature to think about. [21:09] Clayton Christensen at Harvard did a lot of interesting work associated with the innovator's dilemma, in which he was asking the question, "How do organizations that have been innovative throughout their lifespans, when they continue to be innovative, fail?" [21:28] Ward says it has to do with disruptive elements in the marketplace. It raises the question of how you, in risk management, can help the organization think slightly disruptively to help it push through the biases and barriers that might cause it to have difficulties going forward. [21:40] The issue of understanding disruptive innovation is part of the new toolkit that the next generation of risk professionals is going to have to have, sharpened up, with a strong acumen around, to help their organization succeed going forward. [22:09] Those are some of the more subtle elements of the book. It also talks about a risk ecosystem as opposed to separate distinct property and casualty, wealth, well-being, and more. [22:27] They're not in separate locations; they're in an ecosystem. The data is showing us how they interact with each other. New skills, new capabilities, and new perspectives are highlighted in the book. [22:44] Special thanks again to Aaron Olson and Ward Ching of Aon for joining us here on RIMScast! Remember to check out their book Strategy and Change: Finding Opportunity in Disruption Through Insight, Choice, and Risk. It is available worldwide right now. [22:57] If you are looking for the slides from their RISKWORLD 2026 presentation, open up the RIMS Events app and go to the Attendees Service Center. Also visit RIMS.org/ASC. Navigate over to their names, and you should find it. [23:13] Be sure to check out the links in this episode's show notes for the past appearances of our friend Ward Ching. [23:20] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [23:48] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [24:07] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [24:24] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [24:41] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [24:54] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [25:06] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | Registration Opens in June RIMScast on YouTube! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 | Aug. 10‒12 in San Antonio | Register Now! ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RISKWORLD 2026 Presentations Available via Attendee Service Center — www.RIMS.org/Asc — and via the RIMS Events App Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep | June 9‒10 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | June 16‒17, 2026 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction | May 28 | Presented by Zurich RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Live from RISKWORLD 2026!" "RIMS Risk Manager of the Year Jeff Bray" "James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO" "Rethinking the Impact of Disruption on ERM Tools and Processes with Ward Ching and Dr. Paul Walker" "Disruption and the Digital Age with Ward Ching"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "AI-Scale, Risk Ready: Engineering Controls for the New Data Center Boom" (New!) | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Ward Ching, Managing Director, AON Adjunct Professor of Risk Management, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California   Aaron Olson, EVP, Enterprise Client Group, Exec Sponsor, University Partnerships, AON Lecturer, Northwestern University   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Jennifer McNelly, CEO of the American Society of Safety Professionals, about her wide-ranging safety career, the ASSP publishing the first U.S.-Based standard on risk assessment and management, the ASSP's Standards-Based User Groups, and how safety practices are not about worker behavior but overall organization system safety improvement. Jennifer shares her excitement about National Safety Month and the upcoming Safety Conference + Expo 2026, from June 15th through 17th in Anaheim, California. Listen for inspiration on closing the safety gap in your organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. We are releasing this episode ahead of National Safety Month in June, and our special guest is Jennifer McNelly, the CEO of the American Society of Safety Professionals, but first… [:43] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep will be held on June 9th and 10th. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on June 16th and 17th. Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [:58] Webinars. On May 21st, GRC returns to present "Is Your Fire Protection Strategy Outdated? Emerging Risks Are Changing the Rules." [1:10] On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:25] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [1:43] If you plan to submit a session for the RIMS Canada Conference 2026, today, the air date May 19th, is your last day to do so. Visit RIMS Canada to submit your session. We hope to see you in Quebec City, October 18th through the 21st. [2:02] On with the Show! June is approaching, and that means National Safety Month. That is also observed in several parts of the world. Who better to speak about safety than Jennifer McNelly, the CEO of The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)? [2:20] Jennifer is an accomplished executive with more than 35 years of leadership experience in associations, government, and industry. She has been the Society's CEO since 2018, leading the global organization of more than 36,000 occupational, safety, and health professionals.  [2:36] Jennifer has some new risk management standards to discuss, under the safety umbrella. I also thought we would benefit from hearing her philosophies on safety and how the ASSP encourages its members to embed safety into their organization's culture. Let's get to it! [2:55] Interview! ASSP CEO, Jennifer McNelly, Welcome to RIMScast! [3:29] Jennifer McNelly and Gary LaBranche, CEO of RIMS, run into each other often at ASAE. They have talked about connecting. Jennifer is excited to be here on RIMScast to talk about collaboration, partnership, and keeping everybody safe at work. [4:04] Jennifer asks every safety professional she connects with, "Tell me your story." She says she is an amalgamation of many stories that have led her to be the CEO of ASSP. She started in the political world. She says you've got to build strong partnerships to move things forward. [4:26] That is the foundation of the mindset Jennifer brings to the ASSP. After politics, she spent time in the U.D. Department of Labor in the capacity of public-private partnerships. That's how you move things forward. [4:41] This was followed by a deep commitment to the people in this nation who make things through leadership at the Manufacturing Institute and Global Stages. All of Jennifer's career has been at the intersection of people and the world of work, and making the world a better place. [4:58] Jennifer says now she gets to do that with unbelievable honor for those who get up and run the world's economy every day, ensuring they get to go home as they were and better than when they walked in the door. [5:11] Jennifer says that's about economic contribution, keeping everybody safe, and the commitment and heart of every safety professional. Safety brought her in the door, with a very unique lens of how we need to work together to send everybody home. [5:32] Jennifer has been with ASSP for eight years, moving into her ninth year. She brings energy, passion, and connection to what ASSP is doing. She likes to think of herself as the catalyst for impact, to make workers' safety, health, and well-being an inherent right for everybody. [6:11] Jennifer says everyone's got a safety story. Often, the thing that hits the headline is the "Somebody did …" and there was a whole set of events. [6:23] Hence, today's conversation, anchored in the importance of risk identification, risk management, and integration into thinking every day by everyone. [6:33] It's not just one thing that starts it. It can be the mindset of someone who's had a bad morning and lost childcare for their family. It can be about a system in process. It can be about a bad piece of equipment. It can be a bunch of other things, but what we hear is the headline. [6:53] Jennifer says our goal is to unpack the story and get to the root cause and improve it, for everyone. [7:00] Jennifer says the ASSP has over 35,000 members globally. A lot of the membership is in the industrial space. They have partners in insurance, and those who service as well as those who produce. ASSP calls this the Safety Ecosystem. [7:26] Justin says RIMS sees that Enterprise Risk Management is leading the way for the future of the profession. Justin asks how Jennifer sees safety risk integrating more deeply into ERM frameworks. [7:42] Jennifer said in 2019, early in her career at ASSP, her pitch to the Board of Directors was for moving safety professionals and workers from basic compliance to a complete integration of human capital, total worker health, and principles like prevention through design. [8:10] Risk Enterprise Systems are critical to that objective. ASSP just released a new standard, "ANSI/ASSP Z310.1 Risk Management — Guidelines for Assessing and Managing Risk." [8:34] It's about management systems, operating in an organizational context, and creating and documenting a comprehensive approach. It's about stakeholder engagement, culture, and inclusivity. [8:49] It also has an important mindset: Change always happens. Therefore, it's about dynamic operations, not static operations; about how you use clear and available information to lead forward, and consider culture and human factors, always with continuous improvement. [9:11] Jennifer says we can't move forward without all those factors integrated into Enterprise Risk. [9:18] The ASSP's Z310.1 Committee is comprised of 28 organizations. ASSP plays an important role in the marketplace. Its logo is a shield, and its members are guardians of workplace safety. Every one of them is a workplace superhero. [10:05] Jennifer loves all superheroes because she loves the potential of hope that each one of us has that power. [10:12] One of the things that is unique about ASSP's market position is its global-based standards. It brings companies together around the table to flesh it out. It's not a single company. [10:34] Jennifer says injuries, serious incidents, and fatalities happen in an environment that's complex, dynamic, and always changing. By bringing together those who are doing the work, we gain consensus. [10:49] Justin says there is a link to the press release in this episode's show notes. The press release mentions how ANSI/ASSP Z310.0 builds off the ISO 31000 standard. There's a lot of value in it for RIMS members. Please check out the link in this episode's show notes. [11:17] Justin notes that ANSI comes with a lot of heft. The RIMS-CRMP is ANSI-accredited. RIMS is the only globally recognized risk management program through ANSI. [11:37] Jennifer says that early in her career, she sat on ANSI's 17024 PCAC, the group that approved those kinds of standards. She is a firm believer in business driving business outcomes. They know what works. [11:54] The workers doing the work and the business conducting the business know what works. Jennifer talks about cross connections and says we should be talking and doing more together. Each of us has a critical role. [12:42] A Quick Break! There are so many other wonderful RIMS events coming up in 2026. The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [13:04] Register now for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, to be held from August 10th through 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. Advance rates are available through June 5th. [13:18] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [13:31] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [13:49] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. We will be in Quebec City to celebrate the 50th Live RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are already open. The call for educational sessions has been extended to May 19th, the air date of this episode. [14:06] Submit your session today. Early-bird registration will open in June. [14:12] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [14:27] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 18th and 19th in Columbus, Ohio. Details will follow on RIMS.org. [14:37] Let's Return to our Interview with ASSP CEO Jennifer McNelly! [14:44] Jennifer says standards bring consensus together, but members are asking how to use the standards and what to do with them. [15:03] Members want the playbook because they are busy, underresourced, and over-expected. They have a stressful work environment. The ASSP launched Standards-Based User Groups in January of this year. [15:20] The ASSP's partners collaboratively spend close to $7 million a year investing in keeping the standards updated. How do you move the standards to market? What do you do with them? There are hundreds of thousands of companies around the world that use the standards. [15:38] To somebody who is just starting that journey, it's a challenge. The ASSP's Standards-Based User Groups dig into the company's maturity, the maturity of the safety professional, and help them move one step further. [15:59] The point of Standards-Based User Groups (SBUGs) is to make the standards accessible. Jennifer says there are a couple of unique angles to the approach they are taking. [16:29] The ASSP's Standards-Based User Groups approach starts where serious incidents and fatalities happen, fall from heights and energy controls, two things where there is a lot of technical expertise in lock-out, tag-out, and fall prevention standards. [16:51] Jennifer says there is a disruption happening in business and in safety, the impact and influence of Big Data, AI, and analytics. The third SBUG is AI and Safety. Through technology partners, by integrating the Standards, it will level up what people have access to. [17:23] The ASSP's traditional routes are through the safety professionals. By putting Standards-Based User Groups in the hands of the reporting systems they have to use every day, that is scaling in a way that has never been done before. [18:06] The focus of the Standards-Based User Groups is scaling great knowledge in a framework denied by the industry. [18:16] Justin says it becomes a strategic risk management function. Jennifer says it is built into enterprise systems to drive action and make better decisions. [18:30] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [18:51] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [19:06] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [19:18] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [19:27] Let's Conclude Our Interview with the American Society of Safety Professionals CEO Jennifer McNelly! [19:47] Justin points out that June is National Safety Month. Jennifer thinks every day is National Safety Day! National Safety Month puts a consistent spotlight on safety. She believes safety professionals need more celebration. [20:34] Jennifer loves to tell their stories. She is grateful to any safety professional and to anybody in the ecosystem listening today. Thank you for everything that you do. [20:48] June is coming, and we are not done. Jennifer often talks about the gap. She uses the roots of ASSP and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire as a real example that the gap is always going to exist. [21:12] Jennifer speaks of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. It is the roots of the ASSP. There remains a building on the corner of NYU where about 149 individuals perished jumping out of windows because the doors were locked. It is the foundation and grounding of safety in the U.S. [21:36] Jennifer repeats that it is a real example of the gap. A couple of years ago, the ASSP Board of Directors went to the dedication of the building. Every year, Taps is played, and the ladder goes up, and it stops at the sixth floor. [21:49] You see the bunting and the gap between where we are today and where they were then. Someone next to Jennifer said, "But it needs to go higher!" That's the point. There is always a gap because business is dynamic and ever-changing. [22:06] Our responsibility as safety professionals and associations is to fill the gap and get ahead of it. With serious incidents and fatalities, the data has been flat for 10 years. Let's do something different. [22:23] Let's think about the principles of prevention through design and crack the C-Suite decision-making. Jennifer talks about safety as good governance. How safety succeeds is about the economic decision-making process. [22:44] Jennifer says it's got to be built into business in every way, shape, and form. Safety is never a moment or a one-and-done. It is a part of every part of business decision-making. [23:07] NIOSH does tremendous research on the future of work and how dynamic it is. Every year, Jennifer calls senior executives and talks through critical things. She does that because research says one thing and the ASSP membership says another. There's a gap. [23:28] Often, in that gap, Jennifer hears the term "research to practice." That leads back to the Standards-Based User Groups. What does the research say, what does the data say, and how do you scale it?  [23:42] There are several forces at play when looking at what's shaping the world of work. There's workforce instability; a fluidity that never existed before. It's one of the biggest emerging risks Jennifer sees. [24:02] Next is the fact that safety is not a metric. Then there's the pace of change and technology, and the influence of leadership. Jennifer believes that leadership happens in every role and function. How do we empower individual and corporate leadership? [25:15] If a company is doing minimal compliance with the law, data tells us that's not enough. Jennifer said a volunteer was excited to tell her they had removed cell phones from a site. But cell phones can be used to photograph risks you hadn't seen. [25:54] First, understand what problem you are trying to solve. Is it technology looking for a problem, or a problem looking for a solution that the technology enables? That's the approach ASSP is taking. [26:13] If we continue to have individuals die every year, falling from heights, how do we solve that through technology, because somewhere in that complex system, things are not where they need to be. That's a statement of forward motion. [26:39] Jennifer says she thinks there is a huge opportunity, but it needs to be ethically used, transparent, and clear what problem we are trying to solve. AI in safety isn't new. ASSP worked with MakUSafe AI for three years as they started studying technology advancements in safety. [27:04] Jennifer says wearables have been around "forever." They're a good practice. Someone has seen the problem and identified the solution, and our challenge is replication, application, and scale. ASSP is striving toward that and how technology can enable it. [27:24] Jennifer says guardrails are something we hear from membership all the time. Jennifer wants it to be done in a way that integrates it seamlessly, not a new shiny penny. Jennifer is very careful to make sure changes are made at every level. This isn't a blame-the-worker approach. [27:53] This isn't Big Brother is watching somebody in the workplace. This is about empowerment in an era of action. How does information become a learning opportunity to understand A + B + C + D? [28:18] Jennifer says when she thinks of behaviors and actions, she thinks of the C-Suite decision-making. [28:26] What does the Board of Directors governing an enterprise know and understand about the human capital management and decision-making on the capital investment side of safety in the workplace? [28:39] Justin notes registration is open for Safety 2026, held from June 15th through 17th in Anaheim. It's the 65th Annual Conference and Expo. Jennifer calls it a Safety Revival! For Safety members, coming together to learn, connect, and grow gives a unique sense of belonging. [29:19] Jennifer calls it a battery-filling, energizing, impact like no other. It's a great opportunity to see what is on the leading edge and solve problems. The Expo is not a sales pitch. Everybody on that floor has to have a reason and something to share with safety professionals. [29:45] Jennifer describes the 200 classes. There are over 700 program applicants each year. There's too much content and not enough time. There's top-notch technical content and the opportunity to connect with someone that you know you can call and get an answer from. [30:20] Jennifer's favorite thing is to run around, hear stories, and take selfies. It truly is a welcoming and impactful event. [30:32] Jennifer says she's the reason people stop the second they walk in the door. She reminds them why they're there. Last year, she wore an ASSP pickleball outfit to show it's about not just being together but also having fun. Sometimes we forget that connection and fun. [31:14] People are going to learn, but have a great time while you're doing it! Jennifer says she will see everybody onstage! Anaheim will be the place to be! [31:29] The link to the 65th Annual Conference and Expo for Safety 2026 is in this episode's show notes. Justin says it has been such a pleasure to connect with you, finally, and get the word out for National Safety Month. We're priming for National Safety Month. [32:07] Special thanks to ASSP CEO Jennifer McNelly for joining us here on RIMScast! There are lots of links in this episode's show notes. Visit ASSP.org for more information, as well as the Safety 2026 Conference at Safety.ASSP.org. [32:27] Also in this episode's show notes are the links to RIMS coverage of Worker Safety and prior coverage of National Safety Month. A lot of this information is evergreen, so I hope you'll check it out. [32:39] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [33:08] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [33:25] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [33:43] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [34:00] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [34:14] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [34:26] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | rimscanadaconference.ca | Submit Your Session by May 19! RIMScast on YouTube! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 | Aug. 10‒12 in San Antonio | Register Now! ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada – Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy www.assp.org | safety.assp.org | June 15‒17 "ASSP Publishes First U.S.-Based Standard on Risk Assessment and Management" Jennifer McNelly — ASSP Bio Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep | June 9‒10 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | June 16‒17, 2026 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Is Your Fire Protection Strategy Outdated? Emerging Risks Are Changing the Rules" | May 21 | Presented by Global Risk Consultants "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction" | May 28 | Presented by Zurich RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "RIMS Risk Manager of the Year Jeff Bray" "Risk Leadership on the Construction Frontlines with Cynthia Garcia" "Rubber Meets Risk: Lessons from John Baldwin of Discount Tire" "Company Safety and RIMS Chapter Leadership with Tamieka Weeks" "Security Risks with William Sako" "Safety and Preparedness in 2024 with National Safety Council CEO Lorraine Martin" "Opioid Awareness and Workers Comp Risks with Raji Chadarevian of the NCCI"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "AI-Scale, Risk Ready: Engineering Controls for the New Data Center Boom" (New!) | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Jennifer McNelly, CEO, American Society of Safety Professionals   More from ASSP:   Standards-Based User Groups (SBUGs) News release: ASSP Announces Strategic Framework to Drive Safety Beyond Compliance; Avetta Collaboration Provides First Industry Proof Point Webpage: Standards-Based User Groups   AI white paper News release: ASSP Releases White Paper on AI and the Evolving Role of EHS Professionals White paper: AI and the Evolving Role of EHS Professionals.pdf   2026 Corporate Listening Tour report News release: ASSP Report Identifies Five Critical Themes Shaping the Future of Workplace Environmental Health and Safety Webpage (with 2026 report): ASSP Corporate Listening Tour   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews the RIMS 2026 Risk Manager of the Year, Jeff Bray, about his award and his career at AMB, which merged with Prologis early in his career. Justin and Jeff discuss how risk management earns a strategic seat at the table, how Jeff revived the ERM Program at Prologis, tying it to the business model, and how cross-functional risk management works at Prologis today. Jeff speaks of resilience in the face of polycrisis and climate risk, and working on what he has control over while being aware of the rest. Jeff shares his excitement for developing the next generation of risk professionals and about the amazing opportunity the risk profession holds for them today. Listen for insight on ERM, resilience, and building relationships.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] We hope you are listening to this episode of RIMScast while at RISKWORLD 2026, and we are gently reminding you to download the RIMS Events App to navigate the show successfully! [:29] About this episode of RIMScast. This is our annual Risk Manager of the Year episode. We are delighted to be joined by this year's honoree, Jeff Bray of Prologis. If you are listening to this on its release day of May 4th, you might see him onstage at RISKWORLD. But first… [:59] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course will be on May 13th and 14th. The popular CBCP and RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Bootcamp will be held from May 18th through the 21st. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be held on June 9th and 10th. [1:19] Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:22] Webinars. On May 14th, Origami Risk will return with a new session, "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility." [1:34] On May 21st, GRC returns to present "Is Your Fire Protection Strategy Outdated? Emerging Risks Are Changing the Rules." [1:43] On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:58] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:16] RISKWORLD 2026 is underway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! If you are here or on your way, be sure to download the RIMS Events App. It is free and publicly available. This will help you set your agenda and provide ample navigation through the Philadelphia Convention Center. [2:36] RIMS has also released its RISKWORLD Playlist, available through Apple Music and Spotify. Whether you want to get in the zone before RISKWORLD or relive the energy after it, these official RISKWORLD Playlists are available to keep the energy going. [2:53] Links are in this episode's show notes. [2:57] On with the Show! This is our special Risk Manager of the Year episode of RIMScast! This year's honoree is Jeff Bray. [3:08] Jeff is the Senior Vice President and Head of Global Risk Management at Prologis, a global leader in logistics real estate, with 1.3 billion square feet across 20 countries on four continents, and more than 6,500 customers focused on moving goods around the globe. [3:24] That is a lot of responsibility for one person, but don't worry, he's got a mighty team who shoulder it with him. [3:31] We're going to learn all about his work, the leaps and bounds he's made over the last 20 years, his involvement with the Spencer Educational Foundation, and what it takes to succeed in an increasingly uncertain world. We're going to have a lot of fun! Let's get to it! [3:46] Interview! RIMS 2026 Risk Manager of the Year, Jeff Bray, welcome to RIMScast! [4:07] Justin and Jeff met recently for his profile in RIMS Risk Management Magazine. [4:14] This episode is released on Day 1 of RISKWORLD. When people are listening to this, they might be seeing Jeff onstage accepting his award. Jeff says, first and foremost, he is looking forward to RISKWORLD; the award is a nice cherry on top. [4:37] Jeff is 20 years into his career, and he has only missed a few RISKWORLDs. [4:45] Jeff joined AMB Property Corporation in 2005, not knowing anything about risk management and knowing only environmental insurance, a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina. It was trial by fire. Then, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma hit. It was a transformational year. [5:34] There were two years in a row of serious hurricanes affecting the property insurance market. The challenges AMB had experienced transformed the way the insurance and risk management program has been run ever since. [6:02] AMB merged with Prologis a few years later, following a great financial crisis that occurred in June 2011. [6:32] Jeff says Prologis is an owner of logistics real estate. They don't operate any of the buildings. Jeff's purview is the 1.3 billion square feet of real estate in 20 countries, with around 60,000 assets. [6:47] Prologis has a couple of billion dollars a year of development activity. They have a renewable energy business and a digital infrastructure. [7:32] Jeff says it's critical to see properties first-hand. Warehouses are different in different countries, and seeing them helps solve problems when they arrive. Early on, he attended a captive owners conference in Bermuda, and meeting many peers accelerated his learning. [9:03] Through serving the business, Jeff built trust with senior leaders and the board. Jeff started by figuring out what people wanted or needed and helped them achieve it. He built strong relationships with every group; he's in lockstep with legal, finance, and business teams. [10:33] Jeff's risk team has seven members. He also has two members of the corporate security team. He has worked hard to grow the team as needed. He sees an opportunity with technology to scale the team's capabilities to focus on critical tasks. He's grateful for the team's efforts. [11:49] Risk management is centralized at Prologis. They operate as a consistent global program. Jeff is in San Francisco, with team members in the Bay Area, Denver, and one in Dallas. [12:45] Jeff says he takes advantage of every crisis and pays close attention to every near-miss. It's a reminder that this is why what we do is important. Sometimes it's all hands on deck. What can we do differently next time? [13:35] One big near-miss was a fire that arose from customer operations in a building, which didn't amount to much because the sprinklers operated properly. Jeff participates in Prologis's global safety board. They pay close attention to anything like a contractor injury. [14:06] June is National Safety Month. The Head of Safety of Prologis's Development Team plans Safety Month activities. Every project and team member will be involved. It sends a good message. They make it very clear to every contractor they hire that safety is paramount. [14:49] Justin says the leader of the ASSP will soon be a guest on RIMScast. Safety should be observed every month. Jeff says in the past, safety was something they focused more on when something happened, but now it's ingrained in the way they operate. It's not treated separately. [15:44] Jeff reestablished Prologis's ERM program. His ERM Committee is a sounding board with seven or eight global leads. The members are the Head of Internal Audit, the Head of Info Security, and others, who work closely across the risk register to ask, "What are we missing?" [17:14] The challenge in reactivating the ERM committee was getting the relevance right. For the first meeting or so, they brainstormed. Now it's operating at the right frequency with the right dynamic input. It will continue to evolve in every meeting. [17:55] They meet annually with the Audit Committee, and some years they meet with the Board of Directors. It evolves from the day-to-day Risk Register, working with the business teams. The Audit Committee and the Board are very invested in what the ERM Committee does. [18:34] ERM at Prologis is tied to what's relevant to the CFO, the Chief Legal Officer, and other stakeholders. With the CFO, it's tied to earnings per share and net operating income impact. Jeff is always looking at what the business is looking to accomplish and how ERM can support it. [19:17] A Quick Break! The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [19:40] Register now for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, to be held from August 10th through 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. Advance rates are available through June 5th. [19:55] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [20:08] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [20:26] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. That is when the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference will be held in Quebec City. Booth sales are already open. The call for educational sessions is open through May 8th. Early-bird registration will open in June. [20:44] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [20:59] Check RIMS.org for an announcement about the RIMS ERM Conference 2026. It will be up soon! [21:07] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Risk Manager of the Year, Jeff Bray! [21:24] Justin asks what Jeff loves about RISKWORLD. Jeff loves the people, the interactions in the hallways, even when racing from session to session, and meeting to meeting. There's no better place to meet people and build meaningful relationships over the years. [21:45] Jeff says there's no better place to get apprised of what's coming up in the risk industry and reconnect with our most important relationships. [22:17] Jeff says RISKWORLD is a connection point where a group of risk professionals from around the country can get together. [22:31] Jeff's team members, the Head of Risk and the Head of Claims, have attended RISKWORLD for the last few years. [23:07] Justin asks about cross-functional risk management. Jeff says that he can't imagine a problem crossing their desk that Risk Management can solve solely by themselves, figure out, and move on. Generally, they will engage Legal, HR, and the Business Teams. [23:28] Jeff says that's hugely important to be able to solve problems effectively, and in a way that enables the business. [23:55] Jeff thinks the perspective on risk has changed over time. The needs have changed over time. At the beginning of his time at AMB and Prologis, there was a focus on insurance because they were expanding to new countries and standing up a global program. [24:17] Within 90 days, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma hit, and Jeff was learning about disaster recovery and response. He saw the teams in action and how it can be a competitive advantage if they can get their properties up and running quicker than someone else. [24:37] That's absolutely a competitive advantage to Prologis, and that's been in their DNA ever since. [24:53] Justin asks about Jeff's dashboard. It's a Claims dashboard, created by the Claims team, so Jeff can look at the Claims activity every day. [25:16] Jeff says Prologis retains a bunch of risk itself. It's Prologis's money. It concerns not only Jeff, but also the Finance Team and others. None of them likes surprises. Jeff manages it like a business, managing actual claims against the forecast. [25:53] Jeff says it's been phenomenal. He's asking for more dashboards! [26:08] Jeff discusses the impacts of technological innovation on his role. One of the biggest pieces was onboarding Archipelago, a tool to intake Statement of Value information and other property characteristics and deliver it to an insurance company in a reliable and verifiable way. [26:33] Jeff says during that period, they went through $40 to $50 billion of acquisitions, so Archipelago was a game-changer in a way that insurance companies couldn't believe. [26:48] Prologis would bring on a portfolio in September and was ready for its December renewals with the full Schedule of Values. Jeff says it was about, "What questions am I asking myself, and how do we solve for that?" [27:03] Jeff was looking beyond the Cap Modeling results to what other information he could get out of the data, from the newness of the assets, different specifications, and different protections in place, and quantifying that in a way that was meaningful for the insurers. [27:25] When Prologis onboarded Archipelago, there weren't any other systems available to do what was needed. They were developing something that hadn't been in place yet. Prologis was part of the development team. [27:43] Jeff says the Claims dashboard is driven by Origami, which has been an important partner of Prologis. [27:55] Prologis has always been focused on the combination of good data and leveraging technologies to interpret that data. That's been very important to Prologis. [28:15] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [28:42] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [28:57] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [20:08] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [29:17] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Risk Manager of the Year, Jeff Bray! [29:43] Jeff says the younger risk professionals are absolutely more well-versed in technology. The challenge is not to let technology become more important than understanding the basics of the business. [30:00] Jeff says you still need to understand what that policy says and what the submission process looks like, so you can get the right outcomes out of the technology. Most of the folks Jeff works with are younger than he is. [30:21] Jeff says what they're doing with AI, dashboards, and other insights is super impressive. They balance that with learning the fundamentals. [30:47] In a new risk professional, Jeff looks first for curiosity and questions. When Jeff hit stagnant parts of his career, he had stopped asking questions, so today, he asks a lot of questions. Curiosity is key to investigating what's happening in the company to solve problems. [31:18] Jeff says connecting the dots is something he still works on today. We live in a complex world. There's generally not one threat or risk that operates in a silo. Risks are connected. Someone who can understand how different risks might be interconnected will be critical. [31:43] Jeff says that being hungry, learning, and striving to do more than the person who started next to you is more important than ever. [32:06] Jeff says polycrisis is an interesting term, and he fully believes in it. He spends a fair amount of time thinking about what he has control over and what he doesn't have control over. Jeff says Prologis doesn't let the polycrisis drive its strategy on a day-to-day basis. [32:45] Jeff says awareness is key, and knowing how you can respond as an organization. [33:02] On mitigation and navigation, Jeff says, it's like being on defense versus offense. Risk mitigation works if it's a very simple solution. Putting a floodwall in a building to prevent flooding is a great mitigation.  [33:15] Most risks are not that simple, and they require navigation. They require keeping options open and multiple solutions. Navigation lends itself to how risks evolve and how we respond to those risks. [33:40] Jeff says Prologis is an owner of 1.3 billion square feet of real estate, with two to three percent of the world's GDP flowing through its buildings. Supply chain resilience is key. Prologis focuses on climate risk, but Jeff wants to look at it from more of a resilience perspective. [34:04] Jeff's perspective is about what Prologis should be worrying about, and how that affects how they build a building and how they operate an asset. Climate risk is front-of-mind to this day for many of Prologis's investors. [34:17] Investors want to know what Porlogis is doing about things and how they are looking at exposures. So Prologis has always tried to be on the front end of that discussion with investors. The decisions Prologis makes just need to make good business sense. [34:41] As long as Prologis can communicate, this is a concern, and this is how it translates into a business impact or impacts performance. That remains key, and we are in an environment that is evolving in frequency and severity. It's something Prologis pays close attention to. [35:16] Solar panels are part of Prologis's sustainability goals. Thicker rooftops are needed. Solar panels affect how air conditioning is used and the temperature levels within a building. It affects how Prologis might construct the building to have a better working environment. [35:51] Jeff says it all ties together, which comes back to a more resilient and better-performing portfolio. [36:00] Justin asks about earthquake resilience for new construction. Prologis has a lot of property on the California coast and has been focused on earthquake risk for the life of the company, doing voluntary retro-fittings and seismic upgrades. [36:33] That's not to get reduced insurance premiums but to take steps to reduce interruptions that may occur for Prologis's customers' activities when an earthquake does arise. It's about taking Prologis's objectives and aligning them with the business, not to save premiums. [37:16] Jeff is very excited by the level of abilities he sees in college students. He was recently at Old Dominion for Risk Manager on Campus. This industry has an amazing amount of opportunity. Risk is at the crossroads of finance, operations, legal issues, and HR. [38:27] Jeff's words to students and aspiring risk professionals: "There's an incredible amount of opportunity. What risk strategy means today is very different than what it meant 15 years ago. It's a hidden gem of an industry, still today." [38:44] Justin congratulates Jeff on being named RIMS Risk Manager of the Year 2026. Nobody accomplishes anything by themselves. Is there anyone you want to thank? Jeff says thanking a whole host of folks might take its own podcast. [38:59] Jeff thanks his team across Risk, Resilience, and Claims, and the deep bench of external risk advisors, from broker placement to consulting, technology partnerships, and the insurers. He couldn't do this without all of those team members. He's very grateful for it all. [39:49] Justin says, I look forward to meeting you and seeing you up onstage and cheering you on. I hope we can continue to stay in touch because you've got so much knowledge to share with the global risk community, here through RIMScast. Thank you so much for your time! [40:16] Special thanks again to Jeff Bray, the 2026 RIMS Risk Leader of the Year. We are delighted for him and congratulate him once again. Be sure to check out last week's episode, featuring RIMS Rising Risk Professional, Tyler Vaughan. [40:32] In May, we intend to have Honor Roll Awardee, Emily Buckley, back on RIMScast. Check RIMS Risk Management Magazine for the Awards Digital Edition, which also features profiles on the Chapters of the Year and other special awards. More winners will be on RIMScast in 2026. [40:55] I hope everyone who's listening in Philadelphia at RISKWORLD is having a blast! Next week's episode will feature interviews recorded live while in Philadelphia. Let's relive the magic! [41:08] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [41:37] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [41:55] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [42:13] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [42:29] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [42:43] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [42:55] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RISKWORLD Playlists:

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional, Tyler Vaughan. Tyler explains the pizza-and-bonus-points incentive that got him to attend the risk management and insurance informational session in college, which launched his risk management career. Tyler shares what it was like beginning in the industry as COVID was shutting down offices. He encourages students not to seek a remote position, but a hybrid or office position, at least for the first couple of years of their careers, to grow knowledge and build a network. Tyler shares his feelings about winning the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Award and his hopes for the future of the risk industry. Listen for insight on building a risk management career, mentoring, and networking.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional, Tyler Vaughan. I'm looking forward to discussing with him about how he is setting a high bar for the next generation of risk professionals. But first… [:58] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course will be on May 13th and 14th. The popular CBCP and RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Bootcamp will be held from May 18th through the 21st. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be held on June 9th and 10th. [1:18] Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:21] Webinars. On May 14th, Origami Risk will return with a new session, "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility." [1:32] On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:47] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:05] This is a last call for registration for RISKWORLD 2026, from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia! Our opening keynote is thought leader Adam Grant. Our closing keynote is NFL Hall-of-Famer and Emmy-award-winning broadcaster, Michael Strahan. [2:22] Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with 10,000 of your risk management peers. [2:32] RIMS has also released its RISKWORLD Playlist, available through Apple Music and Spotify. Whether you want to get in the zone before RISKWORLD or relive the energy after it, these official RISKWORLD Playlists are available to keep the energy going. [2:48] Links are in this episode's show notes. [2:52] On with the Show! Our guest today is the Global Risk Manager for Cook Group in Indiana. He is the RIMS Rising Risk Professional for 2026. We will be seeing him onstage receiving his award at RISKWORLD. It's Tyler Vaughan.  [3:11] Tyler has already made an impact on the risk profession and RIMS. We're going to learn about what it took to lead the Northeast Ohio Chapter to greatness, mentors who have lifted him, and how his RIMS participation has made him a more confident risk leader. Let's get to it! [3:31] Interview! 2026 RIMS Rising Risk Professional Tyler Vaughan, welcome to RIMScast! [3:48] Tyler says he appreciates being named the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional. It's humbling and a bit surreal. [3:64] Tyer looks back to when he joined the industry in 2018 as an intern. He joined the Northeast Ohio RIMS Chapter. He didn't think risk management was a profession where you expect public recognition; most of it happens behind the scenes. [4:12] Tyler says in risk management, success often looks like nothing bad happened. Within different corporations, you're protecting against bad things happening. To have RIMS recognize Tyler as the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional means a lot to him. He's very thankful for it. [4:37] Justin says there are several professions where the idea is that no news is good news. If you don't get any feedback, that means you're doing everything fine. Justin says an award like this, and all the RIMS awards, are nice and well-deserved. [5:19] Tyler tells how he became involved in risk management. He was studying corporate financial management at the University of Akron College of Business. The professor of a challenging course held an informational session on risk management and insurance. [5:58] Tyler wasn't interested until the professor announced pizza and bonus points. Tyler couldn't turn that down. The professor, Dr. Jill Bisco, comes from the industry. She had been on the carrier side for many years. She was one of Tyler's first mentors. He still talks to her. [6:17] At that informational session, Tyler learned of how much opportunity the risk management and insurance industry has. He signed up for more information that day. [6:26] Dr. Bisco talked about Gamma Iota Sigma, the collegiate actuarial science risk management business fraternity. Tyler signed up to be an officer. [6:39] Tyler went through the chartering ceremony the next semester, and then the University of Akron officially adopted a risk management insurance program, and Tyler was one of the first students to sign up for that path. [6:50] Pizza and bonus points are still relevant to college students. Tyler says, take advantage of those opportunities. You never know what might come from it. Tyler later organized sessions with food. He used Chick-fil-A when pizza didn't bring a good crowd. [7:24] The Risk Management and Insurance Program at the University of Akron had an event called Risky Business, where they brought in different industry professionals. [7:33] One of those industry professionals was Kristen Peed. Tyler was looking for an internship. Kristen was looking for her umbrella after the event, and Tyler took it to her and asked her name. Tyler says pizza, bonus points, and an umbrella got him where he is today. [8:08] Kristen had just come off the board of the Northeast Ohio Chapter. Justin says Kristen was on the RIMS board for years and is the RIMS Immediate Past President. [8:36] Kristen taught Tyler that risk management is about people. She balances technical expertise with emotional intelligence. Tyler learned from her that the best professionals are the ones who can translate complexity into clarity and build trust across the organization. [8:56] Tyler says, across the industry, it's all about relationships. Kristen taught him that early on. Kristen has had many interns, and they share a community, and she connects with each of them, so they have a network within a network. [9:13] Kristen taught Tyler that we're only as successful as those that we bring up in the industry as well. It's full-circle for Tyler, now being seven years out of college, and giving back to whom he gives now. Any time someone reaches out to Kristen, Kristen loops Tyler in. They talk weekly. [9:44] Throughout the steps Tyler has taken in his career, Kristen has been there. It means something to find that mentor with whom you really connect, whether it be through RIMS Mentor Match or local university mentors. [9:59] You may go through some that aren't an exact fit, and that's OK. Mentorship can't be forced. Look for that person that you want to learn from, build from, and find success from. [10:25] Tyler says he is far more comfortable in public speaking now because of his experiences with Kristen and his experiences in risk management than when he joined the profession. Tyler avoided taking a public speaking class that was offered in high school. He was not extroverted. [10:56] Tyler was somewhat shy going into college. In going to the risk management and insurance pizza and bonus points session, he was nervous to meet people. But it was the push to get out of his comfort zone. [11:14] Dr. Jill Bisco, Kristen Peed, and other mentors taught Tyler that pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is where you grow as a professional and personally. Tyler has made not only industry connections but also some of his best friends by putting himself out there. [11:38] Public speaking still makes Tyler a little nervous. He says it's cool to look back and see how much he has grown as a professional by putting himself out there. [12:24] Tyler went to the University of Akron and then started on the carrier/underwriting side as an underwriter. He went through a graduate development program at Westfield Insurance, close to home. [12:43] Tyler learned small business underwriting at Westfield and moved to Zurich for middle market underwriting. From there, a mentor of his from Akron University, Kirk Gross of Safelite, came to Tyler with an entry-level opportunity as a Business Continuity Analyst. [13:14] From there, Tyler has grown to where he is today. After Safelite, Tyler was with Avery Dennison as an Insurance Risk Analyst. Now he is with Cook Group, which owns Cook Medical, in Indianapolis. [13:31] Tyler's focus has been depth and versatility. He wants to continue to strengthen his technical foundation. He's gaining exposure across many areas, being a risk manager at a large company in the medical space. [13:47] This exposure includes operational risk, governance, and resilience. It's about emerging risks and how much they've changed recently. In the long term, Tyler hopes to play a role in shaping how organizations integrate risk into strategic-level decision-making. [14:02] Tyler would love to lead a team, continue to mentor the younger professionals, and continue doing what he can for the profession, whether it's leadership or workforce development, and change what the future of this industry looks like. [14:23] Tyler has been sitting on the RIMS Rising Risk Professional Advisory Group for five years. He notes that it has changed a lot. It's an ever-evolving landscape that Tyler wants to contribute to, long-term. [14:43] Tyler says risk management and insurance has been a conservative-minded industry. He would like to see it having an inclusive mindset, moving forward, working in different types of teams, and taking on different types of risks. [14:55] Tyler says risk management is not just buying insurance, it's protecting against the unknown geopolitical environment, the macroeconomic environment, and cyber. When Tyler joined this industry seven years ago, it was totally different. It takes a proactive mindset. [16:22] A Quick Break! The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [15:45] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [15:59] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [16:16] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. That is when the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference will be held in Quebec City. Booth sales are already open. The call for educational session proposals is open through May 8th. Early-bird registration will open in June. [16:35] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [16:51] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Tyler Vaughan! [17:21] Tyler mentions some unknowns regarding the Middle East: supply chain risk, physical personnel risk, and cyber. Cyber was a new risk when Tyler joined the industry.  [17:41] Tyler did a course in college on the TJ Maxx data breach of the late 2000s. He thought that every company is protected against this now; we aren't going to see a data breach again. Everyone can see that's not the case. The unknowns of cyber keep Tyler interested. [18:40] Unknowns can slow things down. Geopolitical conflict potentially affects every business unit within the corporation: HR, Marketing, the supply chain, and procurement. For your company's success, you protect against disruption with insurance and strategic conversations. [19:24] Tyler entered the risk profession just as COVID was hitting. He says he joined Westfield and had training in a classroom before getting a desk. Then they were told that they were going to work from home for a couple of weeks. He never went back to the office at Westfield. [20:43] Tyler says working from home took self-motivation. In the first couple of months. Tyler didn't have the collaboration of meeting with underwriters, management, and leadership at the company that he needed to learn the profession. [21:16] Thinking back to his college time, Tyler says that for students, it must have been very different to excel in a remote environment. [21:56] Students often ask Tyler if he knows of any fully remote opportunities. Tyler was fully remote at Safelite. He needed personal interactions. He suggests a hybrid approach. In the early stages of a career, for learning, be in the office for a couple of years before going fully remote. [23:27] A hybrid approach is Tyler's favorite. Be strategic about the times when everyone is in the office versus remote. That's how Tyler looks at the future environment. [23:57] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [24:23] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [24:38] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [24:50] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [24:58] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Tyler Vaughan! [25:15] Tyler says he's excited to receive his award, but there's a lot of pressure to be on stage in front of the global risk community at RISKWORLD. What if he tripped? He was emailing Joshua Salter of RIMS. Joshua assured him they would walk him through it, don't even think about it. [25:35] Tyler says it's so cool to have that network behind him and the support he has had through his career thus far. He thinks receiving that award will be very full-circle. He can't wait to see future professionals win the award. He recalls his friend Megan Smalter winning it last year. [26:08] Tyler says it's different seeing your friends succeed. You find real value in that. He hopes his friends who attend RISKWORLD will apply next year. [27:26] Tyler says in-office exposure is important for preserving the risk knowledge from some of the seasoned professionals, so their techniques and wisdom are not lost when they retire. Take advantage of one-on-ones with other experienced professionals besides your direct leader. [27:46] Learn through documentation, informal mentoring, and collaborative problem-solving. Individuals who have been there longer than you are there to help you learn. They want to see you succeed. [27:58] Tyler suggests being proactive about how you reach out to individuals and to keep this knowledge in notes. Tyler started writing on a notepad. Now he uses a shared drive. If you move to a new opportunity, transfer your notes from your work computer to the people you leave. [28:37] Be strategic and meet as many professionals as you can. Introduce yourself. Tyler recently told students at a Spencer event to have their elevator speech ready. Know whom you want to talk to and take advantage of that. [29:08] Tyler is a judge on the Spencer Risk Challenge. There are very talented students coming from around the world to present. It's very interesting to hear the different ways they think about the case study. Tyler loves engaging with the students. [29:39] Tyler says that last year's team from South Africa came to support the South African team in the Top Eight this year. It's awesome that RIMS partners with Spencer on the Challenge. [30:07] Justin notes that Megan Miller of Spencer Educational Foundation has been on RIMScast speaking of the Spencer events lined up for RISKWORLD. [30:43] Tyler says to young risk professionals, don't be discouraged if you don't have it all figured out at first, whether it's the job or your path in the industry. There's no one correct way to go about this industry on the carrier side, risk management, or broker side. [31:08] It's what you make it. The opportunities are here, so you do not have to settle. If you're not in the right fit, you can explore your opportunities. If you need more knowledge, don't be afraid to ask questions. It means something to know that you're utilizing your resources to learn. [31:45] Invest in relationships. Your network is your net worth. It takes time and effort to build your brand and who knows you. Tyler says it's worth it in the long run, and you make some of your best friends. [32:19] Justin reminds us that Michael Strahan is the closing keynote at RISKWORLD. Tyler hopes to meet him backstage. Adam Grant is the opening keynote. Lots of other highly-regarded people will also present at RISKWORLD. [33:08] Tyler says the opening session is always a grand time where you will see everyone who will be attending. [33:15] Recently, Tyler worked with the Rising Risk Professional Advisory Group to create the Rising Risk Professional/Student Track. That will be uploaded to the RISKWORLD site and app. The group was strategic about the best sessions to suggest to students. Tyler will attend. [33:59] Tyler says the Student Networking Luncheon has grown since he attended as a student. That is an event for all the students to attend. Probably upwards of 120 people will attend. [34:22] It's a roundtable session where industry professionals will move from table to table to tell you their story in this industry and answer questions. If you're not able to attend some of the other sessions on the student track, attend this luncheon. [34:42] Justin says we've got links to that with the information in this episode's show notes. [34:55] Tyler, thank you so much for joining us! It's obviously a well-deserved award for you this year. I look forward to meeting you in person, in Philadelphia, and seeing you continue to do great things for the risk community! [35:14] Special thanks again to RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Award Winner Tyler Vaughan for joining us here on RIMScast. We will eventually update this episode's show notes with a link to the Awards Edition of RIMS Risk Management Magazine. [35:31] Be sure to tune in next week, when we are joined by the RIMS 2026 Risk Manager of the Year. I don't know if I'm allowed to say who it is yet, but if you know, then you know. Subscribe to RIMScast through your favorite podcasting app so you don't miss one single episode! [35:52] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [36:21] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [36:38] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [36:56] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [37:13] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [37:26] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [37:39] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! LAST CALL! RIMS on YouTube! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | www.rimscanadaconference.ca | Submit Your Session by May 8! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Northeast Ohio RIMS Chapter (NEO RIMS) RISKWORLD Playlists:

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Nick Quigley, Risk Manager at the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centers (SARC). This is Nick's second career, after starting in the Canadian Military. Nick explains how he joined the military before graduating from high school, the training and education he received, and his field of operational risk and training safety. He says he loved his work, but in 2019, he was medically retired with PTSD. Retirement got old fast, and when he got the opportunity to help a company recover from the problems of the COVID shutdown, he stepped up. From there, he joined SARC, where he works today. Nick speaks of the recycling mission of SARC, and how he has increased his education while there, receiving the RIMS-CRMP recently, and continues his studies. He recounts some of the activities of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter (SKRIMS), where he serves on the board. He shares how he manages his PTSD and why he advocates for removing the stigma around mental health. Listen for insight on living with PTSD while managing risk at a major non-profit organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Nicholas Quigley, RIMS-CRMP. He is the Risk Specialist for the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centers, or SARC. [:52] We will discuss recycling, energy efficiency, how his military career led him to risk management, and mental health awareness. But first… [1:01] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on May 13th and 14th. The very popular CBCP and RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Bootcamp will be held from May 18th through the 21st. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be held on June 9th and 10th. [1:21] Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:23] Webinars. On May 14th, Origami Risk will return with a new session, "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility." [1:35] On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:50] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:10] On with the Show! Our guest today is Nick Quigley, the Risk Specialist for the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centers (SARC). He is an educator, a veteran, and a member of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter (SKRIMS). Justin met Nick at a SKRIMS event.  [2:34] Nick will discuss the work he does for SARC, which handles recycling and energy efficiency, his involvement with SKRIMS, his certifications, including the RIMS-CRMP, and what it's like to be an educator. [2:48] For Mental Health Awareness Month in May, and in Canada, Mental Health Week from May 4th through 10th, Nick will tell us how PTSD impacts his life and his career as a risk professional, how he handles these challenges, and offer words of comfort. Let's get to it! [3:18] Interview! Nick Quigley, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:32] Nick is wearing a shirt that reads: Risk Manager: I solve problems you don't know you have. Nick has worn that shirt to board meetings, senior management meetings, presentations, and to his class when he was teaching. [4:22] Justin mentions a great presentation Nick led last year. After the presentation, Justin wanted Nick to be on RIMScast. Nick also has a RIMS CRMP Story. [4:57] Before Nick was out of high school, he saw an ad for the summer: Do you want to make  $6,000 this summer, and do you like being outdoors? Nick grew up in a small community on Prince Edward Island, and he loves the outdoors. [5:34] He filled out paperwork, not noticing the top of the form, Government of Canada, Department of National Defense. When he showed up at the recruiting center for testing, he saw what he had done. [6:06] Nick followed through, did his basic recruit training and his trades training, and became qualified as a signals operator. His job was radios, satellites, and IT. He enjoyed it. But he got an opportunity early on to focus on operational risk and training safety. [6:35] It was not a traditional 9-to-5. Every day there was something different. That's what kept it exciting. Nick retired in 2019. Then came COVID. People who knew Nick's background asked him to come work with them. He went back to work and found out he enjoyed it again. [7:16] Nick found a second life, working full-time again, in risk management. Nick's background was in operations and crisis and emergency management. He has a degree in emergency management. [8:17] Nick says retirement was fun, at first. All his friends had to go to work, while he did what he wanted. It was also lonely, because all his friends were at work. It got old, really fast. [9:19] Nick says when he retired, he did some little projects and woodworking, but that got old, too. Doing it all day felt like work, not a hobby or a passion. It got lonely and boring, and he needed a change. [9:51] Nick got recruited into risk management from somebody who knew his military background and offered him a chance to assist them during COVID. He got his ISO 31000 while he was there. Shortly after, he went to a large, non-profit charity where he is the risk manager. [10:38] The charity manages all the recycling across the Province of Saskatchewan. Nick got his RIMS-CRMP within a couple of months of starting this position. He has been a lifelong learner. Education can lead to a better outcome when it comes to real-world applicability. [11:14] Nick says education gives you a baseline understanding of what you need to know. Experience allows you to modify what you have learned to fit the situation. [11:44] People tell Nick he has more letters after his name than in his name. He believes education is important. Now he is working toward becoming a Chief Internal Auditor from the IIA. [12:21] Nick explains how SARC operates across Saskatchewan. They collect aluminum cans and other materials from customers and return the deposit fees to the customers. They sort and process the materials and ship them to downstream market partners for recycling. [13:49] SARC has several streams: aluminum, plastics, glass, flexible packaging, and styrofoam. [14:00] Yesterday, April 20th, was Earth Day. SARC takes that seriously. SARC's mission is to have a large recycling presence and to be the best at what they do. [14:52] Nick is fascinated by innovations coming out now in how we leverage technology. Nick read an article about Finland using their data centers underground to heat houses and businesses. [15:38] Nick is always looking for ways to make things more efficient or streamline processes to make them better. If we can do that by reusing materials instead of taking them out of the earth, why not? [16:02] Nick is the Risk Group at SARC. He is a department of one. He gets to dictate his priorities, with guidance from senior management and the strategic initiatives. He can look at things across the organization. Nick has the trust of senior management. [17:03] Nick makes sure senior management is apprised of situations that will negatively affect them, their mission, vision, values, or the strategic priorities. They rely on his expertise when things pop up. [17:32] Nick says when he started, one of the interesting things he got to do was to follow the recyclable material from start to finish. What does it go through at SARC, and where does it go downstream? He spent a lot of time building out those processes to make them efficient. [18:10] Nick worked with Operations and Processing to see how they are doing it and look at it from the perspective of reducing risk, unneeded redundancies, and bottlenecks. [18:45] SARC and SARCAN, the recycling system, have been around since 1989. They had processes. It's a large, fairly mature organization, with about 1,000 employees in 76 locations across the province, serving 1.1 million people. [19:15] Nick's role was to validate the processes. Are they efficient? Can we do better? What can we change? How does the customer experience get better? We want people to bring back their recyclables. If it's a barrier, they're not going to bring them back, and it's wasted material. [19:31] Saskatchewan has a collection rate that's higher than that of other provinces. Some provinces don't have a system. Others rely on a curbside collection system. [20:16] The provinces share knowledge. They have a collective, and the senior management confers with them and shares knowledge about what works and what doesn't. SARC is a non-profit charity, and some of the other systems have a for-profit system. [20:49] SARC owns and operates the collection depot and the recycling system. They don't have the intricacies and risks of working with external businesses in the process. They own the process. They don't have the risks that come with third-party management. [21:36] A Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [21:56] Public registration is open, and booth sales are still available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [22:06] We will kick off Day 1 with a conversation with Adam Grant. He is an organizational psychologist, best-selling author, and a leading management thinker. [22:13] The excitement continues with the announcement of the closing keynote. NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion, Emmy-winning broadcaster, and entrepreneur Michael Strahan will be on the main stage on May 6th. Justin is super stoked! [22:29] If you're still on the fence, this is the time to smash that Register button and hear from one of the all-time greats. [22:36] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [22:53] Save the dates, October 18th through the 21st. That is when the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference will be held in Quebec City. Booth sales are already open. The call for educational session proposals will open soon, and early-bird registration will open in June. [23:13] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [23:29] Let's Return to Our Interview with Nicholas Quigley! [23:34] Nick was interviewed for a RIMS-CRMP Story. Nick loves having RIMS-CRMP after his name. Few people in Saskatchewan carry it. Some people don't know what it is. [24:10] Nick sits on the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter board, and he also acts as an advocacy officer. He promotes understanding of the designation. Canada has a CRM designation, but the RIMS-CRMP designation is also available and just as important. [24:59] Justin says there are 13 RIMS-CRMP certification holders in Saskatchewan and 172 in Canada. He hopes to raise those numbers. [25:12] In Nick's RIMS-CRMP Story, he talked about his military experience and some of the mental health challenges he experienced with it. Regarding Mental Health Week, May 4th‒10th, and Mental Health Awareness Month, in May, Justin asks what Nick wants to share. [25:52] Nick has been a proponent and advocate of reducing stigma around mental health. He lives with PTSD. It's not going to go away, but he can function with it. There are good days and bad days. Everybody has a bad day. [26:35] When Nick has a bad day, he restricts his movement and interaction. He needs a day to reset. That's what it is now. When he was first diagnosed, it was a lot different. There were a lot more bad days than good days. It could extend for a week or two at a time. [27:01] Nick says, now, a bad day comes about once every three months. It's just something that he lives with. Nick knows the triggers, and he can sense when it's coming. When he knows that it's coming, he informs his boss, and he takes a sick day. [27:27] Nick says that in his role, he advocates for the disability sector. It's one of the values at SARC, as well. The culture is open to that; there is no stigma in his office. It's not the norm across the corporate culture of any industry, and Nick has found it to be a challenge. [28:00] When Nick retired in 2019, he was medically retired because of his diagnosis. If he hadn't been diagnosed, he'd probably still be in the Army. He loved his job and what he did there. He was not ready to retire, but he had to retire. [28:21] With retirement, there came a lot of acceptance and grief. When veterans retire, it's like losing a family. You spend more time with the people you work with all day than with your family. You get posted overseas for extended periods. [28:42] Those are the work buddies you know and live with. Then all of a sudden, you have to retire. It's a hard adjustment, especially when it comes to mental health. [29:00] Nick says the best thing you can do when you have PTSD is to hang out with people and create normalcy. When you get retired, that gets taken away from you. It takes a lot of time to come to terms with that. Some veterans need a lot of assistance with that transition. It's hard. [29:55] Nick says PTSD can hit military, police, fire, and paramedics. It doesn't discriminate. It can happen in a corporate environment. It's traumatic, whether it's vicarious trauma or trauma that you experienced. [30:13] If you have repeated exposure, without processing and dealing with that trauma, if you continually suppress it, eventually it becomes PTSD. [30:56] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [31:17] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [31:32] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [31:44] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [31:53] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Nick Quigley! [32:17] It took Nick a long time to come to terms with being open about PTSD. There's a lot of stigma still around it. [32:40] When Nick was ready to go back to the workforce after retirement, it was a challenge to find work, simply because risk managers may have to deal with a crisis. They have a lot of stress put on them. [32:59] People see PTSD in movies, and they think it means you're low-functioning, that you can't handle any stress, and that it's exacerbated to the point where it's unmanageable. Those are not the people who just live with it day-to-day. [33:25] There may be an unconscious bias that people with PTSD may not be suited to this role. It's not true. Military veterans are probably the people you want in high-stress jobs. A military member's worst day at work is worse than anything the corporate world can throw at them. [33:56] Military service comes with a lot of risk and a lot of high-pressure scenarios. Nick says there's nothing in the corporate environment that shakes him. You can tell, in a room in crisis, who the military veterans are. They're the ones sitting, talking to each other, not freaking out. [34:50] Nick advocates for mental health all the time. Nick has a service dog that goes with him everywhere. Often, people stop him with questions. He tells them that, as a veteran with PTSD, his dog helps him function. [35:37] Nick is open and honest about PTSD. He says if we can be open and honest about it, it lowers the stigma around it and normalizes it. People don't expect such openness, but Nick doesn't care to hide it. [36:48] Justin shares a link for CMHA.ca and their Mental Health Week page and resources. [37:06] Justin notes that SKRIMS is one of the top chapters of RIMS. SKRIMS Annual Golf Day will be on Wednesday, August 19th, at the beautiful Harbor Golf Club in Elbow, Saskatchewan. Check out the Saskatchewan.RIMS.org page for more information. [37:35] Nick says being at SKRIMS is awesome. He has sat on many boards, and it is difficult to find a group of volunteers so passionate and so willing to do anything and everything to give back to the membership. The SKRIMS board asks how to give back more. [38:08] Nick says last Fall, SKRIMS did a volunteer day at Habitat for Humanity. On April 24th, they're volunteering at a food bank. They'll have contingents at both Saskatoon and Regina at the same time. [38:50] SARC is supportive of Nick's involvement with SKRIMS. They help where they can. Where they can't, the SKRIMS board works around it. That's a benefit of having such an active board. If Nick doesn't have capacity with his workload, another person on the board steps up to assist. [39:28] Justin mentions some of the board, including President Katherine Dawal, Chelsea Wilson, and Chelsea Andrusiak, and other SKRIMS members; a great group of folks who are making a difference. [40:13] Nick says SKRIMS has pushed educational institutions to offer risk management courses. There's one in development with a Master's Certificate. A board member, Jim MacKenzie, taught the first Uncertainty Management course at the University of Regina. [40:33] Nick is just finishing the Risk Management course at the University of Saskatchewan. Nick is a sessional lecturer. This is the first University class he has taught. He loved the class and his students, with their engagement and curiosity. [41:02] With Nick's students being business and finance majors, all risk applies to them because risk is not siloed; it's overreaching. Now they have foundational risk management knowledge as a base, so they are better equipped when they enter the business sector. [41:56] Nick says he asked his class to estimate when the first episode of Gilligan's Island was aired on TV. They all said it was in the '80s or '90s, not 1964. He definitely dated himself with them. A lot of the references fell short because they weren't born until 2001. [43:02] Nick's last words on the risk profession, "It is an interesting field. It's never the same. The thing I love most about it is that I can work anywhere. I can work for any company. I am not stuck in one vertical market. If a company needs to manage risk, you can provide value. [43:21] "That's one of the most interesting things; I can learn about vertical markets and sectors, but I can still apply my risk knowledge to assist them. I don't need to be a subject matter expert in their field. I just need to assist them and prompt them to look at it the right way. [43:40] "That's more valuable than anything. In some careers, you go down the path. If you're a plumber, you're a plumber. You can't be an electrician tomorrow, right?" [44:13] Nick, it's been a real pleasure to see you again, and I hope to see you at the RIMS Canada Conference, October 18th through the 21st, in Quebec. [44:26] Special thanks again to Nick Quigley for joining us here on RIMScast. We appreciate his candidness, and we have links to more resources about mental health and risk management.  [44:36] I have a link to his RIMS-CRMP Story in this episode's show notes, along with a link to his chapter's site, the Saskatchewan Chapter of RIMS. They're fantastic; some of my favorite people! [44:51] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [45:19] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [45:37] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [45:55] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [46:12] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [46:25] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [46:37] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | RIMSCanadaConference.caCall For Education Submissions Open Through May 8 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories, Featuring This Week's Guest, Nick Quigley RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Mental Health Week Canada — May 4‒10, 2026 SKRIMS Home Page SARCSARCAN.ca Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep | May 13‒14 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility" | May 14 | Presented by Origami Risk "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction" | May 28 | Presented by Zurich RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "World Water Day and the Circular Water Economy with Ralph Exton of WEF" "Mental Health Awareness Month 2023" "Mental Health in the Workplace with Darcy Gruttadaro"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant    RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: C. Nicholas Quigley, CD, BESMS, RIMS-CRMP   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews SERMC members Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow about the new RIMS Executive Report they co-authored with Joe Pugh, also of the SERMC, "Board Risk Reporting: How to Deliver Insights that Matter." Suzanne and Trisha share tips for preparing to report to your board, how frequent reporting should be, and the difference between the board's oversight and the executive team's management. Trisha also shares descriptions of her two upcoming RISKWORLD presentations on May 6th. Listen for insight on providing the board with the information they need to support the organization's objectives and strategies.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is board reporting and ERM, and our guests are Trisha Sqrow and Suzanne Christensen of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. They've co-authored a new Executive Report. We're going to talk all about it. But first… [:58] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:14] Webinars. On April 16th, Zurich and World Travel Protection will present "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times". [1:24] On May 14th, Origami Risk will return with a new session, "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/webinars and through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:39] Folks, for more RIMS content, head over to YouTube and subscribe to @RIMSOfficialChannel. There you will find video podcasts, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. [1:55] Head over to RMMagazine.com for the Q1 Edition of the Azbee-Award-winning publication, RIMS Risk Management Magazine. [2:06] On with the Show! Our guests are Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow. As members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council, they co-authored the new RIMS Executive Report, "Board Risk Reporting: How to Deliver Insights that Matter." [2:24] Co-authored by Joe Pugh of the AARP, a RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council member, the report provides practical insights and guidance to risk practitioners who report to their organization's board of directors or overarching governance committees. [2:38] The report provides guidance on aligning this reporting with the board's role and expectations, the steps that should be taken to sustain the alignment, and how to ensure reporting provides the board with the appropriate level of detail. [2:52] The link to the report is available in this episode's show notes. You can also visit the Risk Knowledge section of RIMS.org. If you like what you read and you like what you hear today, be sure to hear Patricia and Joe at RISKWORLD on May 6th at 11:30 a.m. in Room 119-AB. [3:11] They will extend the dialog with the session "From Risk Aware to Risk Savvy: Elevating Board-Level Risk Reporting and Engagement." It will undoubtedly be a fantastic session! [3:21] Let's talk about board reporting right now! [3:23] Interview! Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:31] Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow have been carrying the torch for the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council at RIMS for years. Now, they are rejoining us on RIMScast. It's a delight to welcome them both back. [3:57] The new RIMS Executive Report, "Board Risk Reporting: How to Deliver Insights that Matter," was co-authored by Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow, with Joe Pugh, who is also on the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. [4:15] This paper is available for a limited time exclusively to RIMS members. It will then be open to the public. There's a lot of great information in it, and it gets right to the point. [4:40] Research shows that while many risk professionals believe their reporting supports board decision-making, most boards are still asking for more information and deeper analysis. [4:47] Trisha says, boards are becoming more interested in understanding the risk profile of the organization, what's being done, and how leadership is managing risk, because we are in a complex time. There are so many risks that are not internal. [5:33] The board is asking: How do we look at this, how can we manage what we can, and prepare for and respond to those things that we can't manage, but that could come and hit us? [5:47] Boards are more interested. They have regulatory concerns and requirements, potential liability, and things of that nature. [6:07] Suzanne agrees with Trisha about the complexity in our post-COVID world with the interconnectedness of risks and the unexpected. Regarding the pace of change, Suzanne says hang onto your seats right now, particularly with AI! [6:30] Boards serve a lot of constituents and stakeholders, and they're feeling pressure. They're looking for more insightful analysis. The report gets into how to figure out what is insightful to a board. Justin notes that each board will have a different definition of insightful. [6:58] One board can change over time as different board members bring different dynamics and expectations to the board. The paper has a point about keeping pace with the board. [7:18] The paper makes the point that effective board reporting is not about what risk teams want to say but about what boards need to hear. [7:43] Suzanne breaks down the difference between the need that the board knows and understands, and articulates, and the things they should also know, to be good board members. That takes exploration. There are things the board might not know to ask. [8:10] Risk professionals have knowledge and context. They need to lean in and say, "You're asking for this, and that's super important, but in addition, here are some other things to be aware of." You need to start with a mutual understanding. There's a process to go through. [8:31] Trisha says the risk practitioner has the largest view of the risk profile of the organization. The board is thinking more of strategic goals and objectives, but they do want to know about the risk. Board risk reporting is a matter of working to connect strategy with risk management. [9:07] The risk practitioner can develop a culture of discussion and openness to discuss risks, mitigations, and possible blind spots. [9:26] Suzanne says one of the primary roles of the board is to make sure the firm has the right strategy and they're executing it appropriately. The biggest risk to the board is becoming irrelevant to constituents and clients. Not all key risks to the organization are equal to the board. [9:59] The board spends more time on the strategic risks. When reporting, you can't forget the operating risks. You can summarize them as "Here are some things to look at that we've got covered. So, let's spend more time over here." [10:46] If you don't first build alignment with executive management before engaging with the board, Suzanne says you'll end up with a modern-day Babylon. You won't end up with support from the key risk owners on the strategic side. The owners of the risk are the decision-makers. [11:02] The decision-makers are management and executive management. It has to be their story, and they have to buy in. Risk practitioners are the facilitators to create that alignment so those conversations can be robust, open, and transparent. [11:44] Trisha says the executive leadership team (ELT) is the liaison and connection to the board. Most risk practitioners may not be in all of the board meetings or interacting with the board regularly. The executive leaders probably are. [12:05] The ELT can bridge the gap. They have the relationships and know the personalities of the board members. They understand how the board likes to receive information and can help the risk practitioner develop reports in that way. They can open the line of communication more. [12:28] Trisha says that in her previous work for DFW Airport and others, they did this through the structure of the Enterprise Risk Management program, having a risk council report periodically to the ELT, so they have the information and can go forth with it. [13:17] Suzanne says the best practice is to spend some prep time to get some baseline knowledge and level-setting across, so when you go into those meetings, the conversations will be richer. You're not educating. You're getting right to what you want to focus on in your report. [13:58] There are different methods for doing that, depending on the organization, with its aptitude and appetite. You can do it in a pre-conversation setting, starting with the ELT, so that they're part of that conversation, helping to drive it. That is ideal. [14:21] A Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [14:41] Public registration is open, and booth sales are still available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [14:50] We will kick off Day 1 with a conversation with Adam Grant. He is an organizational psychologist, best-selling author, and a leading influential management thinker. [14:59] The excitement continues with the announcement of the closing keynote speaker. NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion, Emmy-winning broadcaster, and entrepreneur Michael Strahan will be on the main stage on May 6th. Justin is super stoked! [15:15] If you're still on the fence, this is the time to smash that Register button and hear from one of the all-time greats. [15:23] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [15:42] Let's Return to Our Interview with Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow! [16:10] Suzanne says you want to exude confidence when you initiate a risk dialogue with executive leaders and the board, but you don't want to look so buttoned-up that when something does go bump, they look at you and say they thought you had that covered. [16:42] Trisha says it's very important to build those relationships as you can, so you have direct knowledge of the primary stakeholders you are working with, and so you can communicate better with them and provide good, insightful tidbits of knowledge. [17:10] Boards are to maintain oversight and not get down into the management level. [17:22] Suzanne says good reputational risk management establishes credibility up front, without appearing confident that you can prevent every risk from happening. Something big could happen. You need a good business crisis plan. The board could be involved in a crisis. [18:26] Boards need to be risk savvy, not just risk-aware. The educational part is helping the board understand the organization and the key risks to it. Then they need to be actively engaged so they're asking better questions and leveraging that knowledge to make better decisions. [18:44] That's the evolution you're working on. It's ideal to do some of the educational work up front so you don't have to do it in real-time. It helps to get quickly to the risk-savvy, better decision-making piece. [19:12] Trisha explains the difference between being risk-informed and risk savvy. When you learn risk at the basic level, you know the nuts and bolts. Becoming risk savvy is understanding how it all integrates together. How do we start seeing what risks are interconnected? [19:40] Trisha asks how we see how the external factors that we face in the world could impact our strategic goals and initiatives. You need to mitigate risks, plan, and prepare for them, and think through your overarching organizational resiliency. [20:07] The risk practitioner doesn't just present a list of risks and mitigation plans. They say, here's what we're seeing and how this could impact that. Here are the systemic issues, and talk about what we are doing from that larger perspective. [20:32] Suzanne thinks it's important not to be backward-looking but to have foresight and look around the corner at what's ahead and ask how we can be more nimble as we charge forward. How can we adapt better to the new environment and manage risks in real-time? [20:53] That all helps to build foresight and the ability to think about what could go awry, or what new opportunity we need to take to achieve our goals. These are important points to being risk savvy. [21:29] Suzanne says in some organizations, board reporting is not happening. There is zero cadence. Some organizations report almost quarterly. In those cases, is the board providing oversight or management? [22:06] Consider how much information and what you are reporting; insights beat volume. What are the insights you need the board to know? Determine the level of information the executive team, the audit compliance committee, and the full board need. It's organization-specific. [22:47] Trisha addresses information overload. If you can get some pre-read out there, so that you can then have a conversation, that's ideal. Think about what decisions they need to make to know what information they will need to have in hand to make those decisions. [23:14] The decisions that are being made are different, depending on the group you are reporting to. Strategic decisions are going to need this information; operational decisions will need this other information. [23:39] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period opened on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [24:00] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [24:15] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [24:27] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [24:36] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Suzanne Christensen and Trisha Sqrow! [25:21] Justin asks about rightsizing, in terms of reporting. Suzanne says there is a set of goals or objectives behind right-sizing. When you get to the objectives, you can think about how you rightsize for those objectives. What do they need to know to make those decisions? [25:59] Trisha agrees. It goes back to understanding the audience and what they like to see, and saying, here are things that we need decisions on, or we need your thought process on. [26:21] Trisha has two sessions on Wednesday, May 6th, at RISKWORLD. The first one is with Katrina Gilbert from the DFW Chapter, "Kickoff to Resilience: A Case Study in Risk Management Strategies for Major Event Planning," from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. [26:49] Fifteen minutes later, Trisha will present "From Risk Aware to Risk Savvy: Elevating Board Level Risk Reporting and Engagement," with co-author Joe Pugh from AARP. [27:12] Trisha says there's a responsibility on the board to know that the program is operating as it should, it's bubbling up information that should be bubbled up, they're getting exception reporting, and they have confidence that it's coming their way; it's not haphazard. [27:44] There is a little bit of time that has to be spent talking about the program and how the board can have confidence in it. It doesn't have to be a long story. It's "Here's what we're focused on. Here's how we know we're good. We've done a benchmark. We know we keep it current." [24:12] Suzanne says you want to enable informed oversight. You want to think through what they would need so that they can provide oversight to you. [28:18] You need forward thinking, looking at not only what's happening now, but also at what the potential emerging risks are. What are we watching for? How are we preparing for those things? Work to engage the board as you go forward. [28:33] Trisha says to get feedback on an ongoing basis. It's helpful to do annual surveys, but it's also asking in real-time, "Does this make sense; are you getting what you need?" [28:49] You can tell, based on the engagement, the level of discussion, and their questions. They should be asking insightful questions. That allows you to tell a deeper story because they're obviously interested in it. It's not a one-and-done. [29:30] Trisha says it's an honor to be able to speak at RISKWORLD or any RIMS event. She thanks the RIMS team, the SERMC, and others across the committees that selected the sessions. She is really excited to have the opportunity to do both sessions. [29:51] The "Large Event Planning" session will focus on what the DFW Airport has done to prepare for the FIFA World Cup, considering what it looks like to apply enterprise risk management to something of this magnitude and scale. [30:11] Katrina will do a case study, and Trisha will talk about higher-level issues. [30:17] The "Board Reporting" session will showcase the executive report just published that she co-authored. Trisha's excited. She understands her commute is just next door, which helps a lot since they are just 15 minutes apart. [30:43] Justin says we appreciate both of you for all the contributions you've made to RIMS through the years. I look forward to seeing you at RISKWORLD. Thank you for being such wonderful champions of the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council here at RIMS! [31:04] Special thanks again to Trisha Sqrow and Suzanne Christensen for joining us on RIMScast. Check out the new RIMS Executive Report, "Board Risk Reporting: How to Deliver Insights that Matter." The link is in this episode's show notes and at RIMS.org/risk-knowledge. [31:24] The dialogue about board reporting and this executive report will be extended at RISKWORLD on May 6th. Trisha and her other co-author, Joe Pugh of AARP, will lead the session "From Risk Aware to Risk Savvy: Elevating Board-Level Risk Reporting and Engagement." [31:42] That session will be held in Room 119-AB. Prior to that session, Trisha will be co-presenting the session "Kickoff to Reslience: A Case Study in Risk Management Strategies for Major Event Planning," in Room 118-BC with her former DFW colleague, Katrina Gilbert. [32:04] If you haven't done so already, be sure to register for RISKWORLD at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD.  [32:10] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [32:39] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [32:57] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [33:15] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [33:31] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [33:45] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [33:57] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Board Risk Reporting: How to Deliver Insights That Matter: Press Release | Download Paper Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepApril 21‒22, 2026 | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times" | April 16 | Presented by Zurich and World Travel Protection "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility" | May 14 | Presented by Origami Risk RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO" "Risk Quantification Through Value-Based Frameworks" (2024) "The Value of Risk Management: Inside the RIMS 2025 Compensation Survey" "The Future of Strategic Risk Management" "Presilience and Cognitive Biases with Dr. Gav Schneider and Shreen Williams" "RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction 2025 Winner Sadig Hajiyev — Recorded live from the RIMS ERM Conference in Seattle!" "Risk Rotation with Lori Flaherty and Bill Coller of Paychex" "Energizing ERM with Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair" "Talking ERM: From Geopolitical Whiplash to Leadership Buy-In" "Tom Brandt on Growing Your Career and Organization with ERM"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Suzanne Christensen, RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council Trisha Sqrow, RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Imagine living in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Your friends and acquaintances don't share your value for human life. Even worse, these people expect you to accept the social norms and refuse to see the injustice of slavery. What would you do? Listen to a snippet of Elizabeth Van Lew's story. After the war General Grant thanked her personally. A riveting story!

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Kiersten Cash regarding the May 6th RISKWORLD session that she is co-presenting with Frank Wickersham, a Workers' Comp defense attorney, "Reefer Madness: Still in the Weeds with Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation Insurance, Legal, and Regulatory." Kiersten shares the biggest misconception risk professionals have about medical marijuana in Workers' Comp. She discusses the conversation around cannabis and workplace injury. Justin and Kiersten talk about the growing patchwork of state laws on cannabis and what risk managers should be paying close attention to right now. Kiersten explains the concerns about Workers' Comp paying for medical marijuana. She gives a preview of what to expect in her RISKWORLD session. Listen for insights about the problems of marijuana as a treatment option in Workers' Comp.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Kiersten Cash. She is the Senior Manager for Workers' Compensation and General Liability at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She's going to talk to us all about medical marijuana and Workers' Compensation Claims. But first… [:58] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:14] On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:29] Webinars. On April 16th, Zurich and World Travel Protection will present "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times". Register for webinars at RIMS.org/webinars and through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:47] Folks, for more RIMS content, head over to YouTube and subscribe to @RIMSOfficialChannel. There you will find video podcasts, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. [2:02] Head over to RMMagazine.com for the Q1 Edition of the Azbee-Award-winning publication, RIMS Risk Management Magazine. [2:15] On with the Show! Our guest today is the Senior Manager for Workers' Compensation and General Liability at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Kiersten J. Cash. She's here to discuss what's going on with medical marijuana and Workers' Compensation claims. [2:31] This will serve as a bit of a preview of her session at RISKWORLD on May 6th at 10:15 a.m. in Room 120-BC, "Reefer Madness: Still in the Weeds with Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation." [2:43] We will discuss whether cannabis is still an effective treatment for chronic pain due to workplace injury and what could happen if the U.S. Government were to change its schedule from number 1 to number 3. [2:54] We're going to learn about Kiersten's fascinating work and her career. Let's get to it! [3:00] Interview! Kiersten Cash, MBA, welcome to RIMScast! [3:23] Kiersten is with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP. Kiersten Cash has a session at RISKWORLD, "Reefer Madness." [4:27] Kiersten has been in the world of Workers' Comp for a little over 20 years. She started as an adjuster. She adjusted national market claims and middle market claims for 10 years. Then she went to the broker side. [4:46] She managed the claim program for the broker's largest client at the time, along with 23 other claim programs, covering all lines of insurance. Next, Kiersten worked for Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, a residential treatment facility. [5:06] Then Kiersten moved to CHOP, where she manages all of Workers' Comp, General Liability, and Auto for the health system. [5:22] Kiersten says Workers' Comp is one of those industries where you kind of fall into it. In the final year of her graduate program, she needed a job. She met someone who worked at Liberty Mutual, who said they were hiring claims adjusters. She took the job. [5:44] Kiersten says she tried to get out of this industry on numerous occasions, but the industry apparently loves her too much. She's glad she stayed because she really likes where she has ultimately landed, CHOP. [6:52] Kiersten is a member of the Delaware Valley Chapter of RIMS, the oldest RIMS chapter. RIMS is 76 years old. The chapter is 75 years old. Chapter President Tom Armstrong was on RIMScast recently, excited about all the cool things the host chapter is doing for RISKWORLD. [7:44] Justin asks what Kiersten feels is the biggest misconception risk professionals have about medical marijuana and Workers' Compensation. She thinks the biggest misconception is that there is a difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. [8:18] Kiersten says, as an employer, we do not want a trace in our employees' system while working, whether prescribed by a doctor or not. Legalizing marijuana for medicinal use does not excuse an employee from being impaired at work. [8:36] Kiersten thinks that, down the pike, this will cause a major conflict as this continues to be a topic of conversation. Kiersten hopes to dispel that misconception in this episode of RIMScast and in her presentation at RISKWORLD. [9:12] Kiersten says she has not had to have this conversation at CHOP from a Workers' Comp perspective, as they have not seen an influx of chronic pain or severe injuries in her tenure. That's good from the employer's perspective, as injuries are under control. [9:38] Kiersten says that when we get into back surgeries, shoulder surgeries, or other major surgeries, she definitely sees this conversation becoming an issue. [9:53] Kiersten says she is very good at interacting with the medical providers involved in her program. If medical marijuana were to become a treatment option, Kiersten would need to sit down with the pain management specialist or physician to talk about it, so it is monitored. [10:29] The goal is not to put an employee on medical marijuana and keep renewing the card so they're just out there, collecting marijuana. There has to be a treatment plan with a target date. [10:53] The goal of Workers' Compensation is always either to get the employee back to work or to their baseline, so they can function in society as a human being. [11:06] Kiersten has not had to deal with prescription opioid claims, thankfully. In her adjuster days, she has seen situations where opioids have been out of control. There were times when she would propose detox programs for employees who were addicted to opioids. [11:32] It would start with something like a back surgery. The employee was still in pain, and instead of addressing the cause of the pain, they would get opioids and end up getting addicted to them to the point that weaning off the opioids was not an option. [11:55] Talking about medicinal marijuana, could marijuana have the same effect? That's one thing we are not sure of right now. [12:25] Justin notes that opioid addiction often leads to huge nuclear verdicts and settlements, some of which are still being litigated. [12:47] Kiersten brings up the socioeconomic factor of the claim. You can't say, this person had back surgery; this is going to be a situation where they're going to be addicted to medical marijuana, or they're going to be addicted to opioids. [13:08] In her 20 years in the industry, Kiersten has seen that the motivation and the socioeconomic status of the employee, and their need to get back to normal, will always play a factor in whether this becomes an issue or is just something they have to do after surgery. [13:48] Kiersten has worked with plenty of employees who have had surgery, used opioids for three to five days, and asked what they can have instead, because they don't like this medication. That's something to take into account when having this conversation. [14:17] Kiersten talks about reimbursement costs and how long the payment would be required for medicinal marijuana, if approved. Is the medical marijuana prescribed for the work accident or for a pre-existing chronic condition that they claim was aggravated by the injury? [15:11] A Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [15:27] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges are now available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [15:45] Our guest today, Kiersten Cash, will be a session speaker at RISKWORLD. We are excited for her and also for our just-announced closing keynote, NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion, Emmy-winning broadcaster, and entrepreneur, Michael Strahan. [16:09] Michael Strahan will be on the main stage on May 6th. Justin is super stoked! If you're still on the fence, this is a fine time to smash that Register button and hear from one of the all-time greats. [16:21] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [16:41] Let's Return to Our Interview with Kiersten Cash of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia!  [16:49] On May 6th, Kiersten Cash will deliver the session at 10:15 a.m. in 120-BC, "Reefer Madness: Still in the Weeds with Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation." Kiersten will co-present with Frank Wickersham, a Workers' Comp defense attorney with Marshall Dennehy. [17:17] Kiersten says that after the presentation, she and Frank will leave time for Q&A. Kiersten says that audience participation makes her feel like she did her job. [18:07] Kiersten asks, why should the employer ever have to pay for marijuana. If an employer starts paying for medicinal marijuana for employee A, B, and C, they'll tell their friends they got a medical card after a work injury, CHOP is paying for it, and this is all you have to do to get it. [19:13] That can become a big issue. Kiersten thinks the biggest thing is for the employer to control what they will pay for, if they have to pay for anything, and to keep it contained, so people who are not hurt but want free medicinal marijuana do not become an issue for Workers' Comp. [20:14] In Pennsylvania, there is a mental-mental claim. People can initiate a mental-mental claim, for example, if they get into a dispute with a co-worker and don't feel comfortable coming to work because they don't want to work with said co-worker. [20:31] Mental-mental claims are very hard to prove. In Pennsylvania, nine times out of 10, they are denied. The burden of proof is on the employee to show that their mental issue is from a condition that arose out of something that happened at work. [21:08] Different states may have different laws that affect Workers' Comp. Kiersten always pays attention to what is going on in the Tri-State Area and the Mid-Atlantic Region. If something passes in one state, it might be about to pass in the next state. [21:50] Justin asks about Cannabis potentially shifting from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. Kiersten has not heard of that happening in Pennsylvania. Schedule III classifies a drug as having a medicinal benefit, as long as it's prescribed by a physician. [22:32] If the treating physician for the work injury prescribes a Schedule III medicine, the employer could be responsible for ongoing payment indefinitely. [22:48] Schedule I drugs are not classified as having a medicinal benefit and are considered highly addictive, similar to heroin and LSD. [23:03] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period opened on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [23:24] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [23:39] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [23:51] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [24:00] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Kiersten Cash of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia! [24:12] Kiersten is a department of two: herself and her Workers' Comp Specialist. They run the program together. [24:39] Kiersten mainly talks to managers, as she does a lot of accident investigation. Kiersten utilizes Teams a lot to establish relationships with the managers. They have a lot of videoconference calls. [24:55] They send a lot of emails back and forth, but her initial contact with everybody is through Teams, so they know who Kiersten is and what she looks like. She sets up tours and in-person meetings with staff, so they're comfortable with her, and she builds rapport. [25:20] If something is going on, Kiersten will go into the office and attend whatever meeting she needs to attend. The biggest way Kiersten gets to know a department is by setting up a meeting to do either shadowing or a tour of the department. [25:37] CHOP is a large organization. Once Kiersten visits a department, and everybody knows her, they're more comfortable with her when it comes to somebody getting injured. [25:57] Kiersten establishes herself as a contact so that for anything about Workers' Comp, they know to reach out to her. [26:26] Kiersten also has vendors that help CHOP navigate claims. She builds and maintains vendor relationships as part of her job. She goes to vendor locations, tours their facilities, and meets the staff. [26:57] Kiersten meets her nurses in person. Kiersten has met in person every nurse who works on her program. She has spoken to them, and they understand how the program is run. [27:09] Kiersten has a very good relationship with all of the outside vendors who manage her program, so that everybody is on the same page and everybody knows what the common goal is for each claim. [27:47] Kiersten's advice for the next generation of risk professionals is that Workers' Comp is absolutely the best line of insurance to learn with and hit the ground running in the industry. [28:03] With Workers' Compensation, you learn about legal, medical, how to pay somebody's wage benefits when they're out of work, what's related to work, and what's not related to work.  [28:22] You learn how to decipher a claim. You learn how to investigate properly, to understand what you should be paying for, and what you should not be paying for. Workers' Comp is very complex. Trust the process. [28:48] Being a claims adjuster is hard work, but it is only the first step to getting into a much bigger world of risk management. Kiersten says if she had not adjusted claims for 10 years, she would not be able to do the job that she has now. [19:07] Understand that there is a reason for everything that happens in your career, and that you're not stuck. If a door closes in your face, understand that just because that door closes, it doesn't mean another door will not open. [29:37] Michael Strahan is the RISKWORLD closing keynote on May 6th. Kiersten will be there. Is she stoked to see Michael Strahan? Kiersten's an Eagles fan, but back in the Strahan days, she would only watch the New York Giants just for him. It's exciting that he's there! [30:20] Justin says it has been such a delight to finally meet you and to have you on our show. Everyone out there, please remember to go to Room 120-BC for "Reefer Madness: Still in the Weeds with Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation," at 10:15 a.m. on May 6th. [30:53] Special thanks again to Kiersten Cash of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Check out her session, "Reefer Madness: Still in the Weeds with Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation," at RISKWORLD on May 6th at 10:15 a.m. in Room 120-BC. [31:18] Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD today. [31:22] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [31:50] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [32:08] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [32:26] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [32:42] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [38:56] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [33:09] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute Cannabis coverage in Risk Management Magazine RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepApril 21‒22, 2026 | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops "Claims Management" | April 7‒8 "Emerging Risks" | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times" | April 16 | Presented by Zurich and World Travel Protection RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Canna-Business Risks with Nikolas Komyati" "Opioid Awareness and Workers Comp Risks with Raji Chadarevian of the NCCI" "Bridging The Workers' Comp Talent Gap with Nikki Jackson" "Tom Armstrong on Leading Risk at Comcast and RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter" (2026) "Navigating Marine Risks in 2026 with Joshua Gold"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Kiersten J. Cash, MBA Senior Manager, Workers Compensation & General Liability Insurance Administration, Office of The General Counsel The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Roberts Center for Pediatric Research   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Anderson Kill Shareholder Joshua Gold on the May 5th RISKWORLD session that Joshua is co-presenting with RIMS Past President Lance Ewing, "Do Not Let Your Cargo Claim Go Down with the Ship: Tips to Improve Marine Insurance Protection." Joshua shares knowledge on two of his areas of practice, cyber and maritime insurance. Joshua offers some insight into these newest and oldest of practice areas, and how they have begun to intersect. Maritime insurance carries special language and rules, and Joshua and Lance will cover those and answer attendee questions in their session. Justin and Joshua discuss current maritime threats in the Middle East that will likely be discussed in the session. Justin and Joshua comment on Law Day, an annual commemoration of law on May 1st. Listen for a greater understanding of maritime shipping insurance and the importance of promptly filing claims.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by RIMS Risk Management Magazine contributor Joshua Gold, Shareholder at Anderson Kill. He's making his RIMScast debut to discuss Marine and Cargo Risk. This is timely. But first… [:59] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:13] On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:30] Webinars. On April 16th, Zurich and World Travel Protection will present "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times". Register for webinars at RIMS.org/webinars and through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:48] Folks, for more RIMS content, head over to YouTube and subscribe to @RIMSOfficialChannel. There you will find video podcasts, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. [2:03] Head over to RMMagazine.com for the Q1 Edition of the Azbee-Award-winning magazine, RIMS Risk Management Magazine. [2:15] On with the Show! Our guest today is a shareholder at the law firm Anderson Kill. You've seen his byline in RIMS Risk Management Magazine, and you've seen him on RIMS stages regionally, nationally, and globally. [2:30] Joshua Gold is here to discuss marine and cargo risks generally, and how he will be co-presenting a session at RISKWORLD on May 5th, called "Do Not Let Your Cargo Claim Go Down with the Ship: Tips to Improve Marine Insurance Protection." [2:50] He will present that alongside RIMS Past President Lance Ewing. We expect that session to be highly attended. Joshua is here to give you a preview of that session, talk about how cyber can intersect with marine and cargo risk, and offer some practical risk management takeaways. [3:11] Law Day is coming up in the U.S. on May 1st. Joshua has been practicing law for three decades. We'll find out what Law Day means to him in 2026. Let's get to it! [3:24] Interview! Anderson Kill Shareholder Joshua Gold, welcome to RIMScast! [3:51] Joshua says RIMS is an amazing system for sharing information and education. Joshua couldn't be prouder to be speaking at RISKWORLD 2026. [4:13] Joshua has written for RIMS on topics from cyber to marine insurance. Joshua thinks that cyber risk management is fascinating because cyber is new for many policyholders, in terms of implications, perils, how insurance will respond, and what the products are. [5:15] It's fascinating to see the intersection of technology, insurance, and law. It all comes together in cyber. These perils may be getting more perilous over the next few years before we may start turning the corner. [6:00] Joshua's session on May 5th at RISKWORLD is called "Do Not Let Your Cargo Claim Go Down with the Ship: Tips to Improve Marine Insurance Protection." Joshua will present with former RIMS President Lance Ewing. [6:17] Joshua says he is in both the newest thing in insurance and law, cyber, and the oldest thing in insurance and law, marine. Most of his day-to-day focus is on either end of the spectrum. [7:16] As much as Joahua loves cyber, he is intrigued with maritime insurance and maritime law. It's esoteric and old. It has special rules. If you don't deal with this type of insurance and law regularly, it can be challenging. [7:46] The insurance companies are typically very well-versed in the insurance rules and doctrines. Most policyholders are much less so. There's an information imbalance. [8:00] Joshua always looks forward to educating risk managers about this area. It's so detailed and different. Some might say it's antiquated. It's a challenging area, and we couldn't have a better example of that than with recent current events and hostilities in the Middle East. [8:42] Joshua says, as dangerous and harrowing as the situation exists in certain shipping lines and energy channels, we've seen examples of disruptions in recent times with drought conditions affecting the Panama Canal and other shipping lanes. [9:02] Joshua recalls the Suez Canal freighter mishap. The Suez Canal was shut down while an international engineering effort was launched to free the freighter and free up shipping lanes. [9:29] The current shipping disruption caused by an escalating war will present real challenges for both shippers and energy markets. We're watching that in real time. [9:54] Joshua and Lance don't want a current events discussion. They want to educate policyholders on principles that apply, whether they're dealing with a Suez Canal situation, an Iranian conflict, modern-day pirates in open water, or thieves breaking into your warehouse. [10:37] Joshua and Lance will emphasize certain relevant points like detours, delays in shipping, downstream risk, risk to certain types of cargo, cancellations for war risk coverage, and other marine insurance products. [11:06] There can be a real aftermath, and we're not sure where we are, as of this recording. We'll know more in May at RISKWORLD in Philadelphia. Now, we can only brace for the worst. [11:32] Joshua and Lance are looking to educate policyholders on all of these issues, including ones that will be front-burner, given the hostilities now. [11:52] Joshua says marine insurance policy language is cloaked in words of antiquity. Sometimes you'll see a marine policy that looks like a standard property all-risk policy, and sometimes you'll see one that contains 17th-century nautical and piracy terms. [12:32] It's important to make sure that you understand the rights, protections, obligations, and contingencies under insurance. [12:48] Most marine insurance policies will have a one-year provision the insurance company will argue says that if there's a fight over the claim payment, the amount, or the timing of the payment, that has to be brought in a lawsuit commenced within 12 months of the loss event. [13:14] For people who have never had to go through a complicated claim, a year may sound like plenty of time. But these claims can take months or even years for resolution. Sometimes they don't get resolved without some coverage litigation or alternative dispute mechanism. [13:43] Most policyholders are not accustomed to seeing a one-year contractual statute of limitations to bring a fight. You don't want to be in a position where the insurance company will argue you may have forfeited your coverage rights if you didn't act in time. [14:11] Policyholders may not ever get into that realm, because they've never had that problem, but it's a point of being educated and knowing the lay of the land for policyholders in this arena, insuring goods over open water, in warehouses, on docks, or on a truck. [14:58] A Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [15:18] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges are now available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [15:36] Our guest today, Joshua Gold, will be one of the session speakers at RISKWORLD. We are excited for him and also for our just-announced closing keynote, NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion, Emmy-winning broadcaster, and entrepreneur, Michael Strahan. [15:55] Michael Strahan will be on the main stage on May 6th. Justin is super stoked! If you're still on the fence, this is a fine time to smash that Register button and hear from one of the all-time greats. [16:07] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [16:28] Let's Return to Our Interview with Joshua Gold of Anderson Kill!  [16:44] Joshua says don't get fooled by the title of your insurance policy. The devil is in the details. You may have Ocean Marine Cargo Coverage, but you may get endorsements, like a warehouse-to-warehouse endorsement. [17:15] You may be buying a product called Stock Throughput. You're looking for coverages that may apply not just for cargo on a ship, but also for cargo that may be at rest, stored in a warehouse where it's being loaded from the ship onto the dockside. [17:48] There are many areas where you have to be aware of things developing in the marketplace and the fact that your insurance may now carry on well beyond the vessel's hull. [18:05] There's another area of marine liability coverage which may be implicated, given the hostilities in the Straits of Hormuz and perhaps elsewhere, and the escalating nature of the conflict in the Middle East, so we will have to see how that plays out. [18:31] Joshua always recommends that policyholders work with experienced insurance brokers. [18:39] Joshua says it is a privilege to give this discussion in May with Lance Ewing, a seasoned risk manager who has worked on the brokerage side and the insurance company side, as well as the risk manager policyholder side, so he has every perspective. [19:04] One of the things they will do at RISKWORLD is to make sure that not only do you hear from a coverage lawyer, but also from a risk manager, like most of the audience, who can speak to risk managers about what is important to their risk management approaches. [19:34] They hope that that's going to be useful for audience members even if they're not in the same industry as Lance. Justin points out that one never knows where they might end up next. This is a great way to become more well-rounded. [20:08] When evaluating marine cargo policies, you always want to look at the warehouse-to-warehouse endorsement. Find a broker that's well-steeped in marine cargo coverage. They can often customize endorsements that are important to your business. [20:51] If you're transporting goods that are capable of being spoiled or have to be refrigerated, or have to be in the hull of the ship, protected from the elements, those issues can come up through endorsement, special policy provisions covering temperature-controlled goods. [21:22] Joshua mentions that electronics may require being flown as air cargo. You want a system with customized coverage wherever you can get it. The broker knows that Lloyd's Marine Group has an example of an endorsement that covers a certain type of peril or cargo. [22:06] You might have a provision in your policy as part of a base form, but you might want fraudulent bills of lading coverage. There is now a technology overlap with shipping, an intersection between cyber and marine. [22:54] Some countries are GPS spoofing to confuse ships, which can be fatal if a ship goes into rocks or a bank in bad weather. This has implications, as we are seeing insurance companies slap onto marine products some type of cyber exclusion. [23:37] You'll want to know that just because technology had a role in the loss, you're not forfeiting all of your coverage. Joshua says we're certainly seeing it with piracy claims and theft claims. We're seeing it on the roadways. Truckers are getting more and more targeted. [23:58] A truck leaves a warehouse with goods that have been shipped on an overseas voyage, and there's an argument potentially that you've got federal maritime law applying in admiralty. What are the implications for coverage even though it's now inland on a train or truck? [24:23] We're seeing more cargo theft in the realm of trucking, in addition to stuff missing at the dock and warehouses being broken into. It's a perilous situation for those dealing with cargo. [24:43] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [25:04] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [25:19] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [25:31] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [25:39] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Joshua Gold of Anderson Kill! [25:48] Josh Gold will be presenting a special session on May 5th at RISKWORLD, called "Do Not Let Your Cargo Claim Go Down with the Ship: Tips to Improve Marine Insurance Protection." He'll be co-presenting with RIMS Past President Lance Ewing. [26:13] Justin says if he were in the audience for that session, he would ask what the critical steps are that risk professionals should take immediately after a cargo loss to preserve their coverage rights. [26:39] Joshua says the first step always is to give prompt notice. It complicates matters if the insurance company can argue that the notice was untimely. The first thing is, get the notice in. You won't have all the information. Notice is unlike wine; it doesn't get better with age. [27:17] Give that prompt notice first. Then support your claim. As quickly as you can, gather photographs, video evidence, and documentary evidence, and give as much as you possibly can to the insurance company. Let that claims process unfold promptly. [27:43] You don't want the insurance company delaying payment because they say they didn't get the information they needed to process the claim. Try to give them that information. [27:59] Joshua says you can absolutely add more documentation. You can start by saying this is what we know now, and we reserve the right to supplement this information when we learn more about our loss. [29:03] There are surely deadlines built into your policies. Go through your policy and calendar dates for proof of loss, statement of loss, and getting certain claim information in. Put those benchmarks in the calendar and hit them as often as you can. [29:45] Joshua says with a cyber claim, there's no reason to hold back because you're incurring costs from the start with your forensic team and your breach coach. With cargo, Joshua says, I would give notice as quickly as you can, even if it's not as robust as anyone would like. [30:13] Get notice off as soon as possible. Enlist your broker's help as quickly as you can. If you have the information, get your insurance policy out, look at the notice provisions, and call your broker. Brokers are a great way to submit insurance claim information. [30:58] The broker should be helping guide you. You've already paid their commission. Enlist their help at the outset. [31:07] Justin asks if risk professionals need to tell executive leadership immediately. Joshua says there should be a dialogue. He appreciates the systematic and scientific risk management approach RIMS brings and the recognition that risk management is getting from the C-Suite. [31:48] Not every risk manager is at the C-Suite level, but they can communicate with the Treasurer, the CFO, or the Law Department, depending on the organization. Internal communications are important. [32:11] Include the Law Department in communications, to ensure that privilege is protected and conversations are not being exploited if there's a conflict over the coverage. Depending on the importance of the potential loss, the COO and the CEO may need to be involved. [32:53] Justin wants the RISKWORLD attendees to ask questions. Joshua and Lance have built time in during the session for questions. They love to take questions on the fly. They believe that if they spend half of the time in a dialogue with the audience, that is time very well spent. [33:50] Joshua has been practicing law for 31 years and has been with Anderson Kill in the New York office for almost 31 years, specializing in insurance coverage trade. [34:18] Justin notes that Law Day is an annual commemoration held on May 1st to celebrate the rule of law and cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal system. Joshua says we're always happy to get some kind of positive acknowledgment, accolades, recognition, and a special day. [35:20] This year's theme is "The Rule of Law and the American Dream." The idea that no person is above the law is what ensures the rights of the people to live their lives as freely as possible and to pursue their dreams. Joshua is a full supporter of that doctrine. [35:40] It has been such a pleasure to see you again. You are a regular contributor to RIMS Risk Management Magazine. We have links to some of your articles in this episode's show notes. We're going to see you on May 5th at RISKWORLD in Philadelphia. See links in the show notes. [36:03] Joshua's last words: Please show up on Cinco de Mayo, we're speaking on the afternoon of May 5th. We'd love to see you then in Philadelphia at RISKWORLD. Lance and I are looking forward to hearing your questions and talking about marine cargo and what's going on then. [36:26] Justin says, You've always been very supportive of me and of RIMS. I remember very clearly that somebody dropped out of a cyber panel, and you and Bill Passannante stepped right in for us, so I've always felt a strong connection to you and the professionals at Anderson Kill. [36:57] Special thanks again to Anderson Kill Shareholder Joshua Gold for joining us here on RIMScast. I have links to his contributions to RIMS Risk Management Magazine in this episode's show notes. [37:10] If you will be at RISKWORLD, remember to attend his session on May 5th at 3:30 p.m. on the Global Stage. It is called "Do Not Let Your Cargo Claim Go Down with the Ship: Tips to Improve Marine Insurance Protection." [37:24] It will be co-presented with RIMS Past President Lance Ewing. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD today! [37:32] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [38:00] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [38:18] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [38:36] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [38:52] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [39:07] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [39:19] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! More from Joshua Gold in RIMS Risk Management Magazine Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | April‒June 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepApril 21‒22, 2026 | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops Claims Management | April 7‒8 "Emerging Risks" | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times" | April 16 | Presented by Zurich and World Travel Protection RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "RIMS 2022 Goodell Award Winner Lance Ewing" "World Water Day and the Circular Water Economy with Ralph Exton of WEF" "Supply Chain Integrity and Sustainability with Nicole Sherwin of EcoVadis" "Navigating Shipping Risks in 2022 with Capt. Rahul Khanna"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Joshua Gold, Anderson Kill Shareholder, Anderson Kill   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Tom Armstrong, a Global Risk Director for Comcast and the President of the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter. Tom shares what inspired him to pivot from studying music education to studying risk and insurance, and how his professors guided and inspired him into a career in risk management. Tom went directly from graduation into a risk management role, eventually landing at Comcast just as it acquired NBCUniversal, transforming from an ISP and cable supplier into a multimedia and theme park powerhouse. Tom discusses how the Risk Management Department works at Comcast. Tom tries to build long-term relationships with his interns that endure when they move on. The RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter is the host chapter for RISKWORLD 2026, held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The chapter is also celebrating its 75th Anniversary. Tom shares his enthusiasm for these events and for a member reception on May 1st, linking the chapter's 75th Anniversary to RISKWORLD. Listen for ideas on advancing in your risk career and in your RIMS chapter.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:28] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Tom Armstrong. He is a Global Risk Management Director at Comcast. He is also the President of the Delaware Valley Chapter of RIMS, which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary. Lots to discuss! But first… [:59] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:13] On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:30] Webinars. On April 16th, Zurich and World Travel Protection will present "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times". Register for webinars at RIMS.org/webinars and through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:47] Folks, for more RIMS content, head over to YouTube and subscribe to @RIMSOfficialChannel. There you will find video podcasts, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. [2:05] On with the Show! Our guest today is a Director of Global Risk Management at Comcast. He oversees construction, crime, contracts, and executive risks. [2:16] We will learn what it takes to be a Global Risk Director for one of the top communications companies in the world, as well as a household name and brand. [2:27] We're also going to talk about all the joviality surrounding the Delaware Valley Chapter as they celebrate their 75th Anniversary. They happen to be the host city for RISKWORLD 2026, so we'll learn what they have in store for us. Let's get to it! [2:43] Interview! Tom Armstrong, welcome to RIMScast! [3:10] Tom says he is fortunate to hold the positions of Global Risk Director for Comcast and President for the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter. In each case, he is one of a team that makes it happen. [3:47] Tom shares his career path. He went to Temple University intending to major in music education, to learn to conduct high school choirs and marching bands. After two and a half years into his degree, he decided it was not for him. [4:11] Tom transferred to the business school, where he was fortunate to take an Introduction to Risk course taught by Professor Barbara Manaka, now Chairman of the department there. She told him he'd make a great risk manager. [4:27] With help from Professor Manaka, Professor Robert Drennan, and the rest of the wonderful staff at Temple, Tom finished his four-year degree in only five years! He was one of the few to be hired into a risk management role straight out of school. [4:43] He started at CDI. In 2008, the position was eliminated, and Tom moved over to Aramark. He spent about three and a half years at the risk department. Then he got a call that Comcast was looking for someone to help them with the review of insurance language in contracts. [5:01] Tom was a contractor for his first 18 months at Comcast. A new risk manager came on board, Sandy Aspinall, and he brought Tom in-house as a senior analyst to review insurance language in contracts. [5:24] Tom was able to add on some additional scope, supporting construction, property, executive risks, the crime program, and whatever comes up that needs some support. Like the rest of the team, he's happy to step up. [5:57] Tom says that he never had a great talent for music. What he really liked was the community that a marching band or a choir brought to him as a kid in high school. He has found that this industry can give him a lot of the same community. [6:09] Community is why Tom wants to be a part of RIMS. It's why he stepped up to lead a RIMS chapter. It's why he appreciates his peers at Comcast. [6:23] Tom joined RIMS through meeting participation early in his career, in 2009 or 2010. Aramark supported his involvement in visiting and joining certain meetings. In 2017, he stepped up to be Treasurer of the Delaware Valley Chapter. He's been President for about three years. [6:46] Some staffing changes happened in the RIMS and the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter in 2017 and 2018, opening up positions like Treasurer. Tom mentions former Treasurer Deborah Saunders and former RIMS President Robert Cartwright Jr., now a huge asset to the chapter. [7:53] Tom says he enjoys his work. He is one of six Directors and Senior Directors on the team, each reporting up to Sandy Aspinall. They each have their slice of the business. Tom gets to work on some really cool stuff. [8:03] Comcast deals with cable and internet delivery. Tom says there are some fun elements to it. They deal with theme parks and movie studios. They put solar panels on roofs. When Tom joined Comcast, he thought it was a boring cable company, but it is light-years more than that. [8:42] Tom and his peers sit at the corporate level at Comcast but have responsibilities across almost all Comcast subsidiaries, with a few exceptions that have their own approach to risk. They have no line authority over any of the subsidiaries. [8:58] Tom says everything we do is through demonstrating our value and persuading through convincing arguments. Risk Management doesn't say, "You have to do it this way." [9:14] They say, "You're not going to say Risk Management approved this, unless we work together and we provide you with the advice that we think will let you do your business in a way that protects the organization while letting you do the cool and inventive things that you do." [9:39] From day one, Tom's been involved in the review of insurance language in contracts. His team reviews 1,500 contracts in a year. They care about what they're doing, from the smallest contracts to the biggest engagements. They inform business leaders to make good choices. [10:21] For Tom, contracts are a framework through which he can look at the operations of the business. If contractors are going to enter customers' homes, they need commercial general liability to make any damages right. [10:38] Similarly, for people who handle customer data, design attractions in Comcast parks, or license intellectual property that Comcast distributes. In all of those situations, Comcast cares about how they engage. [11:07] Tom says the nature of the business to which they apply the risk framework has changed again and again. When Tom came on in 2012 as a contractor, Comcast was just starting to acquire NBCUniversal. [11:22] They went from an Internet Service Provider and a cable operator to a multimedia powerhouse with theme parks, movie studios, and TV production. That was a massive shift in how Comcast operates, and Risk Management had to learn to manage a new suite of risks. [11:42] That happened in a different way when Comcast bought and started operating Sky UK a few years ago. Every time Comcast introduces another element of business, Risk Management has to figure out how that fits into how they manage risk. [12:08] Peacock is a huge piece of the puzzle in terms of how Comcast is approaching its consumers and delivering content. [12:16] From a risk perspective, it mirrors what Comcast used to do from a linear distribution, but through very new channels and with less mature partners. Risk Management has to think about how the partners are capitalizing their exposures and how that cascades onto Comcast. [12:32] A Quick Break! RIMS is once again supporting the FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026. [12:43] Now in its second consecutive global edition, the survey, led by FERMA, brings together insights from Europe, the U.S., Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa, offering a truly international perspective on how the risk management profession is evolving. [12:58] Surveys are anonymous, and the final report is free. The deadline to participate is March 31st. A link is in this episode's show notes. [13:08] RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [13:25] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges are now available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [13:43] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [14:00] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter President Tom Armstrong!  [14:23] A former colleague told Tom: You've got to be nosy to do this job! Commonly, someone will give you an answer that they think you want to hear when you start asking risk questions. [14:36] You have to ask at least five times. Why is it like this? How are you going to achieve that? How much is this really going to cost? Your vendor said that buying insurance is expensive, but can they define expensive? For all those questions, you can't just take an answer at face value. [14:55] There has to be a level of ethics and willingness to behave with integrity, as well as a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get the job done. [15:14] Tom says most of his regular partners understand the questions he's going to ask now. He doesn't have to ask why as often as he used to, because they've already done some of that work. [15:23] Tom says it helps to know your partners and the mindset they've brought to their conversations with their vendors. [15:34] Tom has one direct report, Juliana, who started two years ago to help him with some contract review work and let him focus on other things. Over the past four years, Tom has had four different interns. Two of them just won a CICA award. [16:34] To help build the future of the industry, Tom gives work to interns not as busy work, but work that can be put to a demonstrable use. [16:42] One intern helped move file storage from a network drive to a new SharePoint. Another helped finish a streamlined intranet page to deliver advice to internal colleagues. [16:59] All of that came with a reason to go and talk to every colleague and understand how their work fits into the risk management picture. Tom tries to find ways to make the intern's work meaningful. [17:19] The two interns posted about their CICA captive award. They have kept in touch with Tom and recently texted him for advice. Tom tries to build long-term relationships. [17:42] Tom says Comcast's Risk Management department has been fairly stable for the last few years. It would be great to have more hands on deck, but there is a budget, just like there is in every department in the organization. [18:15] Tom says in Orlando, they have Universal's Epic Universe, which opened in Spring 2025. They still have Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay theme parks. Tom says Epic Universe was such a cool project to work on. Tom started on it in late 2018. [18:35] Tom says they put the park together with their partners at Universal Creative. Tom's part was to insure it. [18:52] In 2020, as COVID started to become more noticeable, Tom was just about to bind coverage on the construction program for Epic Universe. It was a massive undertaking on 2,000 acres. There were 1,200 contractors with 7,000 people on site. [19:09] Just as Tom was about to hit Bind, COVID happened. They had to pause their whole marketing efforts and, about nine months later, re-market the entire program, deal with all of the changing supply chain issues that came along with COVID. [19:25] Comcast is very proud to have opened Universal's Epic Universe last year. It has been met with enthusiastic public reception. [19:36] Justin says that this episode was recorded on March 13th, six years to the day after a national emergency was declared for COVID-19. Tom was in Italy for his wedding on that day, and they had to cancel due to COVID and come home. They finished the wedding last year. [20:13] Justin says that for a risk manager, taking a theme park from conception to completion has to be a dream job. When people tell Tom insurance is boring, he asks them if they've ever received an email about the Ministry of Magic, or a giant theme park like Epic. [20:54] Last November, Sandy took the Global Risk Management Department to Orlando for an off-site all-hands meeting. They walked through the park and experienced some of the rides. It was nice to get back to the park without a hard hat after the construction site inspections. [21:30] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [21:55] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [22:10] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [22:22] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [22:31] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter President Tom Armstrong. [22:53] The Delaware Valley Chapter is celebrating its 75th year. They were close to New York, so they were the second chapter to be established. Tom said they've had a series of amazing individuals in the chapter, including Robert Cartwright, Jr., who have made the chapter what it is. [23:26] Tom says the chapter has a rich pool of talent in the Philadelphia area. "Delaware Valley" refers to the river, not just the state of Delaware. It's the Greater Philadelphia Area. Ben Franklin founded the first insurance company in Philadelphia. The city has a long history of insurance. [23:46] There are many awesome companies headquartered in Philadelphia, including Comcast and Aramark. The great professionals in the area have enthusiasm and a willingness to step in. [24:06] Tom says the chapter has a hard-headed insistence on continuing to persist. Like in a lot of organizations, coming out of COVID, it has been harder to keep people showing up in person. They hold meetings on the first Tuesday of every month at 8:00 a.m. That can be a tough trek. [24:32] Some members drive two hours to attend the meeting. The chapter is looking at the results of recent member surveys and might be making some changes to improve attendance. The chapter has a great community, and they try to foster what's already there. [25:04] Tom says the chapter has a couple of popular social events. Golf is huge. A Phillies Outing is aimed toward both rising risk professionals and mature risk professionals. Last year, they showed up at Citizens Bank Park with 65. That kind of event helps engage members. [25:35] The chapter partners with local Universities. Chapter VP Rory Magargee partnered last year with St. Joseph's University and helped them win a Black & Gold Award through Gamma Iota Sigma for the Networking for Newbies event to help students interact with professionals. [26:05] Justin says that the rising risk professionals were in high school or middle school when COVID hit. Professionals have been tracking how that would play out later on in their careers and personal lives. Students had gotten used to a virtual setting and then had to transition back. [26:49] Tom says, based on a recent membership survey, the chapter is looking at changing the upcoming programming year, starting in September, to preserve what works in the current approach and enhance it to bring in some folks who might not attend in person at 8:00 a.m. [27:31] From May 3rd through 6th, RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia. The Delaware Valley Chapter will focus on its membership to celebrate its 75th year. [28:00] On Friday, May 1st, chapter members, some RIMS leaders, and sponsors will gather at a reception at a venue soon to be announced. Tom extends his thanks to the sponsors who are making it possible. [28:20] The chapter is passionate about Philadelphia. Tom is looking forward to RISKWORLD 2026 and showing the industry the best that Philadelphia has to offer. [28:25] It's not just the chapter's 75th year; it's also the 76th year of RIMS. It's also 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. [28:43] To learn more about the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter and apply for membership, visit DelawareValley.RIMS.org or find them on LinkedIn, or email any of the Board members. [28:53] Tom, it has been a pleasure to see you again and to get to know you through this episode. I look forward to seeing you at RISKWORLD 2026 from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia. Congratulations again on your 75th! [29:11] Special thanks again to Tom Armstrong for joining us here on RIMScast. We wish him and all the members of the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter, past and present, a Happy 75th Anniversary! [29:23] A link to the chapter's page is in this episode's show notes. We look forward to seeing many of those Delaware Valley Chapter members at RISKWORLD, which will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [29:41] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:09] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [30:28] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [30:45] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [31:01] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [31:16] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [31:28] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | April‒June 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026 Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepApril 21‒22, 2026 | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops "Risk Appetite Management" | March 25‒26 "Claims Management" | April 7‒8 "Emerging Risks" | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times" | April 16 | Presented by Zurich and World Travel Protection RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "The Value of Risk Management: Inside the RIMS 2025 Compensation Survey" "RIMS 2025 Goodell Award Winner Randy Nornes" "Investing In Yourself with RIMS 2026 President Manny Padilla"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Tom Armstrong, ARM, CRM, CRIS, CIC, Director, Global Risk Management at Comcast President of the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Ralph Exton, Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation, about World Water Day, March 22nd, and the importance of water governance. WEF is a UN Water Partner, focusing on water access and gender equality. Justin and Ralph discuss the Value of Water Campaign and the Circular Water Economy. Ralph mentions other water organizations that the WEF promotes and supports. They discuss how water governance is a board-level issue, along with cybersecurity and financial risk. They explore ways organizations can participate in World Water Day. Listen for ideas on elevating water governance in your organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by Water Environment Federation Executive Director Ralph Exton. He's here to talk about the circular water economy ahead of March 22nd, which is World Water Day. This is probably my favorite topic! But first… [:59] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:13] On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:30] Webinars. The "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management" Webinar, spotlighting women leaders in risk and construction, was rescheduled to March 20th. [1:42] The registration link is in this episode's show notes. You will have to register again if you have previously done so. [1:48] On April 16th, Zurich and World Travel Protection will present "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times". Register for these and other webinars by visiting RIMS.org/webinars and the links in this episode's show notes. [2:05] On with the Show! Our topic is water risk management, and we are joined by the Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation, Mr. Ralph Exton. He has decades of professional experience with water risk. [2:19] He is here to discuss what the Water Environment Federation refers to as the Circular Water Economy, WEF's Value of Water Campaign, responsible water risk management, and World Water Day 2026, which emphasizes water access and gender equality. Let's get to it! [2:40] Interview! Ralph Exton, welcome to RIMScast! [2:48] Ralph Exton, Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation, joins us for this World Water Day episode of RIMScast. [3:29] Ralph Exton's career started with water. As a newly graduated mechanical engineer, his first assignment was to manage and supervise the water operations at an industrial facility. He says he had no idea what he was doing. He had wanted to work on robots. [4:57] Ralph says it did not take long. Once you understand how important water is to an industrial operation, you realize how important water quality is to the environment. Everyone knows how important water is from a personal standpoint. [5:28] When you understand those bigger factors, it becomes inherent in the way you think about your job and career. Ralph tells people, once you get your hands wet in water, they'll never be dry. [5:55] Ralph's entire career has been water. The early part of the career was operational and industrial. Then he worked for water technology companies, and eventually for the largest water technology and servicing companies in the world. He lists some of the global companies. [6:37] Ralph says that a couple of years ago, he was at a point in his career where he wanted to give back more and be more directly focused on the impact he could have on water and the environment. [6:52] Ralph had spent a lot of time with the Water Environment Federation as a customer, a volunteer, and a board member. All those things throughout his career helped him considerably. It's such an important organization for making connections in the water sector and for learning. [7:24] Ralph says that when the opportunity came up to be part of the organization that has been so important to his career for all those years, he jumped at it and was fortunate to be selected for this position. Ralph joined WEF in mid-2024. [7:47] Ralph says he is thrilled with the opportunity for direct contributions to water and the environment. It has been fantastic. The organization has always done super important things. He gets to be a part of making those things a reality now, and it's great. [8:17] World Water Day, March 22nd, is a big day for Ralph and for the WEF. This year, it emphasizes water access and gender equality. WEF is a strong supporter of water access, criminal justice, and gender equality. WEF is very proud to be a UN Water Partner. [9:06] Access to clean water and sanitation is directly correlated with a higher level of education, gender equality, and economic stability. If you have one, you're going to get the other. [9:24] In particular, ready access to clean water and toilets is crucial for women, especially at school age. If women aren't carting water all day long, they have more hours to spend with access to schooling and to join the workforce. [9:51] Ralph says there's also a very high correlation between women in the workforce and economic well-being, not only of the family, but also economic well-being within the regional and national economies. The theme for this year's Water Day ties it all together. [10:42] This is core to some of the work WEF does. WEF has a program called Charities of Choice. [10:54] WEF supports and promotes several not-for-profit organizations that focus on philanthropic and charity work, domestically and in developing countries, that provide services that ensure that the water environment is enhanced or preserved and public health is protected. [11:20] Ralph shares a couple of examples. Global Water Stewardship works to resolve sanitation issues in the developing world by educating people and engineering sustainable centralized solutions that keep waterways clean and communities healthy. [11:38] Water for People is an international nonprofit based in Denver, Colorado. Their goal is to bring water, sanitation, and hygiene services to everyone and to make the solutions last. [11:55] Engineers Without Borders builds a better world through engineering, through projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve some of the world's most pressing water challenges. [12:14] Operators Without Borders looks to provide certified volunteer water and wastewater operators who can support utilities in developing countries, following emergency or disaster situations, to ensure that safe drinking water and wastewater services are resumed quickly. [12:48] Ralph says WEF largely provides a platform and access to tens of thousands of people around the world who are part of WEF membership. WEF also has grants for water-related emergencies. [13:42] Ralph says volunteer work is probably the biggest thing people can do to help. Making donations to any of these organizations is super important. Feet on the street is a big cost component of this work. [14:10] The other cost component is training. If you send people to a location to solve a problem, and then they leave and don't provide training to the community, the solution won't last. Volunteers participating in some of these projects are a big help in making projects sustainable. [15:06] Ralph says you can provide someone a meal, or you can teach them how to grow that meal. There are short-term and long-term aspects. Long-term, you have to make sure they have the infrastructure, training, knowledge, and resources to provide for themselves. [15:51] The Value of Water campaign highlights the state-by-state economic benefits of investing in water infrastructure. The campaign is a coalition of the U.S. Water Alliance, the WEF, and other organizations. The WEF is on the Value of Water campaign steering committee. [16:27] We're at a pivotal moment regarding water infrastructure. A recent study was on the U.S. water infrastructure, but the issue is global. [16:46] The U.S. water infrastructure gets scored every couple of years on an A through F system. We don't score very well. The recent research has a powerful message. The funding gap is $1.8 trillion in water infrastructure between now and 2044. [17:30] Ralph says that's an opportunity. The latest report from the Value of Water campaign shows what's possible if we invest in water. Every $1 million directed towards water infrastructure generates $2.5 million in economic growth. There is a return on this investment. [18:13] That kind of return builds stronger communities. It creates meaningful jobs and helps drive innovation. [18:26] The report identifies that implementing circular water principles is going to be key. These strategies help transform linear systems into regenerative systems, where water is reduced and recovered, and constituents can be pulled from the water and recovered. [19:00] WEF is committing to advancing this approach as they help to shape a resilient and inclusive future. [19:14] The 2025 Value of Water Campaign Report is publicly available. The link is in this episode's show notes. [19:36] A Quick Break! RIMS is once again supporting the FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026. [19:47] Now in its second consecutive global edition, the survey, led by FERMA, brings together insights from Europe, the U.S., Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa, offering an international perspective on how the risk management profession is evolving. [20:03] Surveys are anonymous, and the final report is free. The deadline to participate is March 31st. A link is in this episode's show notes. [20:12] RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [20:29] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges are now available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [20:48] The Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held in San Antonio from August 10th through August 12th. [20:55] The call for submissions for educational sessions is open through March 18th. Check out the link in this episode's show notes and make a pitch! Hopefully, you get selected, and we see you in San Antonio! [21:07] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [21:26] Let's Return to Our Interview with Water Environment Federation Executive Director Ralph Exton! [21:44] Justin says Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has twice been a RIMScast guest to cover World Water Day. Ralph and Henk work in the same circles and have crossed paths. [22:19] In Justin's first interview with Henk Ovink, Mr. Ovink pointed out how Heineken was one of the first companies to use its industrial sludge as an energy source to keep its plants going. Ralph says plenty of companies now are pillars of the Circular Water Economy. [23:08] Ralph says, if you recover energy, nutrients, and valuable metals from waste, as opposed to burying it in a landfill, you unlock a lot of economic opportunities that way. [23:40] The waste that's generated at many waste treatment plants can be converted into enough fuel to power all the pumps and equipment that's needed to treat the water itself. You create a microeconomic opportunity right there that doesn't rely on electricity from the grid. [24:06] Ralph says it has become a growing scenario. WEF is trying to do its part to promote as many of those opportunities as it can. They give out several awards every year for Utilities of the Future that are doing this type of thing. WEF highlights these companies at annual events. [24:44] The more organizations, whether utilities or industries, that do this, not only does it help the environment, but it also creates economic opportunities. [24:56] There will always be byproducts and sidestreams that come off of these processes, by which you can generate economies around them, whether you're extracting a nutrient from waste or pulling energy from that waste.  [25:18] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [25:42] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [25:57] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [26:09] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [26:18] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Water Environment Federation Executive Director Ralph Exton. [26:56] Ralph says the notion of circularity started with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. They're about building economies around implementing circular processes. The WEF is focused on circularity in terms of water. They refer to it as the Circular Water Economy. [27:42] The WEF leads the way for the public and private sectors to optimize and recover valuable resources from water and wastewater in ways that help fight climate change, support equitable economic development, and ensure water access. This is the Circular Water Economy. [28:26] The circular water economy practices help keep products and materials in use. They regenerate natural systems and design out waste and pollution from the equation. The model helps to build a just and sustainable society. The WEF is working to lead that. [28:42] There are three core principles of the Circular Water Economy. [28:45] These are: 1. Reduce. Minimize water usage and waste through efficient practices. 2. Recover. Extract valuable resources from wastewater. 3. Regenerate. Restore natural ecosystems. Recharge aquifers through sustainable water management practices. [29:13] The benefits of following those core principles include reducing water pollution, preserving ecosystems, lowering water treatment and extraction costs, supporting green jobs, and enhancing water security with equitable access to water resources. [30:18] The WEF did a report last year on the economic opportunities that can be unlocked by implementing Circular Water principles. A link is in this episode's show notes. [30:39] The WEF started the Circular Water Economy with the principles of circularity and circular economies, with a focused effort on water. The WEF felt that between water and waste, they could churn out a lot of economic opportunity with a focus on the sector they support. [31:14] The WEF believes that the Circular Water Economy will make the biggest impact in the next five years. It's one of their three core strategic pillars. [31:32] March 22nd is World Water Day. This episode is coming out six days ahead. People have time to participate in local World Water Day activities, volunteer, or donate. [32:03] Ralph says the most important reminder he can give the RIMScast audience is that water is more than an enterprise or utility risk; it's a human risk. When water systems fail, other things fail. Operations fail, supply chains fail, and workforce stability is disrupted. Public trust is ruined. [32:50] Ralph says women, families, and communities absorb that impact first, which has direct economic consequences. [33:00] The most resilient organizations elevate water subjects to the boardroom, treating it with the same rigor as they would cybersecurity. Water needs to be at the same level as cybersecurity and financial risks. [33:20] Water governance is no longer optional; it's foundational to resilience and equality. The theme of World Water Day this year speaks to that. [33:41] Justin says there are so many ways for RIMS and WEF to collaborate. Justin looks forward to getting Ralph on a webinar about water management. Justin thanks Ralph for informing our audience about World Water Day and why water risk management is central. [34:16] Special thanks again to Ralph Exton, Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation, for joining us here today on RIMScast. I've got links to WEF.org and the Circular Water Economy in this episode's show notes. [34:31] Be sure to check out the links in this episode's show notes for prior RIMScast coverage of water risk and World Water Day. Remember that World Water Day is observed globally on Sunday, March 22nd, 2026. Everyone deserves access to clean water. [34:50] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [35:19] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [35:37] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [35:54] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [36:11] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [36:25] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [36:38] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 Education Content Submission — Deadline March 18, 2026! RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | April‒June 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026 WEF.org 2025 Circular Water Economy White Paper Report 2025 Value of Water Campaign Report 2025 Industrial Water Solutions Columbus, OH 2026 Industrial Water Solutions Chicago, IL 2026 WEF Summit-Financing the Future of the U.S. Water Sector Podcast Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepApril 21‒22, 2026 | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops "Risk Appetite Management" | March 25‒26 "Claims Management" | April 7‒8 "Emerging Risks" | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management" | March 20 | Presented by RIMS "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times" | April 16 | Presented by Zurich and World Travel Protection RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Water and Women in Risk with Sarah Mikolich" "Environmental Bias with Eloise Copland" "World Water Day, IoT, and Water Damage Reduction with John Dempsey" "World Water Day 2022 with Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands" "Earth Observations, Acronyms, and Risk with Dr. Shanna McClain of NASA" (2021) "Combating Water Scarcity with AquaShares Founder James Workman" (2020)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Ralph Exton, Executive Director, Water Environment Federation   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Kristen Peed, RIMS Ex Officio, and RIMS Board Member, John Kline, about the results of the 2025 RIMS Risk Professional Compensation Survey, covering Risk Professionals in North America. They discuss the growth trend in base salaries for risk professionals in the U.S. and Canada and what this growth represents. They also dig into the median salary of Chief Risk Officers in both nations and how that reflects on the perceived value of the risk profession today. They discuss the worth of experience and certifications for a risk career. They cover the variety of assignments attached to the roles of risk professionals, and the value of expanding the responsibilities of your role over your career. They discuss the rising generation of risk professionals and the need to ensure the transfer of knowledge as the more experienced risk managers retire. Listen for thoughts on incentives for contributing to the long-term stability and growth of your organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. We will review the results of the RIMS 2025 Compensation Survey with Kristen Peed and John Kline. But first… [:40] RIMS Virtual Workshops. On March 17th and 18th, RIMS will align with AFERM for a two-day RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course. [:51] The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:00] On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. [1:12] Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:19] Webinars. On March 12th, Global Risk Consultants returns with "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes". [1:34] We had to reschedule the  "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management" Webinar that was scheduled for March 6th. Registrants should have received an email about the rescheduling. We will soon confirm the new date. [1:51] Register for these and other webinars by visiting RIMS.org/webinars and the links in this episode's show notes. [2:01] On with the Show! We are delighted to be joined by RIMS Ex Officio, Kristen Peed, and RIMS Board Chair, John Kline, to discuss the findings of the RIMS 2025 Compensation Survey. [2:15] This biannual survey provides detailed compensation analysis for virtually all risk management positions, as well as the impact that education, experience, and other demographic data have on salaries. [2:27] The report also provides data about risk management reporting structures, team size, benefits, and additional cash compensation programs. It's a North American study. There are some positive trends that we're going to explore with Kristen and John, so let's get to it! [2:42] Interview! Kristen Peed, John Kline, welcome to RIMScast! [3:01] As Ex Officio, Kristen hasn't seen the inside of airports as often. Last year, Kristen was on 98 flights. [3:54] John has been on the RIMS Board for five years. He says the Board is a great team of people. It's a privilege to serve. [4:31] As Kristen and John both have a vested interest in RIMS and the future success of the profession, Justin wanted them together on the show to review some of the high-level points of the Compensation Survey. The survey is available through a link in this episode's show notes. [4:51] Justin states that the median salary for U.S.-based risk professionals is now $160,000; it's  $140,000 in Canada. Both figures are up over the last decade and since the last survey, in 2023. [5:20] Kristen sees the sustained salary growth as a clear signal that risk management has moved from a support function to a strategic function. Organizations aren't just paying us for insurance placement or procurement but for our insight, foresight, and decision support. [5:42] Kristen says that over the last decade, risk professionals have been pulled into conversations around cyberresilience, operational continuity, regulatory exposure, capital strategy, and reputation. Those are board-level issues. [6:00] When compensation grows steadily and not in spikes, it reflects the recognition that good risk management is necessary to protect enterprise value and enable smarter growth. [6:16] Kristen is seeing that the market is saying risk leaders are not cost managers anymore; they are people protecting the value of their organization and creating that value, as well.  [6:29] John agrees with Kristen. He adds that he thinks, as an industry, we have gotten to be more professional. RIMS has worked on this for years: How do we get the people in this profession to be treated as professionals, like an attorney or an accountant, not procurement? [6:58] John thinks the practitioners have upped their game, becoming much more technically competent, participating in professional development, and becoming more involved at an executive level at corporations. [7:27] John also sees practitioners becoming more involved in the industry. Taking roles on advisory groups at insurance companies and brokers. They're getting to be active participants. Management recognizes that these individuals do a good job of representing the company. [7:48] John thinks it's a combination of better technical skills and greater recognition, which allows them to have that seat at the table. It's a host of things. [8:03] Justin recently had Cynthia Garcia as a guest on RIMScast. Cynthia is the Chief Risk Officer for Bernards Construction Company in California. Justin is seeing more folks like her, who have the CRO role, as RIMScast guests. [8:24] With more Chief Risk Officers and VPs of Risk Management in the U.S. now reporting a median salary of $245,000, which is up dramatically from 2023, it seems like the market is catching up with the importance of risk professionals, especially senior-level risk professionals. [8:52] Kristen thinks part of it is market catch-up. When she moved into her role at Sequoia, she upped her game. Leadership came to her and tapped her for things she never thought she would get to experience. Those things increased her responsibilities and shifted her into the CRO role. [9:28] Kristen says the CRO role has matured. The risk leaders are expected to really look at enterprise risk, insurance strategy, capital efficiency, governance, and how they can help their business be more resilient. [9:46] Kristen reports directly to the CEO and works directly with the CFO and CISO. She's not just managing programs; she's being integrated into the decision-making process. [10:04] That level of influence requires judgment, credibility, and the ability to lead cross-functionally. That's what the compensation reflects. Kristen doesn't see it reverting. She sees it stabilizing at higher levels as those expectations remain elevated. [10:27] There are 21 people on the two teams that report to Kristen. [10:42] John says, having been in the industry for several years, people who sit in our chairs probably understand the company as well as anybody else. [10:56] John says part of our job is to look at all the nooks and crannies and understand everything, whether it's property exposure, premises, product, reputation, or Directors and Officers liability. We get engaged in Errors & Omissions. We get engaged in cyber. [11:18] We have become part of the team that understands holistically. John's job is a holding company. He works holistically. He thinks the compensation and the responsibility continue to catch up with each other. [11:50] One area John sees that needs work is corporate risk. We probably need to carve out operational, enterprise, and insurable. If you work at a bank, you have credit risk and capital risk; there are a lot of other risks where we don't have the skillsets. [12:15] John says that in different industries, the CRO or Risk Manager will encompass different things. We probably need to focus on the operational, enterprise, and insurable risk, and carve out the credit risk, the capital risk, and the liquidity risk. [12:48] John is a team of one. Anybody in his position has to have good communication skills and a lot of support. John can't do what he does by himself. He networks within the organization. He has contacts throughout the organization. He has outside business partners. [13:37] John wants to walk together, shoulder-to-shoulder with his business partners. He sees them as more than collaborators. If you want to go far, you go together. [14:22] Kristen says that leadership without direct authority is a critical skill. When you're a team of one, you learn how to direct people when you don't have actual authority over them. Collaborating with them and communicating well are critical to that skillset. [14:45] Kristen says a CRO is just a title. Titles vary across corporations. What someone with the CRO title does is not more important than what a Director of Risk Management does at another company. Functions are different across different companies. [15:17] A Quick Break! RIMS is once again supporting the FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026. [15:30] Now in its second consecutive global edition, the survey, led by FERMA, brings together insights from Europe, the U.S., Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa, offering an international perspective on how the risk management perspective is evolving. [15:46] Surveys are anonymous, and the final report is free. The deadline to participate is March 31st. A link is in this episode's show notes. [15:56] RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [16:12] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [16:31] The Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held in San Antonio from August 10th through August 12th. [16:38] The call for submissions for educational sessions is open through March 18th. Check out the link in this episode's show notes and make a pitch! Hopefully, you get selected, and we see you in San Antonio! [16:51] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [17:09] Let's Return to Our Interview with John Kline and Kristen Peed! [17:31] We're talking about the RIMS 2025 Compensation Survey. There is so much great information in it. It is available through RIMS.org and the link in this episode's show notes. [17:45] Nearly all compensation survey respondents, 97% in the U.S. and 90% in Canada, perform functions beyond risk management, including insurance, claims, business continuity, compliance, and even ESG. [17:58] Justin asks if compensation is keeping pace with the expanding scope and complexity of the role. [18:06] John says he feels he is fairly compensated. He enjoys getting involved in multiple areas. Procuring insurance is a large part of his role, but he brings a lot of other value to the organization. [18:43] John says he enjoys assisting in other areas of risk. It helps his professional development. It brings variety to his job. He works very closely with business continuity to help them quantify and understand it. He needs to know that for his insurance renewals. [19:08] Years ago, John was responsible for the ergonomics program of Bank of America, one of the largest employers in California. He had a wonderful team and really enjoyed the job. It led to his accomplishment of driving down workers' compensation claims. [19:58] John says you ought to change your job every two years. If you're doing your job two years from now, the same job, exactly the way you're doing it today, you're not growing. You're not developing your job. [20:20] John says he was in the same job, at one point, for almost 17 years. Every year, what he did was entirely different. He had the same title for 17 years. Every two years, he remade what he did. [20:40] John says growing your job shows your recognition of the increase in compensation and increased responsibility.  [20:50] Kristen has a unique position at Sequoia. She's not sure that what she does exists at any other company. She has the opportunity to work in underwriting and risk management for her company and brokerage. She was brought on as the internal risk manager. [21:10] Kristen also has the opportunity to oversee a team of underwriters and claims professionals who work on workers' compensation and employment practices liability that go into the PEO captive. Learning about all that was fun. [21:28] About a year ago, Kristen had the opportunity to take over the leadership of the property and casualty brokerage team. She gets to see all three facets of this industry, sitting in one role. [21:49] Because of these experiences Kristen has had, now she sits in on strategic decisions about opening new companies. Sequoia is getting ready to open up another company. [22:02] Kristen is part of the leadership team, looking at how to scale this. It's more than insurance decisions. It's about how to do this business, how to scale it, compliance, and governance. [22:22] Kristen says to look for opportunities to raise your hand. Expanding your skillset will help support your position with your leadership when you're going through the merit cycle. [22:46] Justin says the top industry impacts in the survey include attracting new candidates, cyber exposure, adoption of new technologies, AI, and hybrid workshifts. The median age of U.S. risk professionals is 51. Justin asks Kristen and John if we are facing a succession challenge. [23:11] Kristen says a big yes on that. John says succession planning and talent retention within this industry are the number one challenge. It is estimated that over the next five years, 350,000 people will retire. Over 50% of the industry is over 55. This is huge. [23:52] With those retirements, the industry will lose a tremendous amount of intellectual capital and experience. At the same time, this large group of professionals retiring in the next five or 10 years provides types of opportunities that never existed before for people in their 30s and 40s. [24:26] John says talent is the number one challenge for the industry. People coming into it are going to learn the skillsets. There's a lot this industry has to offer. There's a wide range of roles and a huge opportunity for growth. It touches so many different areas of the organization. [25:02] John says people are going to need a risk professional. The uncertainty in this world is increasing. The speed of change is getting faster. They will need someone like us. Make sure your organization knows you're the person they want, and so they don't look for someone else. [25:42] Kristen says she doesn't think risk has a talent shortage. She says Spencer Educational Foundation is doing a great job of recruiting into our industry. What we need to keep our eye on is the knowledge transfer and making sure that we're training the next generation. [26:05] Kristen believes the solution isn't just recruiting, it's the development. Make sure you're bringing that next generation to the RISKWORLD Conference so they understand how business is done, and they're developing those relationships. [26:18] Kristen says we shouldn't be focused on people late in their careers, like John and I. Risk isn't a back-office role anymore. It's out there on the front lines. Treat the next generation that will step into our shoes as the front lines. [26:50] Budget to bring the next generation to conferences. Include them in meetings and opportunities to be strategic. Teach them. If we don't transfer that knowledge, we risk losing that judgment. It's not a headcount issue but a knowledge transfer issue. [27:12] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [27:38] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [27:52] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [28:05] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [28:13] Let's Conclude Our Interview with John Kline and Kristen Peed. [28:23] Justin cites the survey, saying 79% of U.S. professionals were eligible for additional cash compensation, with performance, especially organizational performance, driving the most payouts. Justin asks if this is an appropriate incentive program. [28:45] Kristen says linking compensation to organizational performance makes sense. But risk doesn't exist in a vacuum. We have to make sure we're not rewarding only short-term results. [28:57] Kristen is eligible for incentives for both short-term organizational performance of a year and long-term incentives for multi-year organizational performance. That gives her time to put into play strategically things that will impact the organization in the long term. [29:20] Kristen doesn't know that a lot of organizations have evolved to where they're doing both short-term and long-term incentives and bonuses. [29:28] Kristen says that is a way we could incentivise risk professionals to make an organizational impact that permeates throughout the enterprise. It rewards something that's more overarching than one year's performance. [29:58] John agrees with Kristen. This is part of the evolution of the profession. John has base compensation, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives that he's had for years. It helps you get alignment with management for the long-term success of the organization. [30:19] John says most of us could save money in any given year, but we've got to look at stability for our programs. Management does not like wide fluctuations. [30:42] It forces us to think strategically, like an owner or the C-suite. It helps develop stability, not only on the corporate side, but also on the broking side and the carrier side. [31:02] For years, carriers in the reinsurance industry have had five- and ten-year incentives. It takes that long to see if a reinsurance contract is profitable. This is the evolution of the industry to align us better with the long-term objectives of the C-suites. [31:51] John says, if I have wild fluctuations year to year, and I haven't kept the C-suite apprised of it for three years, management's not going to like that. I'm not doing my job. [32:26] Justin points out that on paper, John is a department of one, but he works with several others. Kristen says in her last job, she was a department of one. What strategies can John and Kristen provide for risk professionals with very limited resources to use to transfer knowledge? [32:47] Kristen thinks recognizing what your resources are is the place to start. You may have more resources at your fingertips than you realize. Your brokers can help you with the tools they may have. Your carrier partners may have other tools. [33:11] Kristen stresses RIMS and RIMS.org for all the tools and information at your fingertips there, as well as the RIMS Engage social media platform, where you can reach out to other risk professionals to get their advice. [33:28] Kristen thinks our industry is one of the greatest when it comes to collaboration and knowledge-sharing. She can call on her network for advice. You may be a department of one, but you are not alone. You have an entire community behind you to support you. [33:58] Justin explains that RIMS Engage is exclusively for RIMS members, one of the many benefits of RIMS membership. [34:11] John endorses everything Kristen said. He adds that you need to understand who your key stakeholders are. Those are the people who will support you. You have to set realistic expectations. As a team of one, sometimes things fall through the cracks. [34:51] You have to have a plan. You make a plan, you work the plan. You can't just come in every day and ask yourself what you are going to do that day.d You need a plan for the day, even though something during the day will upset the plan. [35:09] John says, "Communicate, communicate, communicate." John doesn't want to be a black box. If someone says they don't understand what he does, he sits down with them and tells them. [35:50] Justin adds a quick plug for the RIMS-CRMP. It's a great way to enhance your knowledge. If you are a department of one, if you pass that RIMS-CRMP exam, you will have the capacity of several risk professionals. [36:08] Kristen agrees. Credentials don't replace your experience, but they help you compound it fast. The RIMS-CRMP credential is incredibly valuable. It can help accelerate your knowledge. Risk management is a profession where judgment compounds over time. [36:36] You earn that credibility by seeing market cycles, going through claims scenarios, and by having failures and then recovering from them. [36:49] John says important credentials like the RIMS-CRMP show right away that you're dedicated to the industry. These are not easy certifications. They provide instant credibility. [37:16] When you can put RIMS-CRMP on your signature line, you differentiate yourself. You show others you are furthering your education. [37:38] Justin says we're going to see you both at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia! John Kline and Kristen Peed are omnipresent at RISKWORLD. [37:52] RIMScast recently had 2025 Goodell Award Winner Randy Nornes on the show. He said he can't stand the word risk, even though he's made his career on it. He prefers the word uncertainty because risk has a negative connotation. [38:29] Kristen says Sequoia's Chief Legal Officer has a saying, "Nothing bad happens." We have been prepared for everything. We have a playbook. We have practiced it. We don't talk about risk but about closing the gap and mitigating against those things. [39:03] John says, this is an opportunity. He understands Randy's position. People understand what a risk is. What is uncertainty? John likes the term risk business rather than the term uncertainty business. [40:14] John, Kristen, it has been wonderful to reconnect with you! I can't wait to see you again in two months! See you at RISKWORLD! [40:27] The RIMS 2025 Compensation Survey is available now. The links are in this episode's show notes. There are different tiers to access it. [40:52] Special thanks again to Kristen Peed and John Kline for joining us to discuss the results of the 2025 RIMS Risk Management Compensation Survey! Members have the benefit of receiving the survey results for free. The cost is $500 for nonmembers. A link is in the notes. [41:14] I've also got links to John Kline and Kristen Peed's prior RIMScast appearances and Kristen's RIMS-CRMP Story. Look for both of them at RISKWORLD 2026  in Philadelphiafrom May 3rd through the 6th. [41:27] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [41:55] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [42:14] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [42:31] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [42:48] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [43:02] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [43:14] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Legislative Summit — March 18‒19, 2026 on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. | Register now! RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 Education Content Submission — Deadline March 18, 2026! RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | April - June 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Compensation Survey 2025 — Download Today | Press Announcement Here. RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026 Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepApril 21‒22, 2026 | June 9‒10 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | March 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops Risk Appetite Management | March 25‒26 Claims Management | April 7‒8 Emerging Risks | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes" | March 12 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management" | Presented by RIMS — Rescheduled — Date TBA in March RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Investing In Yourself with RIMS 2026 President Manny Padilla" "RIMS 2025 Goodell Award Winner Randy Nornes" "A Brand New Day with RIMS 2025 President Kristen Peed" "AI and the Future of Risk with Dan Chuparkoff"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Kristen Peed, Chief Risk Officer at Sequoia and RIMS ex officio John Kline, Senior Director, Enterprise Insurance Risk Management at TransUnion and RIMS Board Chair   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Randy Nornes, the 2025 Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award Winner, about his career. They talk about uncertainty and a long-term approach to risk. Randy won the 2025 Goodell Award for his lifetime achievements. He is a problem solver. Randy advises risk professionals not to focus on what they did yesterday, but on what is happening today, and to stay current with risks such as AI and cyber risk. Randy talks about how staying with Aon for years has given him the latitude to look across the company and focus on the next risk. Listen for tips on laying the groundwork before the risks.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is 2025 Goodell Award Winner Randy Nornes. We will learn all about his fascinating career and his risk philosophies. But first… [:42] RIMS Virtual Workshops. On March 10th and 11th, we have a two-day course led by John Button for the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep. [:53] On March 17th and 18th, RIMS will align with AFERM for a two-day RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course. [1:01] On March 4th and 5th, we have a virtual workshop, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", with Joe Milan. On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. [1:18] Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:26] Webinars. On March 6th, RIMS presents "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". We'll be joined by a Chief Risk Officer, an underwriter, and a broker. [1:40] They will explore their career paths, risk and safety philosophies, and lend some insight as to why this is the time for the next generation of leaders to rise. [1:51] For a quick preview, check out last week's episode with Cynthia Garcia. She is the Chief Risk Officer from Bernards, who will be joining us on that exciting panel. [2:00] On March 12th, Global Risk Consultants returns with "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes". Register for these and other webinars by visiting RIMS.org/webinars and the links in this episode's show notes. [2:20] On with the Show! Our guest today, Randy Nornes, is the 2025 Harry and Dorothy Goodel Award Winner. [2:29] Named after the first President of RIMS and his wife, the Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award honors an individual who has furthered the goals of risk management and the Society through outstanding service and lifetime achievement. [2:41] Randy Nornes exemplifies all that and more. He has been with Aon for 38-plus years. Currently, Randy is the Executive Vice President and Enterprise Client Partner for Technology, Media, and the Communications Industry. He has done some volunteer work, which we will talk about. [3:00] Randy has a fascinating career. We're going to learn about it as well as his leadership style, his risk philosophy, and how he is keeping Aon at the forefront of AI innovation. [3:09] [If you've been to RISKWORLD, you've seen Randy in the halls and the educational sessions. He has been an ever-present force there. And he is a highly-regarded member of the Chicago RIMS Chapter. Let's get to it! [3:23] Interview! 2025 Goodel Award Winner, Randy Nornes, welcome to RIMScast! [3:44] Randy is proud of that award. He wonders, after receiving a lifetime achievement award, what's next? Retirement? Should he write a book? [4:11] On the day of the award, Randy was backstage with Martha Stewart and had a chance to visit with her and discuss risk management. [4:21] Randy's wife and one of his sons were in the audience. When Martha Stewart came out and spoke, she referred to their conversation. Randy gained credibility at home that Martha Stewart listened to what he had to say! [4:52] Justin says that RISKWORLD 2025 was fantastic! Randy says he has probably attended three dozen RISKWORLD conferences. He says they get better and are different every time. You can see, decade by decade, what's important. [5:31] There is a wonderful profile on Randy Nornes, written by Russ Banham, in the special Awards edition of RIMS Risk Management Magazine. It is still available online. That's how Justin got to know Randy Nornes before this interview. [5:57] Randy always tries to link up with what the next big thing is. Since late 2025, Randy has been leading Aon's AI infrastructure efforts, from the financing of data centers, to the construction, to the development, to the operation, and to the energy attached to that.  [6:28] AI is the next big thing. Randy says that 40% of GDP is coming through the lens of building AI infrastructure. Aon has a big team for it, and that's what Randy does every day. He says it's massive, exciting, and relentless. [7:03] Randy says, Because it's coming so fast and furious, it's not something you have time to sit back and think about. He says we're seeing this thing evolve week by week. It's global. Risk management is at the center of making it all work. [7:27] Randy says there's a different lens depending on where you sit in the AI infrastructure world. Everyone is thinking about the risks of the construction, the operation, the access to power, and the climate. It's all melded into one thing. [7:48] Randy calls the Chicago RIMS Chapter big and vibrant. Chicago is unique in having representation from so many different industries. It's not highly concentrated. People have a lot of lenses to look at risks through. It makes for good conversations. [8:11] Justin notes that last year's Risk Manager of the Year, Jennifer Pack, was from Chicago. The Rising Star, Megan Smalter, was originally from Chicago. Randy has spent time on the West and East Coasts, and he finds the Chicago Chapter unique, with 25 different industries. [8:49] Justin gives a shout-out to Julie Bean, the 2024 Heart of RIMS Award Winner. Justin says Randy is in great company. The talent coming out of Chicago brings something special to RIMS. [9:27] Randy was going to be a banker. A banker manages risk around lending and projects. It's not a huge leap to get to the world of risk management from there. [9:44] In the 1980s, it was a turbulent time for banking. We had just come out of a tough inflationary period, with real estate bankruptcies and banks and savings and loans going under. His advisor told him not to go into banking. [10:18] Randy interviewed someone from Chubb. Chubb was scaling up a new product, Directors' and Officers' insurance. Randy was good at case studies in business school. Underwriting D&O insurance is a case study. Randy thought he could do that job. [10:54] Randy started at Chubb and ended where he is today. In 1987, Randy moved to Frank B. Hall, acquired by Aon in 1992. He was young and a good worker, so he was kept by the company. He says it was a trip working alongside Pat Ryan and learning the business at Chubb. [11:48] Pat Ryan took Randy and others under his wing. He is a great mentor. Randy credits him for access. Randy mentions other early supporters, Al Diamond and Skip Dunn. With Pat Ryan, Randy was always looking for the next big risk to come along or a new framework. [13:00] In the 1990s, governance, Sarbanes-Oxley, and enterprise risk frameworks came to the forefront, following bankruptcies of major companies that had appeared to be successful. [13:28] When enterprise risk became a thing, it needed frameworks. That led Randy to build one of the first enterprise-risk-focused teams to help companies think about it. This was before COSO. [13:55] Randy says a lot of the clients they dealt with in those early days were in industries where someone had already gone through some trauma, and they wanted to make sure they weren't next up. It was a lot of, "Hurry up and make sure we're OK!" [14:26] Randy says, in the 1990s, they were doing risk modeling. The reinsurance teams had risk models that ran on AS400 mainframe computers. They had to book computing time to run a scenario with a set of assumptions. They would run 10,000 simulations in a day. [14:55] If they wanted to change the assumptions, they had to book another time. [15:02] Now it's all on the laptop. The quality of data is significantly higher. They can do it in real time. Risk managers today may not recognize how lucky they are. [15:24] Randy says, We're always trying to decide what problem we're trying to solve for and what we know about that particular issue. The modeling is the entry point to know what to do or what matters. [16:10] Randy thinks risk is a terrible word. We risk professionals have a hard time communicating with people who aren't in our space when we use the word risk. Everyone has a different definition of risk. Randy says everyone can get on board with certainty and uncertainty. [16:34] Randy says, what we're doing with modeling is trying to understand what the distance between certainty and uncertainty looks like. Then, we have to decide what's comfortable and where our tolerance is. Then, decide what to do with the part that we want to get rid of. [16:48] That's at the core of risk management, and it hasn't changed in decades. The tools we have now have changed dramatically. [16:56] Justin cites Christy Kaufman from the profile article, who said that Randy is far more than a traditional broker; he is a thought partner and a problem-solver. Justin asks what allows Randy to move beyond transactional work into a strategic advisory mindset. [17:19] Randy says insurance is a complete waste of money, unless you can show how you're adding value. You can get there by showing this uncertainty spectrum and understanding it. [17:58] Randy says the mindset is, "I've parachuted in. What do we have going on?" If I did that today, I'd be looking at supply chain issues. It's amazing when you have that lens. Early on, he looked at a supply chain that was "perfect, end-to-end" on spreadsheets. [18:27] Everything was manually entered. Managers were judged on average inventory levels, and wanted to keep the levels as low as possible. To game the system, they ran inventory at the lowest level.  [18:57] They would raise the inventory at the end of the month to make it look like they were on target. It was not a real-time inventory. It looked like risk management was fine, but the chance of a stockout or a long-term impact was pretty great. [19:24] A Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [19:43] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [20:02] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for the RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C.! Join us in Washington, D.C. for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [20:19] Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for more information and to register. Also, check out the prior episode of RIMScast, Episode 378, featuring RIMS General Counsel and Vice President of External Affairs, Mark Prysock, as we discuss the top priorities for RIMS in 2026 and beyond. [20:39] The Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held in San Antonio from August 10th through August 12th. [20:46] The call for submissions for educational sessions is open through March 18th. Check out the link in this episode's show notes and make a pitch! Hopefully, you get selected, and we'll see you in San Antonio! [20:59] Let's Return to Our Interview with 2025 Goodel Award Winner, Randy Nornes! [21:19] Justin asks how Randy delivers good or bad news to a high-level executive. Randy says he was gifted by his radio announcer father with a very calm demeanor. You're delivering what it is, based on some fact. Randy has had to deliver a lot of crazy facts over the years. [22:29] Early in his career, Randy had a financial institution client. They had some major issues. He was standing outside the boardroom, ready to go in to tell them whether they had insurance or not. They did not. He was on the phone with London, working out some coverage. [23:28] He got the message while he was in there that they had managed to land something for the client, so he could pivot. His colleagues said they couldn't believe how calm he had been, going in. [24:11] Randy says it's best to set the landscape with executives before extra risk is taken, showing alternatives and strategy, so if something happens, it was foreseen, you were just unlucky in that year. [24:53] If you hadn't done the front-end work and gotten everybody onboard to see why it was the right strategy, then the news of unanticipated issues gets a lot harder to deliver. [25:04] There's a lot of front-end work to do. To drop bad news on people without any prep is going to be a lot harder. Being transparent and on the same page, especially with finance people, makes communication easy. This flows up to the CFO and higher. Set the foundation. [25:51] Randy has 100s of people focused on data centers. They have analysts and use AI for some things. There are people from the financial institution vertical, construction, operations, cyber, AI, energy, and renewal. They gather together. It's multidisciplinary, under one umbrella. [27:05] Randy says his leadership style is collaborative. He tries to lift the whole team, orchestrating how it comes together. He lets them have the success they deserve. Randy is a strong proponent of mentorship. It's the secret to his success. [27:50] Randy has worked with some people for his entire career, as clients, colleagues, or competitors, and he stays connected with them. Hundreds of people fit that profile. [28:17] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [28:43] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [28:57] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [29:10] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [29:18] Let's Conclude Our Interview with 2025 Goodel Award Winner, Randy Nornes. [29:39] Randy worked with Pat Ryan to lead the Risk Management and Financial Guarantee Team for Chicago's 2016 Summer Olympic bid. Randy says when Pat retired as CEO of Aon, he took on this project to head Chicago's Olympic bid. He invited Randy to the project. [30:19] In an Olympic Bid, the city has to sign a Host City Agreement that says they will take on the risks of delivering the Games. There's an effective financial guarantee. Globally, it is often done on a country level. That's not how it operates in the U.S. [30:43] Pat and Randy had to figure out how to de-risk the games so that what the city's guarantee would look like was limited because the team had built insurance and risk management. On the construction side, they had contractors take on risks. [31:03] They created a de-risking model. It was the first time anyone had done that for an Olympic Games. Chicago was not successful, but the work the team did on de-risking the Games became the model that a lot of Western cities took on for their Olympic bids. [32:03] Randy says you start with a line-item budget that the bid team puts out. A big part of it is the construction of venues, living spaces, technology, including massive broadcast bandwidth, tens of thousands of volunteers to transport and train, and secure. [32:35] Randy says they took the line-item budget and worked on each item separately, to create certainty and shrink the distance between certain and uncertain, so that when they put the umbrella guarantee on top of it, it touched a lot fewer things and had a lot more certainty. [33:01] The biggest thing the umbrella policy covered is delivering the Games on a certain date. No delays. All the costs are front-end. If, for some reason, the Games don't happen: terrorism, global war, or pandemic, you're stuck with all those front-end costs. It's the worst case. [33:39] The closer you get to the event, the more risk you have. Then you have the three or four weeks when you're delivering the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. [33:49] Randy says it was interesting. They did a white paper on it, "How to De-risk Games." It was done to encourage cities not to be afraid to host the Games. [34:19] Randy says, over the years, when cities in North America are bidding for Winter or Summer, they reach out, and Pat and Randy give them the template. San Francisco, LA, Boston, and Calgary all asked for it. [34:51] Most of the people on the Bid Committee were on the City level. It was Mayor Daley, his staff, and 50 aldermen. Randy says, We gave them lots of transparency into what we were doing. [35:16] Randy says they provided 1,200 pages of material, in 3-ring binders, for each of the aldermen. They also put all the text on discs to search electronically. Later, an alderman called Randy, angry because he couldn't listen to the disc in his car. Randy explained it to him. [3:24] Randy thinks a city should be thankful to host the Olympic Games. They make the city sparkle. The city gets a big influx of outside money. Chicago would have gotten a lot of Federal money. The transportation system would have been upgraded. It would make the city better. [36:49] Randy describes how London and Paris were improved by hosting the Olympic Games. If you're thinking of bidding, it's worth it. Randy wishes Chicago's bid had been successful. [37:33] Justin and Randy comment on the Milan Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The next Winter Olympics will be on the French side of the Alps. [38:01] Justin says that Chicago is known for its colorful history of notorious characters. [38:45] Justin asks Randy about Project Six. Project Six came out of the Olympic Bid. Seeing corruption in the city government, Randy and a few committee members put together Project Six, referring to the six business leaders who partnered with Elliot Ness to go after Al Capone. [39:44] They set up Project Six as a nonprofit whistleblower organization so people could come to report corruption. They got hundreds of whistleblower tips. They published things and gave information on criminal activity to Federal prosecutors. [40:07] Some things were not criminal but unethical. When the Chicago Cubs were playing in the World Series, public officials paid face value for Cubs tickets instead of the market price. Project Six brought it to the ethics committee, and they changed that practice for tickets. [41:31] Randy says they did not make a lot of friends in public office. Project Six is closed. [41:47] Randy talks about angering a bunch of people in public office. They went after Project Six because they weren't getting whistleblower tips on Republicans. There might have been one Republican commissioner in Chicago. [42:20] Randy says some of the senior people they ruffled went after donors. So it was a better idea to shut it down. It ran for three and a half years. [42:41] Randy says the biggest frustration was how slow things move. It takes years for some convictions to go through. You would like justice to happen faster. Randy hopes that when high-profile people go to prison, others pause to consider. [43:59] Randy gives his advice on what separates a good risk manager or problem solver from a great one. He says not to get too focused on what you did yesterday. Every day, step back and ask, Am I still doing the right stuff? Am I focused on the right thing? [44:26] You have a fixed amount of money to spend to solve your risk problems. You're insuring your buildings for fire, but over time, you've engineered them to be fire-resistant. There is less risk. At the same time, you have AI, cyber risk, and new things that come in. [44:48] Is it better to direct money to solve cyber risk and take on more risk for property? Don't get hung up on what you did yesterday. Stepping back and staying on top of what's happening with the business has never been more important. [45:17] Businesses are transforming before our eyes, and AI is leading the transformation. Make sure you're interacting with your business to stay current on what the business is all about. [46:02] Randy says being at Aon a long time has given him a lot of latitude to do all the things he has done. He can look for new things, cut across the towers that exist and think about risk at the broadest level. [46:40] If you move company to company, you'll step into the new role, fix a few things, and move to the next company. You won't have the latitude to experiment with new things or ask what comes next. You're there because you're needed at that time. [47:07] Randy says, That can be comfortable. But don't get too comfortable and make sure you're staying current. [47:17] We really appreciate you joining us here on the show. I want to wish you congratulations again on the Goodel Award. It's a big honor here at RIMS, and you certainly deserve it. [47:27] I look forward to meeting you in Philadelphia, from May 3rd through the 6th at RISKWORLD! Thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast, Randy! [47:40] Special thanks again to 2025 Goodel Award Winner, Randy Nornes, for joining us here on RIMSCast! A link to his profile in RIMS Risk Management Magazine's Awards Edition 2025 is in this episode's show notes. [47:57] He's one of our men in Chicago. Check out ChicagoRIMS.org. They have a live event coming up called "Nuclear Verdicts: Live Mock Trial for Evaluating Litigation Risk and Strategy"  at the Aon Center (Chicago), on March 11th. You might see Randy there! [48:14] We've got the Chicago RIMS Annual Golf Outing on September 21st, and the 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum on September 24th at the Old Post Office in Chicago. They're one of our most active and vibrant chapters, so check out those events and visit ChicagoRIMS.org. [48:34] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [49:02] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [49:20] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [49:37] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [49:54] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [50:08] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [50:20] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Legislative Summit — March 18-19, 2026 on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. | Register now! RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 Education Content Submission — Deadline March 18, 2026! RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | April ‒ June 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Compensation Survey 2025 — Download Today RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute | Awards Edition 2025 RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Story, featuring John Button RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepMarch 10‒11 | April 21‒22 | June 9‒10 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | March 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS Virtual Workshop – Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making | March 4‒5 | Register Now Risk Appetite Management | March 25‒26 Claims Management | April 7‒8 Emerging Risks | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management | March 6 | Presented by RIMS Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes | March 12 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Investing In Yourself with RIMS 2026 President Manny Padilla" "RIMS 2024 Goodell Award Winner Eamonn Cunningham"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Randy Nornes, at Aon   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Cynthia Garcia about her career journey. She credits mentors and sponsors for paving the way for her success. Justin and Cynthia discuss the demands of the Chief Risk Officer role and how Cynthia works with stakeholders who have competing priorities. Cynthia shares her perspective on construction risk and safety. She is seeing more diversity in the rising generation of risk professionals, with amazing opportunities for all.   Cynthia shares how her Confucianist upbringing still makes it a struggle for her to receive recognition. Despite that, she posted on LinkedIn about receiving the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. That post led Justin to reach out to her. Cynthia speaks of her involvement with the Spencer Educational Foundation, including being a Risk Manager on Campus. Justin and Cynthia talk about the March 6th Webinar, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management", that she joins as a featured panelist. Listen for tips on careers in risk management for construction.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Cynthia Garcia, the award-winning Chief Risk Officer for Bernards. We will talk all about her career in construction risk and get some "inspirado." But first… [:44] RIMS Virtual Workshops. On March 10th and 11th, we have a two-day course led by John Button for the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep. [:55] On March 17th and 18th, RIMS will align with AFERM for a two-day RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course. [1:02] On March 4th and 5th, we have a virtual workshop, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", with Joe Milan. On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. [1:20] Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:27] Webinars. On March 6th, RIMS presents "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". We'll be joined by a Chief Risk Officer, an underwriter, and a broker. [1:42] They will explore their career paths, risk and safety philosophies, and lend some insight as to why this is the time for the next generation of leaders to rise. [1:53] On March 12th, Global Risk Consultants returns with "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes". Register for these and other webinars by visiting RIMS.org/webinars and the links in this episode's show notes. [2:14] On with the Show! Our guest today is Cynthia Garcia. She is the Chief Risk Officer for Bernards. [2:22] Cynthia made a big impact on the risk landscape in 2025 when she received the Bill McIntyre Leadership Award from the International Risk Management Institute during its Construction Risk Conference. [2:35] I wanted to learn all about her career and what it's like to be the risk officer for a major construction company. [2:42] Earlier, I mentioned the March 6th RIMS Webinar, "Hard Hats and High Stakes," and Cynthia will, in fact, be the Chief Risk Officer mentioned there. [2:51] If you like what you hear in this episode and want to learn more about career development, construction risk, and why rising risk professionals should seize the opportunities in the construction sector, you can register for that Webinar. [3:04] Cynthia is a fascinating individual, and I am so pleased to present this interview! Let's get to it! [3:09] Interview! Cynthia Garcia, welcome to RIMScast! [3:27] Justin and Cynthia are going to be collaborating on a RIMS Webinar on March 6th, "Hard Hats and High Stakes." It's all about how women have and can continue to thrive in construction risk management. Cynthia is the ideal Chief Risk Officer to have on that panel. [3:46] Justin thanks Cynthia in advance for being on that panel and being a guest on RIMScast. [4:07] Cynthia is the CRO for Bernards, based in California. [4:33] Like many in her generation, Cynthia stumbled into risk management. She started as an administrative assistant for Morley Builders, an amazing employee-owned general contractor in Santa Monica, California. [4:52] She was fortunate to have several sponsors and mentors within the organization. They helped her see that she belonged at the table. They saw something in her that she hadn't seen in herself, which is the beauty of a mentor. [5:16] In spaces she was not in, they advocated for her and said, Why don't we give this to Cynthia? That's the beauty of a sponsor. Cynthia says she was blessed to be in the right place at the right time. She was able to lean in. [5:32] Cynthia says that the thing that attracts her about risk management and what she does is finding the hard yes. Risk management doesn't say, "No." [5:50] Risk management, when practicing its craft, is fully integrated with operations and understanding what the business needs. It is strategically aligned and helps make sure the organization is making those thoughtful business decisions that allow taking risks. [6:11] Then, risk management takes it to the next step to ask how this adds to our shareholder equity, how this aligns with who we want to be as a company and as people. Risk management threads the needle between entrepreneurship and "cowboyism." [6:28] Risk management leads with "Help me understand, and help us get to the hard yes. We can do it, but here are some of the things we need to do to make sure that it's successful."  [6:50] Cynthia always likes to start by making sure she is coming in with a lot of curiosity. She asks for help to understand what she's not seeing to try to connect the dots. If Cynthia doesn't understand the needs of her business partners, she's not creating value. [7:11] Cynthia joined Bernards as Chief Risk Officer four years ago next month (March). Bernards created the position for her. She says she's blessed to work with talented people. She credits an amazing group of rockstar individuals. She says a rising tide lifts all boats. [8:00] Cynthia says her team carries the weight and does it beautifully. She says the genius of true leadership is understanding we're paving the way for our replacement. Leaders who are afraid of talent need to pause and rethink what that means. [8:26] Cynthia's Risk and Safety team has 13 staff members. [8:45] Cynthia has a VP of Risk and Safety who is definitely a genius at making the wheels turn. He is Cynthia's only direct report. He does an amazing job setting the tone and the pace. [9:03] Cynthia says, We focus on listening to the voices of our internal and external customers. As an employee-owned company, we try to understand what our business partners need, whether it's accounting, finance, human resources, operations, or estimating. [9:22] Cynthia focuses on what our business partners need from risk management to help achieve mission success. [9:27] Cynthia says, from day to day, it's everything from safety to claims, to insurance issues, to coverage questions, but a fair part of the job is when business teams proactively reach out with questions about issues that have come up. [9:50] Cynthia says the beauty of being in a smaller organization is that Risk Management is not siloed. It's not just insurance and claims but also litigation management and contracts. Risk partners closely with the CHRO on policies and employment practices. [10:13] Risk partners closely with Finance and Accounting on a variety of issues. Cynthia feels it is fortunate that Risk is viewed and valued as an internal resource to its business partners and part of the critical strategy to achieve the company's goals. [10:41] Bernards has a little fewer than 400 employee-owners. Cynthia credits Finance and Accounting for paying vendors on time and treating trade partners fairly. She credits Marketing for helping the brand, highlighting company accomplishments, and creating community buzz. [11:30] Cynthia credits the very customer-centric Tech team, who have helped her a lot, and the Virtual Construction Design team, who help with clash detection and getting ahead of constructability issues early on. [11:59] She notes the estimating team getting ahead of what's out there and making sure we have the right projects to go after. It takes a village. [12:14] Cynthia says we like to think all of us employee-owners have a vested interest in mission success. We're all in construction. [12:27] Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [12:45] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [13:04] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for the RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C.! Join us in Washington, D.C. for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [13:20] Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for more information and to register. Also, check out the prior episode of RIMScast, Episode 378, featuring RIMS General Counsel and Vice President of External Affairs, Mark Prysock, as we discuss the top priorities for RIMS in 2026 and beyond. [13:41] Let's Return to Our Interview with Bernards' Chief Risk Officer, Cynthia Garcia! [13:58] When Cynthia joined Bernards, there were about 10 people on the Risk and Safety team. Then they went into remodel mode, with a different strategic vision. Continuous improvement is a Bernards core value. It's a 52-year-old company with processes and talent in place. [14:27] Cynthia says we've been looking at the areas where we can have the greatest impact, picking off the low-hanging fruit first, and then building out processes that allow us to scale without reinventing ourselves every few years. [14:57] Cynthia says safety is our priority. Bernards added safety to its core values this year. Cynthia says it was a grass-roots movement. It percolated up through Operations and said, This is who we need to be. [15:24] Cynthia says a risk management team's job is to safeguard all the resources of the organization. That includes people and things, clients, and trade partners. The Risk and Safety team has a holistic view. They can't be good by themselves. They can't be safe by themselves. [15:42] For Cynthia, safety takes on a larger meaning than physical well-being, including creating spaces where people are allowed to be vulnerable. [15:57] Cynthia talks about leading with empathy, with top priority not only for physical safety but also for a psychologically safe environment, where you can show up, be seen, heard, and thrive. [16:41] Cynthia says she works on building connections through conflict. For what could be tough conversations, it helps if you are willing to check your ego at the door and come in curious. Cynthia often states her intention up front. [17:01] Cynthia might say, "My intention isn't to challenge you, it's to have you help me understand your perspective and help me see what I'm missing." Cynthia says she asks a billion questions because there is so much she doesn't know. She always tries to get with the "why." [17:32] Cynthia says, When I try to understand what it is that my counterpart needs to happen, then we can figure out the path forward together. As employee-owners, our goals are aligned. We're looking in the same direction. [17:52] Cynthia says, We may fuss with the GPS a little bit, but we know the destination is set and we have a commitment to one another. Once we are willing to shut up, listen, and ask the questions to learn, then we can figure out how to be of service. [18:16] Cynthia says her job isn't to convince, it's first to understand. [18:22] A Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [18:51] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [19:06] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [19:18] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [19:27] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Bernards' Chief Risk Officer, Cynthia Garcia. [19:41] As Cynthia mentioned earlier, Bernards is employee-owned. Cynthia thinks that Bernards being 100% employee-owned makes all its employee-owners better businesspeople. The heart of risk management is making those good choices. [20:27] Looking across the table and knowing she is betting with her fellow owner's retirement, makes Cynthia think about that a little bit differently. She thinks the employee ownership structure lends itself to amazing risk management. [20:49] Cynthia says you have to be disciplined. You're not spending somebody else's money on this. We're working together, and when we all make good choices, we are ultimately rewarding ourselves and impacting future generational owners, too. That's quite meaningful. [21:09] Cynthia says it's the best of both worlds. You have the umbrella of a big company paying the bills, but you're rewarded for smart entrepreneurism. [21:27] Cynthia has a long-term view when making decisions. It's not about what's in it for her. It's how does this support who we want to be today, and who we want to try to be tomorrow? It makes us look further into the horizon. [22:24] May 4th through May 8th, 2026, is Safety Week, here in the U.S. That coincides with RISKWORLD 2026. Cynthia will be at RISKWORLD. [22:41] Cynthia says for Safety Week, Bernards has planned activities on each job site to highlight the good things that men and women are doing to build the communities in which they work and live, and doing them in such a way that they go home to families and loved ones. [23:01] Justin notes that settlements from construction site accident injuries can be astronomical. Part of Cynthia's job is to minimize accidents from the outset, which connects to Bernards' core value safety-first mindset. [23:34] Cynthia says client response has been amazing. Recently, one of the project executives at Bernards was invited to the school district and won an award acknowledging their efforts on safety. That felt good because it wasn't Bernards saying it, but the clients saying we see it. [23:58] Bernards has trademarked "A Better Experience." It's a phrase they are proud of. They're building not only to create a better experience for their employee-owners, but also for project success for owners who value safety. [24:15] Bernards is a large school builder, working on many programs up and down the state. Bernards is cognizant of the impact they are having on the future generation of leaders and citizens. They're very grateful to have that acknowledgement from their clients. It's special. [25:29] Cynthia says she is absolutely seeing more opportunities for women in risk management and in construction. Construction tends to be inclusive. It's an industry filled with optimists. Its people bring that can-do attitude. They are very generous and gracious with their support. [26:13] Cynthia says she has been in the risk profession for about 30 years. The demographics have changed, and she sees diversity in the new young talent permeating the industry. [27:10] Cynthia thinks the work that the Spencer Educational Foundation does in partnership with RIMS is tremendous. She says it is amazing that colleges and universities are offering the Risk Management and Insurance degree and concentration. Cynthia never heard of that before. [27:35] Cynthia says that people her age moved into risk management from adjacent areas. She is pleased that now people come into risk management intentionally. She talks about risk managers trying to figure out how to help businesses thrive and grow to the next level. [28:47] Cynthia is one of Spencer's Risk Managers on Campus. She explains how the grants to colleges work. Spencer works tirelessly to make sure the next generation of leaders know what an amazing career this is and the opportunities it offers. Cynthia is grateful to be part of it. [30:15] Justin mentions that other Risk Manager On Campus risk professionals have been guests on RIMScast, and they have inspiring stories to tell. They love reaching the young people who are going to be the future of the profession. [30:35] Megan Miller, Spencer CEO, was a recent RIMScast guest. Check out SpencerEd.org for grants and opportunities. If you know somebody interested, send them the link to explore. If they connect with people like Cynthia through the RMOC grant, their experience will be richer. [31:28] Cynthia came to Justin's attention through a LinkedIn post about her being honored as the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award recipient at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. [32:08] Cynthia says you're always a little bit surprised but so pleased when you get acknowledged by your peers. As IRMI is pre-eminent in the construction risk management space, it was more special to Cynthia, as she knew of the great work they did. [32:33] Cynthia remembers starting in risk management and going to them as a resource. She knows the people who make IRMI thrive. They're people Cynthia looks up to. She is very grateful that it was her turn to be acknowledged. She feels there are way more qualified folks out there! [33:41] Cynthia says she is an immigrant. English is her second language. She is Korean and grew up in a Confucianist household. In terms of philosophy, you should be seen, not heard. The collective win is celebrated. [34:06] Cynthia has had to work to get over the heebie-jeebies about self-promotion or what could be viewed as arrogance. She's working on it and doing better at accepting compliments. It's an opportunity to show others who are coming up behind her that diversity exists. [34:45] Cynthia says it's hard for us to visualize ourselves in a role without models who came before us. What are the opportunities that exist? Can I also think about this? Cynthia said the marketing team is genius. Justin said that was what caught his eye on LinkedIn. [35:19] Cynthia says she is very fortunate to be supported by so much talent and such a community that helps uplift you. [35:27] Justin comments that the "seen and not heard" thing is not just Confucianism, but also old-world Brooklynism. His old relatives said, "Children should be seen and not heard." [35:52] Cynthia says we all have shared experiences within our collective. People tend to focus on the differences. It is important to celebrate our differences, but there's so much more in common, regardless of the geography and the generation in which we were raised. [36:10] There is so much in shared value. Cynthia says she is constantly inspired by those stories of people who saw a different future or leaned into a hand up. That motivates her to try to be better and drives her. [36:35] Justin says posting is a networking opportunity too. If that post had not gone up, Justin would not have met Cynthia. It's a way to broaden your network and meet more people. Justin says it's OK to do a humblebrag. Justin is known as the shameless self-promoter. [37:11] Justin says it is very special when you are acknowledged outside your company. [37:20] Cynthia's post triggered a series of events, one of which is, in recognition of Women's History Month, RIMS will present the webinar on March 6th, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management", with Cynthia as a featured panelist. [37:38] Cynthia will provide the CRO perspective. Also on the panel are Danette Beck from Astrus and Jessica Risullo from WTW. Cynthia shares how she knows these amazing, trailblazing women. Cynthia is grateful to be on a panel with them. They're rockstars! [38:47] Justin says it's going to be excellent! The link is in this episode's show notes, or visit RIMS.org/webinars. Megan Miller, the CEO of the Spencer Educational Foundation, will kick things off with a special introduction. [39:15] It's going to be a wonderful way to observe and celebrate Women's History Month, ahead of RISKWORLD and Construction Safety Awareness Week. [39:30] Justin thanks Cynthia for joining us on RIMScast, sharing with listeners her construction risk perspective and career path. There's a lot to take away. Justin thanks Cynthia for her perspective and her time. [39:45] Cynthia says she appreciates Justin and the work RIMS is doing to put a spotlight on our amazing industry and the opportunities that exist. She says she is grateful for the opportunities Justin and RIMS are creating and thoughtfully curating. [40:04] Special thanks again to Cynthia Garcia for joining us here on RIMScast. You can hear more from her directly on March 6th during the RIMS Webinar "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". [40:17] RIMS members, keep in mind that RIMS Webinars are complimentary for you. That is one of the many benefits of a RIMS membership. Visit RIMS.org/webinars and the link in this episode's show notes to register. That's going to be a fantastic session! [40:34] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [41:03] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [41:21] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [41:38] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [41:55] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [42:09] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [42:21] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Legislative Summit — March 18‒19, 2026 on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. | Register now! RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! 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RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Cynthia Garcia, Risk Manager at Bernards   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Guest: Michael Vorenberg. General Grant found himself caught between a hostile President Johnson and Secretary Stanton. Vorenberg describes the disastrous "swing around the circle" tour, where Johnson used Grant's popularity as a shield while making embarrassing speeches. Witnessing Johnson's behavior, Grant ultimately sided with Stanton, realizing the President was unworthy of his loyalty.1910 GAR ARLINGTON

Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. This segment introduces the "Jesse Scouts," a Union special forces unit formed by John Frémont and named after his wife. Led by figures like John Charles Carpenter, these men wore Confederate disguises to infiltrate enemy lines. Despite their effectiveness as commandos, their lack of discipline led to friction with the regular Army. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Richard Blazer leads the "Legion of Honor," a hunter-killer team using Jesse Scout tradecraft to fight Confederate partisans in West Virginia. Blazer employs detective work to track down the ruthless Thurman brothers, who attack Union supply lines in the rugged terrain of the Appalachians. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. A failed Union raid on Richmond carrying orders to kill Jefferson Davis prompts the Confederacy to escalate irregular warfare and political influence operations. As the Confederate Secret Service aids the Copperhead movement, author Herman Melville embeds with Union cavalry to witness the hunt for the elusive John Mosby. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Confederate General Jubal Early threatens Washington, D.C., where Lincolnwitnesses the battle at Fort Stevens. Meanwhile, partisan leader John Mosby operates independently, capturing Union forces at Mount Zion Church. O'Donnell notes that better coordination between Early and Mosby could have endangered the capital. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Grant orders total war in the Shenandoah Valley to crush Mosby's Rangers. Although Richard Blazer's scouts initially have success with Spencer carbines, they are eventually lured into a trap and annihilated by Mosby's men at Kabletown, where Blazer is captured by Ranger Lewis Powell. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Lewis Powell, the Ranger who captured Blazer, is revealed to be a Confederate Secret Service operative working with John Wilkes Booth. Powell returns to Baltimore to aid in a plot to kidnap Lincoln, while Mosby deploys troops to secure a potential escape route for the conspirators. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Harry Harrison Young takes command of the Jesse Scouts, serving as Sheridan'sstrategic eyes in Confederate uniforms. These daring scouts deceive enemy forces and carry messages through enemy lines, enabling Sheridan to move his army effectively to join Grant and trap Lee. Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Robert E. Lee rejects the option of guerrilla warfare at Appomattox, choosing surrender to preserve the nation. Years later, former partisan John Singleton Mosby becomes close friends with U.S. Grant and joins the Republican Party, earning the enmity of many Southerners but symbolizing reconciliation. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. At Appomattox, Grant offers generous terms allowing Confederates to keep horses and sidearms. However, Lincoln does not immediately declare the war over; in his final speech, he focuses on the complex path to peace and suffrage, viewing the surrender as a step rather than a conclusion. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. Following Lincoln's assassination, General Sherman negotiates a surrender with Confederate General Johnston at Bennett Place. Sherman attempts to secure a comprehensive peace including civil matters, but officials in Washington, seeking stricter retribution, reject the terms as too generous, forcing a second, purely military surrender. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. While the Grand Review celebrates victory in Washington, General Sheridan is sent to the Texas border with 50,000 troops to counter French imperial ambitions in Mexico and suppress remaining Confederate resistance. Meanwhile, Confederate General Kirby Smith flees to Mexico rather than surrender his western forces. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. The government utilizes military tribunals to try Lincoln's assassins and Andersonville commandant Henry Wirz, arguing the war is ongoing. Prosecutors hope to pressure Wirz into implicating Jefferson Davis in prisoner atrocities to justify hanging the Confederate president, but Wirz refuses and is executed alone. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. Vorenberg discusses Richard Henry Dana's "Grasp of War" speech, which argued the war could not end until the victor secured guarantees against future conflict. This philosophy, demanding the enemy be held down, contrasted sharply with Lincoln's "let 'em up easy" wrestling metaphor, fueling Congressional debates over reconstruction. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. Vorenberg explains how President Johnson's racism and desire for a hasty peace alienated Congress. Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights and Freedman's Bureau Acts, arguing the war was over. Republicans, however, insisted war powers remained necessary to protect freedmen, leading them to override Johnson and unite against him. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. To undercut radicals, Johnson followed Seward's advice to declare the insurrection ended by executive proclamation in 1866. Vorenberg notes this "official" peace ignored realities like the New Orleans massacre. Simultaneously, Senator Doolittle was misled by General Carlton regarding the mistreatment of the Navajo at Bosque Redondo during his peace commission tour. Guest: Michael Vorenberg. General Grant found himself caught between a hostile President Johnson and Secretary Stanton. Vorenberg describes the disastrous "swing around the circle" tour, where Johnson used Grant'spopularity as a shield while making embarrassing speeches. Witnessing Johnson's behavior, Grant ultimately sided with Stanton, realizing the President was unworthy of his loyalty.

General Grant ordered Philip Sheridan to destroy resources and hang partisans, leading to a "burning season" in the Shenandoah Valley. After Blazer's scouts were annihilated by Mosby's rangers at Kabletown, Blazer was captured and escorted to Richmond by Lewis Powell, a future conspirator in the Lincoln assassination plot.

rWotD Episode 3074: Weyanoke, Virginia Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Friday, 3 October 2025, is Weyanoke, Virginia.Weyanoke is a plantation farmstead in Charles City County, Virginia, United States. In 1619, the First Africans in Virginia arrived at the Weyanoke Peninsula. They created the first African community in North America. The Westover Plantation and related archaeological sites were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.On October 30, 1665, Joseph Harwood was granted 422 acres of land on the north side of the James River. This land was known as Weynoke. This tract passed from the Harwood family to the Lewis family when Agnes Harwood married Fielding Lewis. Developed for tobacco culture by slaves, the Weyanoke Plantation includes a formal Georgian style mansion built in the 1790s. The mansion is a two-story frame house sheathed with molded weatherboards and set on a brick foundation. It was built by Fielding Lewis who was named for his uncle Col. Fielding Lewis of Fredericksburg. Some 40 archaeological sites, associated with Native American, African American, and European American activities, have been identified in the 20th and 21st centuries as part of the historic property.Weyanoke Plantation was passed through marriage to the Douthat family, whose descendants kept ownership through the American Civil War. In June 1864 the Union Army under General Grant crossed from Weyanoke Point to Flowerdew Hundred on the south bank of the James River on a hastily constructed pontoon bridge.The original house was enlarged after 1938. Within the property's boundaries are the archaeological remains of man's continuous occupation of the site, which spans 10,000 years.In 1972 Weyanoke was acquired by Lawrence Lewis, Jr., a descendant of Fielding Lewis. Lewis, a businessman, philanthropist, benefactor of generations of conservative politicians, and founder of Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, was an heir to a fortune amassed in oil and railroad investments by Henry Morrison Flagler, who in 1870 founded Standard Oil Co. with John D. Rockefeller. Lewis' fortune was estimated at $120 million in the July 1993 issue of Virginia Business magazine.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:04 UTC on Friday, 3 October 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Weyanoke, Virginia on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Raveena.

SOCA THERAPY - SEPTEMBER 21, 2025Soca Therapy PlaylistSunday September 21st 2025Making You Wine from 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm TorontoDoh Come For Dah (Dr. Jay Plate) - Dash1000 Degrees - Bubbah473Capital Anthem - Capital JabJab Decisions - V'ghn x Terra D GovernorJab RnB (Haitian Ironman Remix) - Jab King x Selena Loves SocaStagga Dance - Lil Natty x Thunda x MuddyJabanica - Terra D Governor x Jab King40 Push Up - Hypa 4000 x Jab KingSomeone Else - Litleboy ft. Quan & Trilla GAnother Man - Jadel LegereDutty Bwoy - Imani RayIn She Party - LavamanBend Yuh Back (Luv Yuh) - TallpreeLike Never Before - Problem ChildBehaviour Nothing - Shal MarshallNo Feteing Behaviour - DJ Private Ryan x Sekon StaNo Behavior (Touch Down, Shell Down) - Cloud 5Back Fi Back - Slida x SwipeLost & Found - PreedyBruk It Set It - AkaiiUsweet x Mr Bagnall x EKDown Dey - MelickWine and Bend Over - Shal MarshallCome Beta - Destra x Shurwayne WinchesterLootala (Remix) - Sonny Mann x Denise Belfon x General GrantWork - Denise BelfonCome - Silhouette Ringa Ringa Ring Bang - Viking TundahFlag Party (Ring Bang Remix) - Super BlueDoh Bowl Meh Too Hard - Leston Paul & The New York Connection feat. Karla GonzalezBamcie - Yung Bredda x Added RankinI Am A Guyanese - Adrian DutchinTrini - BenjaiTop 7 Countdown - Powered By The Soca SourceTop Songs by Shal Marshall Streamed on Spotify7. Hot Gyal Soca6. Party We Love5. Wine Yuh Body4. Trending 3. Motivation2. Dip1. Splinters Like It Like That - Kes x Patrice Roberts Middle Of Something - Problem ChildAye Gyal - Hey Choppi x Chalmer JohnPolice Report - Blaka DanHammock - Nadia BatsonTime - Jimmy OctoberWeekend - Jus Now x Leston Paul She Neva Know - Drastic Magnet - Jus Jay King x SaddisOne Piece - GBM Nutron x TanoBody Talk - Kevon CarterDahlayne - CHILLBILL x Skinny Fabulous x Kevin Lyttle x IzybeatsStart It - LFS MusicWarm Up - PreedyPersonal - 5Star AkilAlive And Well - VoiceMia (Remix) - Bad BunnyRight For Somebody - Kerwin Du BoisPAN MOMENTSSomebody - Amoco RenegadesTANTY TUNE(1989) Free Up - TambuNORTHERN PRESCRIPTIONSweet Sweet Carnival - Reddy x MattazNo Behavior - Hypa 4000No Behaviour - KrosfyahRumble - Skinny FabulousMiss Behave - Fay Ann LyonsMeet Superblue/Saldenah - Fay Ann LyonsPandemonium - Voice x Lil Natty x ThundaBorn So - Problem ChildIs We - Patrice RobertsBun Up - Shal MarshallBury All - Lil KerryStart Again - Kelly JCurry - Angie MayaPardy - Machel MontanoStink Behavior - Teddy Rhymez x Machel MontanoThe Spirit - Machel MontanoUmbrella - Bunji GarlinMental Day - KesBehavior Nothing - Skinny FabulousBob The Builder (Clean) - Lady LavaDora The Explorer (Bob D Builder Remix) - Sackie Follow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

Containing Matters of the GentlemanTimestamps:introductions, non-podcast reads (0:00)background on space opera and planetary romance (16:40)"Princess of Mars" non-spoiler discussion (39:16)spoiler summary and discussion (1:03:06)spoiler general discussion, film discussion (2:14:01)Music:Hill, Ferd. K. - "General Grant's Polka" (1865) https://www.loc.gov/resource/music.muscivilwar-200000454/Bibliography:Hartwell, David G. and Cramer, Kathryn - introduction to "The Space Opera Renaissance" (2006)Porges, Irwin - "Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan" (1975)

SOCA THERAPY - AUGUST 31, 2025Soca Therapy PlaylistSunday August 31st 2025Making You Wine from 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm TorontoGet Up & Dance (Dr. Jay Plate) - Lennox PicouParty Time - Sugar AloesWe Having A Party - BaronLove Vibration - DukeMusic - ShadowDhantal Fever - Second ImijCurry Tabanca - Mighty TriniJai Ha Ji Bai (Brotherhood Of The Boat) - Brother MarvinTrini - BenjaiLove You So (Ultra Simmo Edit) - Orlando Octave Keep Up - Marlon AsherNeighbour - SedaleAllez - Teddyson JohnSocaholic - Ricardo DrueHappy Music - Ricardo DrueCan You Feel It - Dj Private Ryan x Terri LyonsPossessed - Machel Montano x Kerwin Du Bois x Ladysmith Black MambazoA Little Wine - Patrice RobertsScene (The Basics Sayeed Argument Remix) - GBM Nutron x Fay Ann LyonsTraffic Jam - KesPhysically Fit - Tionne Hernandez x Jordan English x Father PhilisBad in Bum Bum - Mighty x SubanceBack Bend (Remix) - Subance x Uncle EllisThe A List - PumpaSoca Nice - V'ghnWork It Out - V'ghnTOP 7 COUNTDOWN - Powered By The Soca SourceTop Songs Streamed Worldwide (as of August 26th) 7. Payroll - Muddy6. Bouwéy - 1t1 x Theomaa5. Good Spirits - Full Blown4. The Greatest Bend Over (Remix) - Yung Bredda x Chloe x Molly x Full Blown3. Cocoa Tea - Kes x Tano2. The Greatest Bend Over - Yung Bredda x Full Blown1. Dansa - Klassik FrescobarWanna Be - StatementFestival Again - RupeeSenorita - Troots N IceSpanish Fly - AtaklanKeep On Jammin - General GrantRing Bi Ding - Lady SpencerPowder Posse - Machel Montano x BlazerPower Drill - Burning FlamesGenie Wine - Mr VegasDance With You - Machel Montano Dancing Partner - Dj Private Ryan x GBM Nutron x Imani RayDancing Away - VoiceDance - Machel Montano x KassavHappy - Skinny FabulousTrini To The Bone - David Rudder x Carl JacobsPAN MOMENTSTrini To The Bone - TCL Group SKiffle BunchTANTY TUNE (1988) Sailing - The Mighty TriniNORTHERN PRESCRIPTIONDelilah - KashStart Wining - Fay Ann LyonsJiggle It - InchesSlow Wine - Biggie IrieSlow Wine - Patrice RobertsSlow Wine - Machel MontanoLooking For Wine - Farmer Nappy x General GrantMy God, Woman & I - BenjaiWaistline Roll - Kes The BandWuk It - Patrice RobertsI Am Soca - Kerwin Du Bois x Patrice RobertsCaribbean Girl - Nadia BatsonJamtown - Coutain x TanoMedicine - Kes x TanoHero - GBM Nutron x TanoEverybody - Kalpee x Full BlownFling It Up - Machel Montano x DavidoTiger Baby - Salty x Militant x Travis WorldFeelings - PreedyA Plus Whine - Young LyricsBob The Builder - Lady LavaToo Own Way - VoiceFollow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

Wir feiern 100 Jahre Schweizer Hörspiel: Mit einem der lustigen Hörspiele, die es gibt! Frei nach Jules Verne unternehmen der englische Gentleman Phileas Fogg und sein Diener Passepartout eine wahnwitzige Reise um die Erde. In 80 Tagen? Das wäre doch gelacht! 80 Minuten reichen hier … Wer das Hörspiel am Radio hören will: Mittwoch, 03.09.2025, 20.00 Uhr, Radio SRF 1 Jules Vernes Klassiker fasziniert bis heute. Vielleicht, weil die Voraussetzung so einfach ist: Einmal um die Welt – mit Verkehrsmitteln, die für alle zugänglich sind. Wenn man dabei aber eine Wette laufen hat wie Phileas Fogg und ausserdem ständig mit einem Verbrecher verwechselt wird, braucht man neben einer Stange Geld auch ein gehöriges Mass an Improvisationstalent. Das 60 Jahre alte Hörspiel des tschechischen Schriftstellers Pavel Kohout ist vielleicht gerade deshalb eine kongeniale Umsetzung: weil es die «Reise um die Erde» mit grösstem Ernst auf die Schippe nimmt. Weil es, genau wie Phileas Fogg, keine Hindernisse sieht, sondern nur Anlässe: für den gewitzten Einfall. Kein Wind in den Segeln? Dann schmeissen wir doch die Windmaschine an! Fogg & Co. sind mitten in der Sierra Nevada gestrandet? Dann macht Passepartout einen Schnitt – und schwupp sind sie in New York! ____________________ Mit: Franz Dehler (Phileas Fogg), Franz Matter (Passepartout), Paul-Felix Binz (Detektiv Fix), Miriam Spoerri (Witwe Auda), Fritz Bachschmidt (Diener, Lotse, Kutscher), Rudolf Hammacher (Mr. Stuart, Richter), Walter Sprünglin (Flanagan, Kapitän der General Grant), Fred Karsten (Sullivan), Klaus W. Leonhard (Ralph), Norbert Klassen (Gentle, Steuermann), Adolf Raschendorfer (Kassierer und Capitain der Festung), Walter Oberhuber (Einbrecher), Herbert Herrmann (Jack, Heizer), Siegfried Süssenguth (Wirt, Kapitän Speedy), Hannes Fassl (Mormone), Wolfgang Hiller (General Gromarty) u.a. ____________________ Text: Pavel Kohout nach dem Roman von Jules Verne – Aus dem Tschechischen von Luci Taubovà – Musik: Klaus Cornell – Tontechnik: Helmut Dimmig – Hörspielfassung und Regie: Amido Hoffmann ____________________ Produktion: SRF 1967 ____________________ Dauer: 71'

Today I'm talking to economic historian Judge Glock, Director of Research at the Manhattan Institute. Judge works on a lot of topics: if you enjoy this episode, I'd encourage you to read some of his work on housing markets and the Environmental Protection Agency. But I cornered him today to talk about civil service reform.Since the 1990s, over 20 red and blue states have made radical changes to how they hire and fire government employees — changes that would be completely outside the Overton window at the federal level. A paper by Judge and Renu Mukherjee lists four reforms made by states like Texas, Florida, and Georgia: * At-will employment for state workers* The elimination of collective bargaining agreements* Giving managers much more discretion to hire* Giving managers much more discretion in how they pay employeesJudge finds decent evidence that the reforms have improved the effectiveness of state governments, and little evidence of the politicization that federal reformers fear. Meanwhile, in Washington, managers can't see applicants' resumes, keyword searches determine who gets hired, and firing a bad performer can take years. But almost none of these ideas are on the table in Washington.Thanks to Harry Fletcher-Wood for his judicious transcript edits and fact-checking, and to Katerina Barton for audio edits.Judge, you have a paper out about lessons for civil service reform from the states. Since the ‘90s, red and blue states have made big changes to how they hire and fire people. Walk through those changes for me.I was born and grew up in Washington DC, heard a lot about civil service throughout my childhood, and began to research it as an adult. But I knew almost nothing about the state civil service systems. When I began working in the states — mainly across the Sunbelt, including in Texas, Kansas, Arizona — I was surprised to learn that their civil service systems were reformed to an absolutely radical extent relative to anything proposed at the federal level, let alone implemented.Starting in the 1990s, several states went to complete at-will employment. That means there were no official civil service protections for any state employees. Some managers were authorized to hire people off the street, just like you could in the private sector. A manager meets someone in a coffee shop, they say, "I'm looking for exactly your role. Why don't you come on board?" At the federal level, with its stultified hiring process, it seemed absurd to even suggest something like that.You had states that got rid of any collective bargaining agreements with their public employee unions. You also had states that did a lot more broadbanding [creating wider pay bands] for employee pay: a lot more discretion for managers to reward or penalize their employees depending on their performance.These major reforms in these states were, from the perspective of DC, incredibly radical. Literally nobody at the federal level proposes anything approximating what has been in place for decades in the states. That should be more commonly known, and should infiltrate the debate on civil service reform in DC.Even though the evidence is not absolutely airtight, on the whole these reforms have been positive. A lot of the evidence is surveys asking managers and operators in these states how they think it works. They've generally been positive. We know these states operate pretty well: Places like Texas, Florida, and Arizona rank well on state capacity metrics in terms of cost of government, time for permitting, and other issues.Finally, to me the most surprising thing is the dog that didn't bark. The argument in the federal government against civil service reform is, “If you do this, we will open up the gates of hell and return to the 19th-century patronage system, where spoilsmen come and go depending on elected officials, and the government is overrun with political appointees who don't care about the civil service.” That has simply not happened. We have very few reports of any concrete examples of politicization at the state level. In surveys, state employees and managers can almost never remember any example of political preferences influencing hiring or firing.One of the surveys you cited asked, “Can you think of a time someone said that they thought that the political preferences were a factor in civil service hiring?” and it was something like 5%.It was in that 5-10% range. I don't think you'd find a dissimilar number of people who would say that even in an official civil service system. Politics is not completely excluded even from a formal civil service system.A few weeks ago, you and I talked to our mutual friend, Don Moynihan, who's a scholar of public administration. He's more skeptical about the evidence that civil service reform would be positive at the federal level.One of your points is, “We don't have strong negative evidence from the states. Productivity didn't crater in states that moved to an at-will employment system.” We do have strong evidence that collective bargaining in the public sector is bad for productivity.What I think you and Don would agree on is that we could use more evidence on the hiring and firing side than the surveys that we have. Is that a fair assessment?Yes, I think that's correct. As you mentioned, the evidence on collective bargaining is pretty close to universal: it raises costs, reduces the efficiency of government, and has few to no positive upsides.On hiring and firing, I mentioned a few studies. There's a 2013 study that looks at HR managers in six states and finds very little evidence of politicization, and managers generally prefer the new system. There was a dissertation that surveyed several employees and managers in civil service reform and non-reform states. Across the board, the at-will employment states said they had better hiring retention, productivity, and so forth. And there's a 2002 study that looked specifically at Texas, Florida, and Georgia after their reforms, and found almost universal approbation inside the civil service itself for these reforms.These are not randomized control trials. But I think that generally positive evidence should point us directionally where we should go on civil service reform. If we loosen restrictions on discipline and firing, decentralize hiring and so forth — we probably get some productivity benefits from it. We can also know, with some amount of confidence, that the sky is not going to fall, which I think is a very important baseline assumption. The civil service system will continue on and probably be fairly close to what it is today, in terms of its political influence, if you have decentralized hiring and at-will employment.As you point out, a lot of these reforms that have happened in 20-odd states since the ‘90s would be totally outside the Overton window at the federal level. Why is it so easy for Georgia to make a bipartisan move in the ‘90s to at-will employment, when you couldn't raise the topic at the federal level?It's a good question. I think in the 1990s, a lot of people thought a combination of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act — which was the Carter-era act that somewhat attempted to do what these states hoped to do in the 1990s — and the Clinton-era Reinventing Government Initiative, would accomplish the same ends. That didn't happen.That was an era when civil service reform was much more bipartisan. In Georgia, it was a Democratic governor, Zell Miller, who pushed it. In a lot of these other states, they got buy-in from both sides. The recent era of state reform took place after the 2010 Republican wave in the states. Since that wave, the reform impetus for civil service has been much more Republican. That has meant it's been a lot harder to get buy-in from both sides at the federal level, which will be necessary to overcome a filibuster.I think people know it has to be very bipartisan. We're just past the point, at least at the moment, where it can be bipartisan at the federal level. But there are areas where there's a fair amount of overlap between the two sides on what needs to happen, at least in the upper reaches of the civil service.It was interesting to me just how bipartisan civil service reform has been at various times. You talked about the Civil Service Reform Act, which passed Congress in 1978. President Carter tells Congress that the civil service system:“Has become a bureaucratic maze which neglects merit, tolerates poor performance, permits abuse of legitimate employee rights, and mires every personnel action in red tape, delay, and confusion.”That's a Democratic president saying that. It's striking to me that the civil service was not the polarized topic that it is today.Absolutely. Carter was a big civil service reformer in Georgia before those even larger 1990s reforms. He campaigned on civil service reform and thought it was essential to the success of his presidency. But I think you are seeing little sprouts of potential bipartisanship today, like the Chance to Compete Act at the end of 2024, and some of the reforms Obama did to the hiring process. There's options for bipartisanship at the federal level, even if it can't approach what the states have done.I want to walk through the federal hiring process. Let's say you're looking to hire in some federal agency — you pick the agency — and I graduated college recently, and I want to go into the civil service. Tell me about trying to hire somebody like me. What's your first step?It's interesting you bring up the college graduate, because that is one recent reform: President Trump put out an executive order trying to counsel agencies to remove the college degree requirement for job postings. This happened in a lot of states first, like Maryland, and that's also been bipartisan. This requirement for a college degree — which was used as a very unfortunate proxy for ability at a lot of these jobs — is now being removed. It's not across the whole federal government. There's still job postings that require higher education degrees, but that's something that's changed.To your question, let's say the Department of Transportation. That's one of the more bipartisan ones, when you look at surveys of federal civil servants. Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, they tend to be a little more Republican. Health and Human Services and some other agencies tend to be pretty Democrat. Transportation is somewhere in the middle.As a manager, you try to craft a job description and posting to go up on the USA Jobs website, which is where all federal job postings go. When they created it back in 1996, that was supposedly a massive reform to federal hiring: this website where people could submit their resumes. Then, people submit their resumes and answer questions about their qualifications for the job.One of the slightly different aspects from the private sector is that those applications usually go to an HR specialist first. The specialist reviews everything and starts to rank people into different categories, based on a lot of weird things. It's supposed to be “knowledge, skills, and abilities” — your KSAs, or competencies. To some extent, this is a big step up from historical practice. You had, frankly, an absurd civil service exam, where people had to fill out questions about, say, General Grant or about US Code Title 42, or whatever it was, and then submit it. Someone rated the civil service exam, and then the top three test-takers were eligible for the job.We have this newer, better system, where we rank on knowledge, skills, and abilities, and HR puts put people into different categories. One of the awkward ways they do this is by merely scanning the resumes and applications for keywords. If it's a computer job, make sure you say the word “computer” somewhere in your resume. Make sure you say “manager” if it's a managerial job.Just to be clear, this is entirely literal. There's a keyword search, and folks who don't pass that search are dinged.Yes. I've always wondered, how common is this? It's sometimes hard to know what happens in the black box in these federal HR departments. I saw an HR official recently say, "If I'm not allowed to do keyword searches, I'm going to take 15 years to overlook all the applications, so I've got to do keyword searches." If they don't have the keywords, into the circular file it goes, as they used to say: into the garbage can.Then they start ranking people on their abilities into, often, three different categories. That is also very literal. If you put in the little word bubble, "I am an exceptional manager," you get pushed on into the next level of the competition. If you say, "I'm pretty good, but I'm not the best," into the circular file you go.I've gotten jaded about this, but it really is shocking. We ask candidates for a self-assessment, and if they just rank themselves 10/10 on everything, no matter how ludicrous, that improves their odds of being hired.That's going to immensely improve your odds. Similar to the keyword search, there's been pushback on this in recent years, and I'm definitely not going to say it's universal anymore. It's rarer than it used to be. But it's still a very common process.The historical civil service system used to operate on a rule of three. In places like New York, it still operates like that. The top three candidates on the evaluation system get presented to the manager, and the manager has to approve one of them for the position.Thanks partially to reforms by the Obama administration in 2010, they have this category rating system where the best qualified or the very qualified get put into a big bucket together [instead of only including the top three]. Those are the people that the person doing the hiring gets to see, evaluate, and decide who he wants to hire.There are some restrictions on that. If a veteran outranks everybody else, you've got to pick the veteran [typically known as Veterans' Preference]. That was an issue in some of the state civil service reforms, too. The states said, “We're just going to encourage a veterans' preference. We don't need a formalized system to say they get X number of points and have to be in Y category. We're just going to say, ‘Try to hire veterans.'” That's possible without the formal system, despite what some opponents of reform may claim.One of the particular problems here is just the nature of the people doing the hiring. Sometimes you just need good managers to encourage HR departments to look at a broader set of qualifications. But one of the bigger problems is that they keep the HR evaluation system divorced from the manager who is doing the hiring. David Shulkin, who was the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), wrote a great book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country. He was a healthcare exec, and the VA is mainly a healthcare agency. He would tell people, "You should work for me," they would send their applications into the HR void, and he'd never see them again. They would get blocked at some point in this HR evaluation process, and he'd be sent people with no healthcare experience, because for whatever reason they did well in the ranking.One of the very base-level reforms should be, “How can we more clearly integrate the hiring manager with the evaluation process?” To some extent, the bipartisan Chance to Compete Act tries to do this. They said, “You should have subject matter experts who are part of crafting the description of the job, are part of evaluating, and so forth.” But there's still a long road to go.Does that firewall — where the person who wants to hire doesn't get to look at the process until the end — exist originally because of concerns about cronyism?One of the interesting things about the civil service is its raison d'être — its reason for being — was supposedly a single, clear purpose: to prevent politicized hiring and patronage. That goes back to the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883. But it's always been a little strange that you have all of these very complex rules about every step of the process — from hiring to firing to promotion, and everything in between — to prevent political influence. We could just focus on preventing political influence, and not regulate every step of the process on the off-chance that without a clear regulation, political influence could creep in. This division [between hiring manager and applicants] is part of that general concern. There are areas where I've heard HR specialists say, "We declare that a manager is a subject matter expert, and we bring them into the process early on, we can do that." But still the division is pretty stark, and it's based on this excessive concern about patronage.One point you flag is that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is the body that thinks about personnel in the federal government, has a 300-page regulatory document for agencies on how you have to hire. There's a remarkable amount of process.Yes, but even that is a big change from the Federal Personnel Manual, which was the 10,000-page document that we shredded in the 1990s. In the ‘90s, OPM gave the agencies what's called “delegated examining authorities.” This says, “You, agency, have power to decide who to hire, we're not going to do the central supervision anymore. But, but, but: here's the 300-page document that dictates exactly how you have to carry out that hiring.”So we have some decentralization, allowing managers more authority to control their own departments. But this two-level oversight — a local HR department that's ultimately being overseen by the OPM — also leads to a lot of slip ‘twixt cup and lip, in terms of how something gets implemented. If you're in the agency and you're concerned about the OPM overseeing your process, you're likely to be much more careful than you would like to be. “Yes, it's delegated to me, but ultimately, I know I have to answer to OPM about this process. I'm just going to color within the lines.”I often cite Texas, which has no central HR office. Each agency decides how it wants to hire. In a lot of these reform states, if there is a central personnel office, it's an information clearinghouse or reservoir of models. “You can use us, the central HR office, as a resource if you want us to help you post the job, evaluate it, or help manage your processes, but you don't have to.” That's the goal we should be striving for in a lot of the federal reforms. Just make OPM a resource for the managers in the individual departments to do their thing or go independent.Let's say I somehow get through the hiring process. You offer me a job at the Department of Transportation. What are you paying me?This is one of the more stultified aspects of the federal civil service system. OPM has another multi-hundred-page handbook called the Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families. Inside that, you've got 49 different “groups and families,” like “Clerical occupations.” Inside those 49 groups are a series of jobs, sometimes dozens, like “Computer Operator.” Inside those, they have independent documents — often themselves dozens of pages long — detailing classes of positions. Then you as a manager have to evaluate these nine factors, which can each give points to each position, which decides how you get slotted into this weird Government Schedule (GS) system [the federal payscale].Again, this is actually an improvement. Before, you used to have the Civil Service Commission, which went around staring very closely at someone over their typewriter and saying, "No, I think you should be a GS-12, not a GS-11, because someone over in the Department of Defense who does your same job is a GS-12." Now this is delegated to agencies, but again, the agencies have to listen to the OPM on how to classify and set their jobs into this 15-stage GS-classification system, each stage of which has 10 steps which determine your pay, and those steps are determined mainly by your seniority. It's a formalized step-by-step system, overwhelmingly based on just how long you've sat at your desk.Let's be optimistic about my performance as a civil servant. Say that over my first three years, I'm just hitting it out of the park. Can you give me a raise? What can you do to keep me in my role?Not too much. For most people, the within-step increases — those 10 steps inside each GS-level — is just set by seniority. Now there are all these quality step increases you can get, but they're very rare and they have to be documented. So you could hypothetically pay someone more, but it's going to be tough. In general, the managers just prefer to stick to seniority, because not sticking to it garners a lot of complaints. Like so much else, the goal is, "We don't want someone rewarding an official because they happen to share their political preferences." The result of that concern is basically nobody can get rewarded at all, which is very unfortunate.We do have examples in state and federal government of what's known as broadbanding, where you have very broad pay scales, and the manager can decide where to slot someone. Say you're a computer operator, which can mean someone who knows what an Excel spreadsheet is, or someone who's programming the most advanced AI systems. As a manager in South Carolina or Florida, you have a lot of discretion to say, "I can set you 50% above the market rate of what this job technically would go for, if I think you're doing a great job."That's very rare at the federal level. They've done broadbanding at the Government Accountability Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The China Lake Experiment out in California gave managers a lot more discretion to reward scientists. But that's definitely the exception. In general, it's a step-wise, seniority-based system.What if you want to bring me into the Senior Executive Service (SES)? Theoretically, that sits at the top of the General Service scale. Can't you bump me up in there and pay me what you owe me?I could hypothetically bring you in as a senior executive servant. The SES was created in the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act. The idea was, “We're going to have this elite cadre of about 8,000 individuals at the top of the federal government, whose employment will be higher-risk and higher-reward. They might be fired, and we're going to give them higher pay to compensate for that.”Almost immediately, that did not work out. Congress was outraged at the higher pay given to the top officials and capped it. Ever since, how much the SES can get paid has been tightly controlled. As in most of the rest of the federal government, where they establish these performance pay incentives or bonuses — which do exist — they spread them like peanut butter over the whole service. To forestall complaints, everyone gets a little bit every two or three years.That's basically what happened to the SES. Their annual pay is capped at the vice president's salary, which is a cap for a lot of people in the federal government. For most of your GS and other executive scales, the cap is Congress's salary. [NB: This is no longer exactly true, since Congress froze its own salaries in 2009. The cap for GS (currently about $195k) is now above congressional salaries ($174k).]One of the big problems with pay in the federal government is pay compression. Across civil service systems, the highest-skilled people tend to be paid much less than the private sector, and the lowest-skilled people tend to get paid much more. The political science reason for that is pretty simple: the median voter in America still decides what seems reasonable. To the median voter, the average salary of a janitor looks low, and the average salary of a scientist looks way too high. Hence this tendency to pay compression. Your average federal employee is probably overpaid relative to the private sector, because the lowest-skilled employees are paid up to 40% higher than the private sector equivalent. The highest-paid employees, the post-graduate skilled professionals, are paid less. That makes it hard to recruit the top performers, but it also swells the wage budget in a way that makes it difficult to talk about reform.There's a lot of interest in this administration in making it easier to recruit talent and get rid of under-performers. There have been aggressive pushes to limit collective bargaining in the public sector. That should theoretically make it easier to recruit, but it also increases the precariousness of civil service roles. We've seen huge firings in the civil service over the last six months.Classically, the explicit trade-off of working in the federal government was, “Your pay is going to be capped, but you have this job for life. It's impossible to get rid of you.” You trade some lifetime earnings for stability. In a world where the stability is gone, but pay is still capped, isn't the net effect to drive talent away from the civil service?I think it's a concern now. On one level it should be ameliorated, because those who are most concerned with stability of employment do tend to be lower performers. If you have people who are leaving the federal service because all they want is stability, and they're not getting that anymore, that may not be a net loss. As someone who came out of academia and knows the wonder of effective lifetime annuities, there can be very high performers who like that stability who therefore take a lower salary. Without the ability to bump that pay up more, it's going to be an issue.I do know that, internally, the Trump administration has made some signs they're open to reforms in the top tiers of the SES and other parts of the federal government. They would be willing to have people get paid more at that level to compensate for the increased risks since the Trump administration came in. But when you look at the reductions in force (RIFs) that have happened under Trump, they are overwhelmingly among probationary employees, the lower-level employees.With some exceptions. If you've been promoted recently, you can get reclassified as probationary, so some high-performers got lumped in.Absolutely. The issue has been exacerbated precisely because the RIF regulations that are in place have made the firings particularly damaging. If you had a more streamlined RIF system — which they do have in many states, where seniority is not the main determinant of who gets laid off — these RIFs could be removing the lower-performing civil servants and keeping the higher-performing ones, and giving them some amount of confidence in their tenure.Unfortunately, the combination of large-scale removals with the existing RIF regs, which are very stringent, has demoralized some of the upper levels of the federal government. I share that concern. But I might add, it is interesting, if you look at the federal government's own figures on the total civil service workforce, they have gone down significantly since Trump came in office, but I think less than 100,000 still, in the most recent numbers that I've seen. I'm not sure how much to trust those, versus some of these other numbers where people have said 150,000, 200,000.Whether the Trump administration or a future administration can remove large numbers of people from the civil service should be somewhat divorced from the general conversation on civil service reform. The main debate about whether or not Trump can do this centers around how much power the appropriators in Congress have to determine the total amount of spending in particular agencies on their workforce. It does not depend necessarily on, "If we're going to remove people — whether for general layoffs, or reductions in force, or because of particular performance issues — how can we go about doing that?" My last-ditch hope to maintain a bipartisan possibility of civil service reform is to bracket, “How much power does the president have to remove or limit the workforce in general?” from “How can he go about hiring and firing, et cetera?”I think making it easier for the president to identify and remove poor performers is a tool that any future administration would like to have.We had this conversation sparked again with the firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner. But that was a position Congress set up to be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and removable by the President. It's a separate issue from civil service at large. Everyone said, “We want the president to be able to hire and fire the commissioner.” Maybe firing the commissioner was a bad decision, but that's the situation today.Attentive listeners to Statecraft know I'm pretty critical, like you are, of the regulations that say you have to go in order of seniority. In mass layoffs, you're required to fire a lot of the young, talented people.But let's talk about individual firings. I've been a terrible civil servant, a nightmarish employee from day one. You want to discipline, remove, suspend, or fire me. What are your options?Anybody who has worked in the civil service knows it's hard to fire bad performers. Whatever their political valence, whatever they feel about the civil service system, they have horror stories about a person who just couldn't be removed.In the early 2010s, a spate of stories came out about air traffic controllers sleeping on the job. Then-transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, made a big public announcement: "I'm going to fire these three guys." After these big announcements, it turned out he was only able to remove one of them. One retired, and another had their firing reduced to a suspension.You had another horrific story where a man was joking on the phone with friends when a plane crashed into a helicopter and killed nine people over the Hudson River. National outcry. They said, "We're going to fire this guy." In the end, after going through the process, he only got a suspension. Everyone agrees it's too hard.The basic story is, you have two ways to fire someone. Chapter 75, the old way, is often considered the realm of misconduct: You've stolen something from the office, punched your colleague in the face during a dispute about the coffee, something illegal or just straight-out wrong. We get you under Chapter 75.The 1978 Civil Service Reform Act added Chapter 43, which is supposed to be the performance-based system to remove someone. As with so much of that Civil Service Reform Act, the people who passed it thought this might be the beginning of an entirely different system.In the end, lots of federal managers say there's not a huge difference between the two. Some use 75, some use 43. If you use 43, you have to document very clearly what the person did wrong. You have to put them on a performance improvement plan. If they failed a performance improvement plan after a certain amount of time, they can respond to any claims about what they did wrong. Then, they can take that process up to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and claim that they were incorrectly fired, or that the processes weren't carried out appropriately. Then, if they want to, they can say, “Nah, I don't like the order I got,” and take it up to federal courts and complain there. Right now, the MSPB doesn't have a full quorum, which is complicating some of the recent removal disputes.You have this incredibly difficult process, unlike the private sector, where your boss looks at you and says, "I don't like how you're giving me the stink-eye today. Out you go." One could say that's good or bad, but, on the whole, I think the model should be closer to the private sector. We should trust managers to do their job without excessive oversight and process. That's clearly about as far from the realm of possibility as the current system, under which the estimate is 6-12 months to fire a very bad performer. The number of people who win at the Merit Systems Protection Board is still 20-30%.This goes into another issue, which is unionization. If you're part of a collective bargaining agreement — most of the regular federal civil service is — first, you have to go with this independent, union-based arbitration and grievance procedure. You're about 50/50 to win on those if your boss tries to remove you.So if I'm in the union, we go through that arbitration grievance system. If you win and I'm fired, I can take it to the Merit Systems Protection Board. If you win again, I can still take it to the federal courts.You can file different sorts of claims at each part. On Chapter 43, the MSPB is supposed to be about the process, not the evidence, and you just have to show it was followed. On 75, the manager has to show by preponderance of the evidence that the employee is harming the agency. Then there are different standards for what you take to the courts, and different standards according to each collective bargaining agreement for the grievance procedure when someone is disciplined. It's a very complicated, abstruse, and procedure-heavy process that makes it very difficult to remove people, which is why the involuntary separation rate at the federal government and most state governments is many multiples lower than the private sector.So, you would love to get me off your team because I'm abysmal. But you have no stomach for going through this whole process and I'm going to fight it. I'm ornery and contrarian and will drag this fight out. In practice, what do managers in the federal government do with their poor performers?I always heard about this growing up. There's the windowless office in the basement without a phone, or now an internet connection. You place someone down there, hope they get the message, and sooner or later they leave. But for plenty of people in America, that's the dream job. You just get to sit and nobody bothers you for eight hours. You punch in at 9 and punch out at 5, and that's your day. "Great. I'll collect that salary for another 10 years." But generally you just try to make life unpleasant for that person.Public sector collective bargaining in the US is new. I tend to think of it as just how the civil service works. But until about 50 years ago, there was no collective bargaining in the public sector.At the state level, it started with Wisconsin at the end of the 1950s. There were famous local government reforms beginning with the Little Wagner Act [signed in 1958] in New York City. Senator Robert Wagner had created the National Labor Relations Board. His son Robert F. Wagner Jr., mayor of New York, created the first US collective bargaining system at the local level in the ‘60s. In ‘62, John F. Kennedy issued an executive order which said, "We're going to deal officially with public sector unions,” but it was all informal and non-statutory.It wasn't until Title VII of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act that unions had a formal, statutory role in our federal service system. This is shockingly new. To some extent, that was the great loss to many civil service reformers in ‘78. They wanted to get through a lot of these other big reforms about hiring and firing, but they gave up on the unions to try to get those. Some people think that exception swallowed the rest of the rules. The union power that was garnered in ‘78 overcame the other reforms people hoped to accomplish. Soon, you had the majority of the federal workforce subject to collective bargaining.But that's changing now too. Part of that Civil Service Reform Act said, “If your position is in a national security-related position, the president can determine it's not subject to collective bargaining.” Trump and the OPM have basically said, “Most positions in the federal government are national security-related, and therefore we're going to declare them off-limits to collective bargaining.” Some people say that sounds absurd. But 60% of the civilian civil service workforce is the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security. I am not someone who tries to go too easy on this crowd. I think there's a heck of a lot that needs to be reformed. But it's also worth remembering that the majority of the civil service workforce are in these three agencies that Republicans tend to like a lot.Now, whether people like Veterans Affairs is more of an open question. We have some particular laws there about opening up processes after the scandals in the 2010s about waiting lists and hospitals. You had veterans hospitals saying, "We're meeting these standards for getting veterans in the door for these waiting lists." But they were straight-up lying about those standards. Many people who were on these lists waiting for months to see a doctor died in the interim, some from causes that could have been treated had they seen a VA doctor. That led to Congress doing big reforms in the VA in 2014 and 2017, precisely because everyone realized this is a problem.So, Trump has put out these executive orders stopping collective bargaining in all of these agencies that touch national security. Some of those, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seem like a tough sell. I guess that, if you want to dig a mine and the Chinese are trying to dig their own mine and we want the mine to go quickly without the EPA pettifogging it, maybe. But the core ones are pretty solid. So far the courts have upheld the executive order to go in place. So collective bargaining there could be reformed.But in the rest of the government, there are these very extreme, long collective bargaining agreements between agencies and their unions. I've hit on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as one that's had pretty extensive bargaining with its union. When we created the TSA to supervise airport security, a lot of people said, "We need a crème de la crème to supervise airports after 9/11. We want to keep this out of union hands, because we know unions are going to make it difficult to move people around." The Obama administration said, "Nope, we're going to negotiate with the union." Now you have these huge negotiations with the unions about parking spots, hours of employment, uniforms, and everything under the sun. That makes it hard for managers in the TSA to decide when people should go where or what they should do.One thing we've talked about on Statecraft in past episodes — for instance, with John Kamensky, who was a pivotal figure in the Clinton-Gore reforms — was this relationship between government employees and “Beltway Bandits”: the contractors who do jobs you might think of as civil service jobs. One critique of that ‘90s Clinton-Gore push, “Reinventing Government,” was that although they shrank the size of the civil service on paper, the number of contractors employed by the federal government ballooned to fill that void. They did not meaningfully reduce the total number of people being paid by the federal government. Talk to me about the relationship between the civil service reform that you'd like to see and this army of folks who are not formally employees.Every government service is a combination of public employees and inputs, and private employees and inputs. There's never a single thing the government does — federal, state, or local — that doesn't involve inputs from the private sector. That could be as simple as the uniforms for the janitors. Even if you have a publicly employed janitor, who buys the mop? You're not manufacturing the mops.I understand the critique that the excessive focus on full-time employees in the 1990s led to contracting out some positions that could be done directly by the government. But I think that misses how much of the government can and should be contracted out. The basic Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statute [OMB Circular No. A-76] defining what is an essential government duty should still be the dividing line. What does the government have to do, because that is the public overseeing a process? Versus, what can the private sector just do itself?I always cite Stephen Goldsmith, the old mayor of Indianapolis. He proposed what he called the Yellow Pages test. If you open the Yellow Pages [phone directory] and three businesses do that business, the government should not be in that business. There's three garbage haulers out there. Instead of having a formal government garbage-hauling department, just contract out the garbage.With the internet, you should have a lot more opportunities to contract stuff out. I think that is generally good, and we should not have the federal government going about a lot of the day-to-day procedural things that don't require public input. What a lot of people didn't recognize is how much pressure that's going to put on government contracting officers at the federal level. Last time I checked there were 40,000 contracting officers. They have a lot of power. In the most recent year for which we have data, there were $750 billion in federal contracts. This is a substantial part of our economy. If you total state and local, we're talking almost 10% of our whole economy goes through government contracts. This is mind-boggling. In the public policy world, we should all be spending about 10% of our time thinking about contracting.One of the things I think everyone recognized is that contractors should have more authority. Some of the reform that happened with people like [Steven] Kelman — who was the Office of Federal Procurement Policy head in the ‘90s under Clinton — was, "We need to give these people more authority to just take a credit card and go buy a sheaf of paper if that's what they need. And we need more authority to get contract bids out appropriately.”The same message that animates civil service reform should animate these contracting discussions. The goal should be setting clear goals that you want — for either a civil servant or a contractor — and then giving that person the discretion to meet them. If you make the civil service more stultified, or make pay compression more extreme, you're going to have to contract more stuff out.People talk about the General Schedule [pay scale], but we haven't talked about the Federal Wage Schedule system at all, which is the blue-collar system that encompasses about 200,000 federal employees. Pay compression means those guys get paid really well. That means some managers rightfully think, "I'd like to have full-time supervision over some role, but I would rather contract it out, because I can get it a heck of a lot cheaper."There's a continuous relationship: If we make the civil service more stultified, we're going to push contracting out into more areas where maybe it wouldn't be appropriate. But a lot of things are always going to be appropriate to contract out. That means we need to give contracting officers and the people overseeing contracts a lot of discretion to carry out their missions, and not a lot of oversight from the Government Accountability Office or the courts about their bids, just like we shouldn't give OPM excess input into the civil service hiring process.This is a theme I keep harping on, on Statecraft. It's counterintuitive from a reformer's perspective, but it's true: if you want these processes to function better, you're going to have to stop nitpicking. You're going to have to ease up on the throttle and let people make their own decisions, even when sometimes you're not going to agree with them.This is a tension that's obviously happening in this administration. You've seen some clear interest in decentralization, and you've seen some centralization. In both the contract and the civil service sphere, the goal for the central agencies should be giving as many options as possible to the local managers, making sure they don't go extremely off the rails, but then giving those local managers and contracting officials the ability to make their own choices. The General Services Administration (GSA) under this administration is doing a lot of government-wide acquisition contracts. “We establish a contract for the whole government in the GSA. Usually you, the local manager, are not required to use that contract if you want computer services or whatever, but it's an option for you.”OPM should take a similar role. "Here's the system we have set up. You can take that and use it as you want. It's here for you, but it doesn't have to be used, because you might have some very particular hiring decisions to make.” Just like there shouldn't be one contracting decision that decides how we buy both a sheaf of computer paper and an aircraft carrier, there shouldn't be one hiring and firing process for a janitor and a nuclear physicist. That can't be a centralized process, because the very nature of human life is that there's an infinitude of possibilities that you need to allow for, and that means some amount of decentralization.I had an argument online recently about New York City's “buy local” requirement for certain procurement contracts. When they want to build these big public toilets in New York City, they have to source all the toilet parts from within the state, even if they're $200,000 cheaper in Portland, Oregon.I think it's crazy to ask procurement and contracting to solve all your policy problems. Procurement can't be about keeping a healthy local toilet parts industry. You just need to procure the toilet.This is another area where you see similar overlap in some of the civil service and contracting issues. A lot of cities have residency requirements for many of their positions. If you work for the city, you have to live inside the city. In New York, that means you've got a lot of police officers living on Staten Island, or right on the line of the north side of the Bronx, where they're inches away from Westchester. That drives up costs, and limits your population of potential employees.One of the most amazing things to me about the Biden Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was that it encouraged contracting officers to use residency requirements: “You should try to localize your hiring and contracting into certain areas.” On a national level, that cancels out. If both Wyoming and Wisconsin use residency requirements, the net effect is not more people hired from one of those states! So often, people expect the civil service and contracting to solve all of our ills and to point the way forward for the rest of the economy on discrimination, hiring, pay, et cetera. That just leads to, by definition, government being a lot more expensive than the private sector.Over the next three and a half years, what would you like to see the administration do on civil service reform that they haven't already taken up?I think some of the broad-scale layoffs, which seem to be slowing down, were counterproductive. I do think that their ability to achieve their ends was limited by the nature of the reduction-in-force regulations, which made them more counterproductive than they had to be. That's the situation they inherited. But that didn't mean you had to lay off a lot of people without considering the particular jobs they were doing now.And hiring quite a few of them back.Yeah. There are also debates obviously, within the administration, between DOGE and Russ Vought [director of the OMB] and some others on this. Some things, like the Schedule Policy/Career — which is the revival of Schedule F in the first Trump administration — are largely a step in the right direction. Counter to some of the critics, it says, “You can remove someone if they're in a policymaking position, just like if they were completely at-will. But you still have to hire from the typical civil service system.” So, for those concerned about politicization, that doesn't undermine that, because they can't just pick someone from the party system to put in there. I think that's good.They recently had a suitability requirement rule that I think moved in the right direction. That says, “If someone's not suitable for the workforce, there are other ways to remove them besides the typical procedures.” The ideal system is going to require some congressional input: it's to have a decentralization of hiring authority to individual managers. Which means the OPM — now under Scott Kupor, who has finally been confirmed — saying, "The OPM is here to assist you, federal managers. Make sure you stay within the broad lanes of what the administration's trying to accomplish. But once we give you your general goals, we're going to trust you to do that, including hiring.”I've mentioned it a few times, but part of the Chance to Compete Act — which was mentioned in one of Trump's Day One executive orders, people forget about this — was saying, “Implement the Chance to Compete Act to the maximum extent of the law.” Bring more subject-matter expertise into the hiring process, allow more discretion for managers and input into the hiring process. I think carrying that bipartisan reform out is going to be a big step, but it's going to take a lot more work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

“In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.” (Isaiah 59:19 NLT) I remember reading a story about a battle between General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. General Lee was, of course, the head of the Confederate forces. He was known for his brilliant military tactics and his ability to do a lot with a little. He did not have the organization or the manpower of the Union army, but he was able to move and position his troops effectively and foil his enemies on a number of occasions. His exploits had become so legendary that the Union soldiers were terrified of him. One night, some Union soldiers were standing around the campfire talking about General Lee. They said, “What if General Lee does this? What are we going to do?” General Grant was standing a few feet away. He walked over to the soldiers and said, “Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do. Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do.” Sometimes I see the same thing happening in the church: “Oh, the devil is doing this. The devil is doing that. Did you hear about this wicked thing that happened?” The media is partially to blame. Often in books, movies, and TV shows, the devil is portrayed as an all-powerful being who inspires terror in everyone who crosses his path. Call it dramatic license. Or, better yet, call it fiction. The apostle Peter warns us to “Stay alert” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT) to the devil’s scheming, not because he’s all-powerful or terrifying, but because he’s wily. He prefers to work in secret so that we’re not even aware of what he’s doing. If it’s an all-powerful being who inspires fear in His enemies that you’re looking for, you need to glance behind you (spiritually speaking) to the One who has your back. Look at the majesty in the words of Isaiah 59:19: “In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord” (NLT). This is an image of God’s intervening on behalf of His people. A raging flood tide overwhelms everything in its path. Likewise, God’s power is unstoppable. That’s why I think we should stop worrying so much about what the devil will do and instead let him worry about what we Christians will do. In Deuteronomy 31:6, Moses reassured the Israelites with these words: “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (NLT). That’s a promise all God’s people can claim. Let the devil tremble. Reflection question: When have you seen the power of God at work in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textRon Field comes on the show to discuss Civil War amphibious operations!Listen to our Hunley episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/796715/episodes/13704865Music is graciously provided by Craig Duncan.Our website: https://www.untoldcivilwar.com/Our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMWxSupport the show:One time donation of any amount here: https://www.paypal.me/supportuntoldCWMonthly payment through Patreon and unlock unique perks!https://www.patreon.com/user?u=51151470&fan_landing=truThis show is made possible by the support of our sponsors:The Badge MakerProudly carrying affordable, USA made products for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history.Civil War TrailsThe world's largest 'Open Air Museum' offering over 1,350 sites across six states. Paddle to Frederick Douglass's birthplace, follow the Gettysburg Campaign turn-by-turn in your car, or hike to mountain tops where long forgotten earthworks and artillery positions await you.Military Images MagazineAmerica's only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.The Excelsior BrigadeDealers in FINE CIVIL WAR MEMORABILIA.The goal of the "Brigade" is to offer high quality, original items while ensuring the best in service and customer satisfaction.HistoryFixCome enjoy history! Explore stories from the Middle Ages to the early 21st century. Enjoy historical video content always ad free and get a 7-day free trial as you explore our site.1863 DesignsAre you looking for Civil War themed graphic design, logo design, historical art and or hand drawn art? Look no further than 1863 Designs. Use the code, “UNTOLD” for 15% off your purchase!Support the show

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary life of Brigadier General Charles Young — a man born into slavery in Mays Lick, Kentucky, during the Civil War who went on to break barriers across the U.S. military and beyond. Despite facing relentless racism, repeated demotions, and exclusion due to his race, Young became a pioneer and trailblazer, achieving numerous historic firsts as a Black officer in the U.S. Army.You'll learn about Young's journey from his family's escape to freedom in Ripley, Ohio, through his tough years at West Point, his service with the Buffalo Soldiers, and his role as the first Black superintendent of a National Park (Sequoia & General Grant). We also learn about his friendships with figures like W.E.B. Du Bois, and his diplomatic posts in Haiti and Liberia.This episode touches on Young's incredible resilience, the legacy he left through public service, education, and advocacy, and his long-overdue posthumous promotion to Brigadier General in 2021. *The transcript for this show is auto generated using AI. Robots make mistakes too y'all!Connect with the show on social media-Facebook: Kentucky History & HauntsFacebook Group: Kentucky History & Haunts & MoreInstagram @kyhistoryhauntsEmails with comments, corrections, etc. can be sent to kyhistoryhaunts@gmail.comMail can be sent to Jessie Bartholomew9115 Leesgate Rd Suite ALouisville, KY 40222This episode is written, recorded, edited and marketed by Jessie. To buy her a coffee for her work on the show, Venmo @kyhistoryhauntshttps://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=219094BE-2C76-4E63-85B3-8D8B46EFFFB5https://brigadiergeneralcharlesyoungfoundation.org/timeline/

From the heart of Trinidad and Tobago

SOCA THERAPY - JUNE 29, 2025Soca Therapy PlaylistSunday June 29th 2025Making You Wine from 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm TorontoFlatten (Dr. Jay Plate) - Voice x Bunji GarlinErupt (Mr Vik Band Edit) - Skinny Fabulous x Fireman HooperBequia - OG ParkHorn - MarloFraid Horn - Problem ChildHorn Is Horn - Hypa 4000 x Mad RussianStart Again - Kelly JCurry - Angie MayaMad People - Marlo x Fireman HooperScatter - Teddyson John x Vibez ProductionzTake Me Home - Freetown CollectiveMAS - Mical Teja x Freetown CollectiveBYE x2 - Saddis x Jus Jay KingSituations (GFG Remix) - Coopa Dan x Shaquille GFGBless Me - GBM NutronCounting My Blessings - Nadia Batson x Don IkoGolden Ray - Crystal Tais x Don IkoMagical - Lyrikal x Don Iko Dansa (Road Mix) - Klassik Frescobar x DninjaBrain Freeze (Dj Kevin Cups Up Edit) - Leadpipe x Jus Jay KingBajan Code (Radio) - Faith CallendarGet Up And Move (Bubble) - HypasoundsShe Neva Know - DrasticThis Carnival - Imani RayOne Piece - GBM Nutron x TanoTop 7 Countdown - Powered By The Soca SourceTop Songs Streamed in Barbados (Top 100 Charts on Apple Music)7. Pardy - Machel Montano6. Cocoa Tea - Kes x Tano5. Bob The Builder (Clean) - Lady Lava4. Good Spirits - Full Blown3. The Greatest Bend Over - Yung Bredda2. Darkers - Jordan English1. Tek Charge - LeadpipeBamcie - Added Rankin x Yung BreddaThe A List - PumpaHow She Like It - Hypasounds                    Too Own Way - VoiceTiger Baby - Salty x Militant x Travis WorldSplash - JanySoft Man - Billy D’ KidCarnival Is Bacchanal - Ghetto Flex x RockyBoodie - DestraBreakaway - Fay AnnClear De Way - Godfathers AsylumBlaze De Fire - Bunj GarlinRollin - HomefrontLootayla (Remix) - Sonny Mann x Denise Belfon x General GrantRing Bang - Viking TundahSwing Engine - Burning FlamesHold You Tonight - Machel Montano HD x Vybz KartelArtform (Radio Edit) - Coutain x DwalaTitanic - Hey ChoppiOne Wine - Shurwayne WinchesterHold On Darlin' - SucrePAN MOMENTSMy Band - Carib TokyoTANTY TUNE(1993) Kangaroo - Touch Rum & Roti - Patch x MastamindBara - RomeNORTHERN PRESCRIPTIONLeggo Meh Man - Shayne BaileyJump - RupeeBandit Dance - Square One feat. Alison Hinds & Iwer GeorgeDe River - Blue Ventures feat. Sanelle DempsterSpread The Love - Mr. SlaughterFallen Fetters - Skinny Fabulous x Machel MontanoLive Yuh Life (Like Yuh Playing Mas) - Kes The Band x David RudderCarnival Darling - Coutain x GBM NutronLivin’ Fast (In the Moment) - Jus Jay King x Grateful CoEgo Jam - GBM NutronFollow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews RIMS General Counsel and VP of External Affairs Mark Prysock about the RIMS Legislative Summit in March 2025, how it went, and what to expect next. Mark mentions the registrant participation records they set and the connections they made as they lobbied.   As Mark exits, Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine enter the studio to talk with Justin about the mid-year in risk and four Q2 articles in RIMS Risk Management magazine on tariffs, the 2025 hurricane season, the USDA budget cuts and food safety, and minimizing risk while using AI for innovation. After lessons from the articles, Hilary invites listeners to submit risk management articles to RIMS Risk Management magazine. If you publish in the magazine, what opportunities will that open for you?    Listen to learn more about the highlights of the first two quarters of 2025 and what to prepare for the rest of the year.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. We've got three guests today. We'll get a RIMS legislative update from Mark Prysock, and we will look back at major risk management news from the first half of 2025 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine. [:48] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [:58] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:16] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:31] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:42] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know that he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [1:56] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [2:15] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:38] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:47] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:01] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:14] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership. [3:24] On with the show! Mark Prysock is the RIMS General Counsel and VP of External Affairs. It's always wonderful to have him on the show. [3:32] He is here to remind us of the RIMS legislative priorities, how they were addressed during the RIMS Legislative Summit in March, and what else we can expect in the way of public policies that RIMS would like to prevent and those we'd like to support. [3:46] There are lots of links in this episode's notes, as well, including ones to RISK PAC and an upcoming fundraiser. Let's get to it! [3:54] Interview! Mark Prysock, welcome back to RIMScast! [4:14] RIMS's top legislative or advocacy priorities for 2025 include opposing legislation on taxing non-profit associations. RIMS is working with other associations on this. The tax would have a significant impact on RIMS. [5:26] Another issue is the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which would allow individuals to use college savings 529 plans to pay for certifications like the RIMS-CRMP. It's a very popular issue in the association community. [5:55] Third-party litigation funding has become a very big issue, followed by nuclear verdicts. What can we do to stop that? That's an issue that's been growing in both the House and the Senate. RIMS is working within a broad coalition to address that issue. [6:14] RIMS believes, at a bare minimum, there needs to be disclosures when third-party litigation funding agreements are in place so that everyone understands who stands to benefit from a nuclear verdict. It's not the plaintiff. [6:37] The last issue is the National Flood Insurance Program. [7:01] Mark and his team spent Day 1 of the RIMS Legislative Summit in March prepping the registrants so they understood the ins and outs of the issues. They all received one-page leave-behind documents to take to the Congressional offices. [7:18] Panellists had talked to them about the issues. The registrants were prepped to be lobbyists on these issues. [7:30] On Day 2, the registrants went to the Hill and lobbied on behalf of RIMS. [7:39] There were over 60 registrants this year. That was a RIMS Legislative Summit record. They had around 100 Congressional meetings, also a RIMS Legislative Summit record. [8:15] Mark says holding the event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building is fantastic. It's a classic D.C. building that everyone knows. It's fairly close to Capitol Hill. You can get all the speakers you want to come and meet with your group there. It's perfect for the Summit. [8:49] A couple of years ago was the first time the Summit met at the Chamber building. Going back this year confirmed that it's going to be the new location for the Summit. Mark says it was an enriching experience for the attendees. [9:33] The Summit lobbyists focus on committees in both the House and Senate with jurisdiction over insurance. [9:47] The House Financial Services Committee has a Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. Most of the legislation the Summit is concerned about comes from the House. [10:04] That Subcommittee has a new Chair, Congressman Mike Flood from Nebraska. The Summit has made inroads with his office and with other offices, too. [10:28] The Summit's focus is on establishing relationships with newer Congressional offices that are in a position to impact RIMS's legislative priorities. [10:52] Mark says, typically when we meet with a Member of Congress, it might be that we're talking to them because they're well-situated to talk to us about NFIP. [11:02] On other issues, we don't know that they necessarily align with us, but we know that with what we're trying to accomplish with the NFIP, they are going to be a great ally. That's our foot in the door to discuss other legislative issues. [11:24] Marks says the Summit is looking to establish long-term relationships with Members of Congress and educate them on the importance of different issues. [11:58] The RIMS Public Policy Committee will continue hammering on these issues for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026. The tax issues are likely to be resolved in RIMS's favor in the Omnibus tax bill Congress is wrestling with now. [12:18] The One Big Beautiful Bill does not include language for imposing new taxes on non-profits, but it does include the language about liberalizing the use of College 529 plans, which RIMS supports. Mark thinks that it will be wrapped up soon. [12:39] NFIP has been reauthorized through September 30th, the end of the Federal Government's Fiscal Year. There is legislation out there to reauthorize it for a longer period. The RIMS Public Policy Committee is talking with Members of Congress about that. [12:57] Third-party litigation funding is an issue to keep working on for the next couple of years. [13:04] The RIMS Public Policy Committee will be working closely with the RISK PAC Trustees to figure out how they can help to raise more money for the PAC. They have some ideas for things to do at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia. [13:22] They have a fundraising event in Philadelphia in the middle of July. They'll be sending out Calendar invites to the RIMS membership. 2026 will be an election year, so they want to raise as much money as they can for RISK PAC and the right re-election campaigns. [14:02] At RIMS.org/advocacy, you can see that the RIMS Legislative Summit 2026 will be held from March 16th through 18th. Mark is more excited than ever for next year's Summit! It's an election year. They've got the details nailed down. They'll be at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. [14:53] They will have a hotel block nailed down soon. They'll start promoting this event far in advance. Mark your calendars, please! As you build your chapters next year, please include some money to send your Advocacy Ambassador to the Legislative Summit 2026 in March. [15:20] We've got the link in this episode's show notes and at RIMS.org/advocacy. You can reach out to Mark Prysock directly through his email address on the RIMS Advocacy page. Write to him if you have questions about what it takes to get there or how you can contribute. [15:43] As Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle walk into the studio, Justin thanks Mark Prysock for being on the show. [16:04] Plugs! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. [16:17] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [16:33] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today, so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [16:48] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [16:56] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in those favorable rates. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [17:15] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [17:31] Let's Get on with the Show! It is July 1st. We have reached the midpoint of 2025. On RIMScast, we like to take stock of the year in risk, so far. Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle are going to break it all down for us. [17:54] Morgan O'Rourke is the RIMS Senior Director of Content and Publications. Hilary Tuttle is the Managing Editor of RIMS Risk Management magazine. That's our flagship, at RMmagazine.com. [18:07] We will look back on the Q2 digital issue of RIMS Risk Management magazine and discuss some of the news and trends that have been driving the risk profession. We'll talk about tariffs, AI, and more. Let's get to it! [18:23] Interview! Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle, welcome back to RIMScast! [18:50] We are here to talk about the mid-point of 2025 in risk and what it has meant for the profession and the reporting on the profession. The Q2 digital issue of RIMS Risk Management magazine is now available. The link is on this page. [19:26] A big story from this quarter was tariff volatility. In April, Neil Hodge wrote a great article “How to Navigate the Volatile Tariff Landscape.” Many companies underestimate their exposure to tariffs through lower-tier suppliers. [20:06] Hilary says the number one tip is to map your exposure to tariffs via suppliers. Also, think about finished goods as well as what hypothetical future scenarios would mean. We've seen that tariffs are consistently volatile. Map different scenarios to see how they will play out. [20:43] In the article, Neil also mentions alternatives such as near-shoring, alternative suppliers, and technicalities about working within the system. Morgan mentions contract management. Another tip was tariff engineering by modifying your product design or where it's assembled. [21:35] Morgan shares an example. Converse All Stars have a layer of felt on the bottom, which classifies them as slippers, which have a lower tariff. They tweaked the product so it could be classified differently. Morgan just bought a new pair and saw the felt he had never noticed. [23:24] Morgan says certain auto imports may leave out features that would classify them as commercial vehicles, so they don't have a commercial vehicle duty. [24:08] Equipment that was bought before steel tariffs will be more expensive to repair after steel tariffs, and insurance that was in place before the tariffs may not cover the drastically more expensive repairs. This will affect heavy machinery. Revisit your insurance coverage. [25:06] Considering what major assets may be changing with tariff changes would be a helpful next step for people. Morgan refers to finding alternate suppliers or diversifying. If you're starting a new relationship with a supplier, tariffs need to be part of the contract conversation. [25:42] If tariffs are a risk you have not been accounting for in your supplier agreements, you may want to build more flexibility into future agreements.  [26:03] Justin mentions the 2025 hurricane season and accurate weather reporting. That relates to supply chain. Hilary includes replacement values, as materials cost more.  [26:33] Hilary wrote an article, “The 2025 Hurricane Season Outlook.” Hilary says it's interesting to tell similar stories every year in different ways. She looked at the outlook for this season and compared it to the results from last year. [27:35] She looked for the key trends that drove the results last year and that will impact this year. It's an outlook and also a strategic input. How does your organization need to adapt to this outlook? It's about seeing the overarching trends and figuring out how to act on them. [28:20] Hurricane Beryl came in the summer of 2024. It was one of the earliest major hurricanes to form. It reached Category 5 in 42 hours. What strategies should organizations take to address fast-developing storms? [28:43] Rapid intensification is a major trend with hurricanes. This is fueled by above-average ocean temperatures and other impacts of climate change. Storms are getting worse faster. The energy at the surface level contributes to faster-building hurricanes. Then there are trade winds. [29:09] It is a very big challenge for governments and private industry because you need to prepare much faster. You might only have a day of notice between a tropical storm and a Category 3 hurricane. [29:29] Preparedness is a state of being, not something you deal with if and when a storm arises. It needs to be a constant state of readiness. This year there have been significant budget cuts to NOAA and FEMA. This affects weather forecasting and the number of emergency staff. [30:22] Organizations need to understand that they need an increased amount of self-reliance. You cannot count on the cavalry coming. Preparedness means more than ever this year. [30:38] Morgan says it's less about coordinating with Federal agencies and more about making sure you have your ducks in a row. You may not have access to outside resources. You might be able to coordinate with other companies and organizations. Cooperation helps. [31:43] Hilary says, after last year, we saw with Hurricane Helene that some of these disasters are increasing and hitting in unpredictable areas that don't have the preparedness or the infrastructure because there is not a legacy sense of being at risk for hurricanes. [32:05] Preparedness is different in different regions. Taking an assessment, thinking about some of those scenarios is a strategic risk management issue that may need to shift in new ways. In some of those areas, you might not have local disaster resources because it has not been a risk. [32:38] Prepare by taking a realistic assessment of emergency resources on the ground, what has the historical risk been, and how that is shifting? [32:51] A Small Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [33:10] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centred experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [33:30] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. The link is in this interview's show notes. Be sure to visit the programs page of SpencerEd.org. [33:40] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held Thursday, September 18th at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we hope to have him here on RIMScast this summer. A link is in the show notes. [34:03] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine! [34:55] Jennifer Post, one of the editors, wrote an article, “USDA Budget Cuts Present Food Safety Risks.” Budget cuts may increase the likelihood of an outbreak of foodborne diseases and compromise the USDA's ability to respond and notify consumers of an outbreak. [36:28] Hilary notes recent outbreaks with cucumbers and tomatoes, which have been deadlier than one might expect. The cucumber recall was for cucumbers that had been sold six weeks before. Hilary has never had a cucumber for more than two weeks. [37:11] Shifting responsibility to under-resourced states creates uneven safety standards. Private companies will have to incur some of the costs of testing and monitoring their food. Who is responsible for coordinating food safety between states or countries is a question mark.  [37:50] This is not a great solution. It's an area of uncertainty for now. It is likely to increase costs for individual companies. It also increases the risk exposure for companies that are distributing food that makes people sick, but they don't know it. [38:09] The number of people getting sick and the amount of money a company will lose balloon as a function of time and notice. There are a lot of components to this issue. [38:30] Hilary says we are also seeing some concern around whether some of the shifting standards are going to create different levels of safety in different types of products or from different regions. This shifts a lot of the burden onto the consumer and private companies. [38:42] Morgan adds that beyond the cuts to NOAA, FEMA, and the USDA, there are cuts to cybersecurity infrastructure with CISA. These cuts remove a level of oversight that people have come to rely on. The cuts push responsibility for risks further onto states and private industry. [39:26] Morgan says they were worried about the appetite for change in the government from the Trump administration. The administration is making changes. Some of the fallout is that it has changed the risk landscape regarding storm damage, food safety, cybersecurity, and more. [39:46] You may have to reassess your risks in the light of these cuts to Federal agencies. Hilary points out that the cuts are not fluff when you realize the functions these agencies have. [40:21] Hilary quotes a food safety professor from the article. “Oversight is not a bureaucratic formality; it's the invisible line between routine production and preventable tragedy.” Hilary thinks that quote applies across a number of the cuts that have been made. [40:39] The magazine has an article on AI called “Balancing Innovation and Compliance When Implementing AI.” Morgan reports that AI is all over the place now. The conversation has to involve implementation issues and liability risks. AI hallucinations and data security are issues. [42:03] You need to have a level of human intervention and involvement to be looking for things that you might have taken for granted are true, but that are problematic or make you liable for something. [42:17] Hilary says another big issue is that the technology is drastically outpacing regulation, safety measures, and best practices. You need to be asking, “What do we have a defensible business reason to do, and what are we putting in place to safeguard those?” [42:44] Some of the AI applications around hiring incur very real consequences in terms of human impact and regulatory impact. You may be dealing with serious employment fines or other things of that nature that regulators will catch up on. [43:06] AI systems are designed to please you. They are not designed to do the right thing or to make intelligent choices. They guide a user, and the user needs to guide them. Hilary compares using AI to riding an elephant. The elephant can go where it wants to go; you need to control it. [43:55] Hilary says that a lot of these AI engines perpetuate bias that the people who developed them may or may not have or may not realize that they have. A large company for a while only hired white men because those were the people who had been successfully hired in the past. [44:20] The content online that trains these models is the content that is published online. It requires a certain amount of privilege, experience, education, and life perspective. It doesn't draw on the body of human experience and knowledge for representative bodies. [44:49] You have to bring a certain diversity of experience, and also check those inputs with either people or other sources. Morgan talks about the feeling you might get that something like an email was written by an AI. The homogeneity starts to erode the quality of things. [45:27] Morgan has read that one of ChatGPT's quirks is that a lot of responses will have a “not this but that” structure. For instance, “It's not just soup, it's a meal!” Once you see it, you start to see it everywhere. Hilary says a giveaway is the use of inserted emojis. [46:32] Morgan and Hilary have been editing for quite a while. Morgan can identify who wrote a piece of writing by its style. If you get an email from someone with turns of phrase they would never use, you know it's AI. Losing track of what's going on is not to your advantage. [47:26] Having AI write an email is an example of something that just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should do it. Should you be working in an environment in which you don't know how to interact functionally with your coworkers, the length of an email? [48:13] Engineering prompts are one of the biggest skills people need to learn in working with AI. Prompt engineering is the most important component that Hilary had to struggle to learn in an AI course she took. It makes the biggest difference to AI being usable. Take a prompt class. [49:05] Justin shares an experience he had using AI to make an email response he had written much shorter and less defensive. It wasn't perfect, but it helped him to revise his message. [49:47] Hilary said that Justin gave a great example of prompt engineering. You want to tell it who the recipient is, who you are, and what your specific concern is to address. You can also ask it to explain the changes that it makes, so you learn how to write better emails next time. [50:43] Hilary urges caution on choosing the platform. ChatGPT is decent for writing because you can prime it. You can't prime Copilot, and she says a lot of the results are garbage.  [51:46] The Q2 edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine is online. All the articles are on the site as links and as part of the digital edition. [51:56] A reminder to the audience: RIMS Risk Management magazine is always seeking contributors and contributions, primarily from the risk profession. The topics that are important to you are the topics that are important to your colleagues. Get your voices out there! [52:37] A good submission answers two questions: Why this? And why now? Why should other people care about this issue? New regulations? New fines? A recent court case? Is there a nuance you are highlighting? Another question is, so what? What do you do about it? [53:28] Justin offers, How will the audience be able to do their job better based on the information you're telling them? Morgan comments that the idea is risk management. You want to get to the management part of it so your organization can do something about it. [53:58] Go to RMMagazine.com and see the Contribute button at the top. That's where you'll find the editorial submission guidelines and the contact information for Morgan, Hilary, and Jennifer. They are open to your ideas, so by all means, reach out. You never know what it could lead to! [54:58] Hilary says they also welcome feedback on their existing coverage and the challenges you are seeing in the field. [55:27] Hilary and Morgan are going to rejoin us at the end of the year. We always close the year with an episode when they look back on the year and forward to the next. [56:01] Special thanks to my RIMS colleagues Mark Prysock, Morgan O'Rourke, and Hilary Tuttle for joining us here on RIMScast! Visit RIMS.org/advocacy to connect with Mark, and RMMagazine.com to connect with Morgan and Hilary, and get the latest risk news and insight. [56:23] Links are in this episode's show notes, including a link to the Contribute page on RMMagazine.com. [56:29] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [56:57] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [57:15] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [57:33] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [57:49] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [68:04] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [58:11] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS-CRMP In-Person Workshop in Texas Aug. 6 & 7 RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration now open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! 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RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Mark Prysock, General Counsel at Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS) Morgan O'Rourke, Director of Publications at RIMS Hilary Tuttle, Managing Editor of Risk Management Magazine   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 5/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 8/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 7/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 6/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 4/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 3/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 2/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

LAST SHOT IN ANGER: 1/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenbergwas inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Kyle Leng, Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks, about the risks associated with buildings that lack strong wireless connectivity. These issues involve cellular, Wi-Fi, and public safety distributed antenna systems for first responders. Justin and Kyle discuss physical risks, but mainly the communication risks of not being able to call 911 or firefighters or police officers unable to radio out of the building. The discussion turns to IoT, and Kyle shares some of his experiences in bringing apartment buildings up to date with Wi-Fi and IoT, including scheduled technology security updates. Kyle speaks of the need to update stone buildings that block signals internally and deal with high-rises that block you from connecting to your cell tower.   Listen to learn more about updating wireless communication in your properties.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is emergency preparedness and wireless availability and capability, with Kyle Leng of Airtower. We've got some critical insights for anyone experiencing hurricane season. [:45] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! Register by July 1st for the next RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshop, which will be co-led by Parima. That course will be held on July 8th and 9th. [1:02] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:20] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:35] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:46] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know that he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [1:59] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are virtually filled to capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [2:19] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:42] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:50] On with the show! Our guest today is Kyle Leng, the Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks. Airtower is a wireless infrastructure provider. [3:00] Kyle is here to discuss how risk managers can play a pivotal role in building and upgrading wireless connectivity for their buildings and organizations. [3:10] We're also going to talk about some of the legislation in the U.S. that could have a national impact on wireless capability and emergency preparedness. Let's get to it! [3:20] Interview! Kyle Leng, welcome to RIMScast! [3:32] Kyle is the Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks. His primary focus is working with local governing bodies to install either public safety radio systems for first responders, cellular systems, or Wi-Fi enhancement systems. [3:50] Kyle makes sure Airtower Networks is evergreen on the local requirements and expectations, and the latest security protocols for those systems. [4:00] Kyle has been at Airtower coming up on a decade, and in the public safety sector for eight years. He is in high demand at Airtower, internally and externally. [4:17] The Airtower HQ is in D.C. There are also satellite offices. Kyle lives in Maryland. [4:40] If your building lacks wireless connectivity, firefighters can't communicate on your property. This is code-mandated, so your occupancy for your property is in jeopardy, along with the lives of your tenants. [5:00] There is a risk associated with a lack of cell phone coverage. No one should be in an emergency and not be able to dial 911. It's terrifying. It's also a huge liability exposure. [5:15] Another vulnerability for first responder radio systems is that codes, requirements, and technology are constantly in flux. This is also true of cellular enhancement systems.  [5:31] The technology is updating and the requirements are changing, including Florida's SB 1190 and HB 1571, with retroactive enforcement for existing buildings. [5:52] Radio dead zones in apartment buildings are a major risk for first responders. Kyle uses an example of sister apartment buildings, with a fire spreading from one to the other, and the second building having no communication. [6:30] All these things are updating, evolving, and iterating. You might be looking at last year's requirements and be off base. [6:42] You may miss something valuable learned in the field through trial and error, that installing these systems or having certain security protocols makes a world of difference regarding the safety of the tenants and the first responders. [7:01] Kyle expects most of the U.S. will adopt legislation similar to Florida. Most of the country is watching Florida to see what works and what doesn't, planning to implement their own. [7:10] Retroactive enforcement, where older buildings are not grandfathered in, already exists in pockets around the country.  [8:07] Existing building mandates have been in the International Fire Code and the NFPA codes, which govern first responder radio systems, for a decade. [8:39] Florida is the first U.S. local authority to publish bills around these codes, including a timeline with retroactivity. They are moving to make buildings safer. [8:52] Kyle explains why Airtower Networks is excited by Florida's move. Communities become safer, and local heroes are safer while they're rescuing people. It's a tough undertaking. It takes a lot of resources and knowledge. There will be hiccups, and people will learn as they go. [9:25] Plug Time! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. [9:39] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [9:55] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today, so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [10:10] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [10:18] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in those favourable rates. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [10:37] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [10:53] Let's Return to My Interview with Kyle Leng!  [11:07] The bulk of Airtower Networks' active projects are at active construction sites. There is inherent danger there. The whole team undergoes stringent safety training. They maintain all the relevant certifications to keep the team safe. They review those with the team leads weekly. [11:34] There is risk involved with the systems. If you install a bad cellular system, instead of helping, you're making that property and the surrounding area significantly more dangerous. The same thing with the firefighter radio systems. Doing that wrong is worse than not doing it at all. [12:04] It's high stakes, high risk, and you want to have expertise, going into it, because you can make the property significantly less safe and more of a liability for all parties if you do it wrong. [12:24] Kyle points out that a bad network and an obsolete network are the same. Airtower Networks has been getting a lot of new opportunities for rip-and-replace contracts to remove obsolete or poorly designed systems and replace them expertly with the latest technology. [12:54] How quickly something goes obsolete varies depending on the technology. You'll get more lifetime from a cellular system than a first responder radio system. Wi-Fi needs to be constantly updated. You need to have the latest security protocols and the latest technology. [13:17] Kyle says a lot of the systems they rip and replace in the public safety sector are in the five-to-ten-year range. They're not ancient. Often, it was a low-budget installation. Airtower Networks believes you need to go into a project with the right attitude and perspective. [13:47] The risk professionals listening should check for is when they had their systems installed. If they're coming up on that 10-year mark, they may need to reassess them. [14:00] Kyle tells how he discusses it with stakeholders. Picture someone you care about in the stairwell of a building, something scary happens, and they can't call 911. Then, police officers show up, and their radios don't work. This is incredibly dangerous and a huge liability. [14:23]  The various costs associated with upgrading those systems, getting them inspected, and having them be monitored, 24/7 to make sure there are no breaks in the coverage, are nothing compared to the risks and liability. The costs are 100% worth it, every time. [14:48] Public safety distributed antenna systems go by 17 different names across the country. They're radio systems inside your property with antennas in the ceiling. They increase the radio access for first responders in the building. Kyle's central focus is getting them into buildings. [15:50] Kyle speaks of an exciting season in his career. They turned a couple of sister apartment buildings in San Francisco into smart buildings. It was IoT everywhere. They learned a lot from working on those projects. [16:11] They worked with a software developer to build an app so that in every unit, tenants paid rent with their TV remotes and unlocked their doors with their phones. [16:29] In terms of security and risk management, they learned that a big part of these projects was keeping the networks segmented and isolated so no one had a backdoor to the Wi-Fi and keycard access. With IoT, you want the latest encryption and password security. [17:06] They learned you have to find great partners in the OEM space. You can find IoT components online, but are they safe? Find a partner that's invested long-term in their equipment, so when you install IoT devices, they will be guaranteed to be updated for years. [17:44] A Small Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [18:04] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centred experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [18:24] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. [18:28] Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus Program offers grants of up to $5,000 to universities and colleges in the United States and Canada to host a practicing risk manager on their campus for a one-to-three-day residency. [18:41] The Risk Manager on Campus program has been praised by both universities and risk managers as a rewarding educational experience for students and a chance to give back to the profession. The application deadline for 2026 is June 30th, 2025. Check the link in the notes. [19:00] Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [19:04] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Kyle Leng! [19:22] Kyle always tries to exceed the code requirements and the local expectations for each building. There is also a project spec list, drafted by the property management, legal team, and insurance policyholders. [19:46] Kyle enjoys the conversation he has with the property stakeholders about the specifications. He enjoys getting to understand what their intentions are and seeing what he can learn from this type of property. [20:06] Kyle learns a lot through these conversations because the stakeholders are looking through a very different lens. Kyle's thinking about passing inspections, and that tenants can make 911 calls. [20:19] The stakeholders are considering every liability across the property and how to plug all the holes so that risk and liability are as limited as possible. Kyle finds there's almost always a win-win situation between the intentions and the happy outcome of a very safe building. [21:39] Kyle says government buildings in particular tend to have a lot of stonework, which essentially kills all RF signals; Wi-Fi, cellular, and public safety networks. In these government buildings, there is usually no coverage. There is no system to rip out and replace. [22:06] Healthcare tends to have an antiquated system. They had the funding to put in communication systems early on, which are now outdated. Airtower Networks has had some rip-and-replace in healthcare, but they focus on government facilities without coverage. [22:36] Kyle says local authorities tell him that when they go into the courthouse or city hall, they know they're not going to make a call or use a radio. That's terrifying. [22:57] Kyle says, in the industry, they refer to these government stone buildings as sort of Faraday cages. Cell service stops at the front door. There's no system in place to replace. [24:03] With the onset of the summer heat, fire risk increases. Storms and power outages are big risks in the summer. Summer is a big time for construction. If a high-rise building goes up between you and the cell tower, you lose coverage. You might need an amplification system. [25:09] If a high-rise with a leaky Wi-Fi system goes up next to your property, it could interfere with your IoT devices. There is an inherent risk for all radio coverage when a high-rise building goes up. You need to be prepared for it and have a watchful eye. Find out how to resolve risks. [26:24] Special thanks again to Kyle Leng for joining us here on RIMScast! Be sure to subscribe to RIMScast to catch every new episode as they are released on Tuesdays and the occasional Monday. [26:46] Next week, we have one of my favorite episodes of the year coming up. It's the Midyear in Risk Review with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management Magazine. They're going to tell us “what the heck is going on!” [27:01] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [27:29] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [27:47] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [28:05] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [28:22] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [28:36] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [28:43] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration now open! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus — Application Deadline June 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Fall bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 8‒9, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Generative AI for Risk Management” | June 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management” | July 24 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “Company Safety and RIMS Chapter Leadership with Tamieka Weeks” “Security Risks with William Sako” “Wildfire Risks with Kevin Stein” “Safety and Preparedness in 2024 with National Safety Council CEO Lorraine Martin”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Kyle Leng, Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Chris Reilly about his insurance career and how you came to join and lead Link USA. They also cover RISKWORLD 2025 and the DE&I Studio, where Chris was on a panel. Chris talks about how he volunteered for the DE&I initiative at Amwins and how it has grown over the years. Chris does not believe the current anti-DE&I rhetoric will continue for long, in light of the existing Title VII and EEOC protecting employees and applicants against employment discrimination. Chris believes organizations know what is right, and that they will do better with a strong DE&I program in place, reducing reliance on EPLI coverage. The conversation concludes with information about Link USA's upcoming events.   Listen to learn more about supporting Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion efforts in your organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is inclusivity in risk management and we will be joined by Chris Reilly, the National Co-Chair of Link USA, and Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader at Amwins Group Benefits. [:45] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! Register by July 1st for the next RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshop, which will be co-led by Parima. That course will be held on July 8th and 9th. [1:02] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:20] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On June 26th. Pat Saporito will return to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:32] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:43] Starting on July 16th, James Lam will host a six-module course, the RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. This is a bi-weekly course that will run through Wednesday, September 24th. A link to last week's episode about it is in this episode's notes. [2:04] Registration closes on July 9th. A link is in this episode's notes. [2:09] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:32] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:40] On with the show! It's June 2025. It is Pride Month and RIMScast and RIMS are dedicated to fostering an environment where individuals from all backgrounds feel valued, respected, and empowered. We'll dive into the real meanings of words and initiatives; words like inclusivity. [3:01] Joining me today to delve into those terms is Chris Reilly, the National Co-Chair of Link USA. Link is the LGBTQ+ Insurance Network. Chris is also the Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader at Amwins's Group Benefits. [3:17] We will discuss the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in insurance and risk management, how the pendulum has swung, and what risk professionals and employers need to know about a landscape that may or may not be changing as much as you think. [3:35] Interview! Chris Reilly, welcome to RIMScast! [3:42] It's Pride Month. For Chris, it's a great time to be celebrating oneself and celebrating with the community. He says there's no reason not to celebrate 12 months of the year. [4:14] Chris Reilly has had a 30-plus-year insurance career. His dad and grandfather had an agency. His father offered him a job right out of college. Chris thought he'd step up in a year or two, but he's still doing it 30-plus years later. It's a great career. He loves the industry. [4:47] The first part of Chris's years he spent in the Property and Casualty world as a commercial broker, most of those years with Aon. He jumped to the wholesale side when he joined Amwins in 2000. [5:05] Chris is on the employee benefits side, providing group benefit programs to companies through broker partners. [5:13] About five or six years ago, Amwins created internal DEI programs. Chris immediately volunteered to join the National Council at Amwins to participate in and help build those programs. He worked on a committee centered on making the workplace intentionally inclusive. [5:54] Chris served on that committee for two years. In the process, he came across Link, which was in the UK. Chris and a colleague convinced Link to bring it to the U.S., which they did in 2021. Four years later, Link has expanded into Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta.  [6:18] Link restructured this year with a national board for a national presence. Link kicked off Pride Month with a national virtual event. It had a great turnout. Chris is excited to continue to lead Link and help support the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the insurance industry. [7:04] Chris notes that the insurance industry is still known to be a very conservative industry but from 30 years ago to today, there has been a big difference in inclusivity. There's constant evolution and change. We can always continue to do things better. [7:23] Chis says everybody is striving to do things better. That's why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs became so important for all industries. Justin says that saying the words Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instead of DEI provokes thought about their meaning and impact. [8:21] Chris agrees; when we say with intention, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with intention, it's just better. Don't we all want to be included? Inclusion is an endearing word. Let's all come to the table. We need to be more intentional about the words. [9:19] Chris Reilly attended RISKWORLD 2025 for the first time and was at the DE&I Studio. There were speakers and panels. Chris represented Link USA to talk about who they are, what they do, and their mission for the LGBTQ+ community in the insurance industry. [10:21] Chris served on a panel where Link, the National African American Insurance Association, the Asian American Insurance Network, the Latin American Insurance Agency Networks, and the Association of Professional Insurance Women were represented. [10:43] The organizations work to make sure the insurance industry continues to be a diverse, inclusive, and equitable industry. They support each other and continue to press the message of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They raise their voices for the common good of every employee. [11:17] Leaders from all of those organizations have been guests on RIMScast, with Chris Reilly and Link being the fifth organization represented. If more organizations are created, Justin will include them on the show.  [11:37] Chris brings decades of experience in the trenches to his role on Link.  [12:02] Justin says we're hearing a lot of anti-DEI rhetoric. Chris says a lot of it is noise. People are throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. In most C-Suites, smart leaders seek legal advice. If they haven't been doing anything illegal, there isn't much they need to change. [13:01] Companies that feed into the noise end up hurting their employees which can hurt their bottom line in the long term. [13:27] Companies need to cut through the noise and make sure that they know what's true and what's not true. They need to focus on continuing to do what they've been doing that has been working. [13:55] Chris thinks that a company scaling back its DEI initiative hurts its reputation. When they scale back, the employees feel it first. If employees don't feel good in the workplace about the culture that has been developed for employees, that impacts the work and the output. [14:34] Eventually, that can hit outside the walls of the insurance company. Insurance isn't a direct-to-consumer product so this industry doesn't get impacted in quite the same way as a retail store. [15:06] Plug Time! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. [15:17] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [15:33] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today, so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [15:48] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [15:56] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in favorable rates. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [16:15] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [16:31] Let's Return to Our Interview with Chris Reilly of Link!  [16:50] There's no such thing as illegal DE&I! There is no legal framework about whether a company does DE&I or not. Companies decided that having a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce was good for business. [17:30] There have been studies that show that when a company has a strong DE&I policy, it outperforms its competitors that don't by nearly 20%. Teams that are more diverse and inclusive outperform homogeneous groups by nearly 80%. [17:57] When you have a diversity of people; when you include people of different backgrounds in thought and education, you get more diverse thoughts and you can create better outcomes as a result. [18:15] This concept of illegal DE&I is thrown up there to create confusion and get people worrying about what they're doing. [18:51] Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) is what companies would buy if they have a sexual harassment suit, a discrimination suit, or a wrongful termination suit. Employers take this coverage to protect themselves from that. [19:25] Whether they have EPLI coverage or not, before the term “illegal DE&I,” nobody was concerned about it. They all felt that they had the proper policies and best practices in place to prevent employment practices claims. [19:43] If there were this rash of claims suddenly happening, maybe it's not “illegal DE&I” but you're not doing it right. Fix the problem so that it doesn't become an issue. [19:59] What companies are seeing is that their policies and best practices have been working, so there's not a problem. If companies start believing that they shouldn't have DE&I programs, that will embolden individuals to be bigots, racists, harassers, and bullies at work. [20:25] If that happens, you will get employment practices claims. [20:30] Justin feels that we are seeing uninclusive and bullying expressions more now on social media than when he was hired at RIMS eight years ago. [20:36] Chris thinks that the world has changed and the narrative has changed and people feel like they're emboldened to bring out those negative personality traits in themselves for some reason. [20:50] Chris recently talked to a company where the CEO addressed the employees, to tell them that bigotry, harassment, and hatred have no place, and will have no place in the company. [21:16] He told them the company was built with a culture that respects everybody, that is about fairness and integrity, working together, and creating inclusive and collaborative teams, to create the best outcomes they can for the company and its consumers. [21:32] He said they are going to keep doing what they're doing because everything's going just fine. He said if we start trying to tinker with the DE&I programs, that will inevitably create problems and deteriorate the great work that you have been doing. [21:53] What's the ROI on DE&I? It's hard to quantify. When your employees are happy, they're doing good work, they're being productive, and the company is successful, that comes in part from the investment of time, energy, and money put into Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion programs. [22:08] You can try to tie ROI to some of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs when you talk about EPLI, Directors & Officers, and E&O insurance. If you don't have good practices, what you will have is employment practices liability claims around discrimination and harassment.  [23:01] HR will have to deal with the HR issues of employees, potentially defending a lawsuit. If they don't have these coverages in place, those defence costs can get expensive. You might have to settle a suit, which can cost more money. It's a ripple effect. [23:27] With more claims, the premiums of these policies will go up. So, if you're not following best practices and have to start paying out claims and higher premiums to defend yourself against these claims, those are financial factors to consider in the ROI of doing the right thing. [23:51] Plug Time! Let me tell you about the Spencer Educational Foundation. Spencer's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [24:31] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centred experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [24:31] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. [24:35] Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus Program offers grants of up to $5,000 to universities and colleges in the United States and Canada to host a practicing risk manager on their campus for a one-to-three-day residency. [24:49] The Risk Manager on Campus program has been praised by both universities and risk managers as a rewarding educational experience for students and a chance to give back to the profession. The application deadline for 2026 is June 30th, 2025. Check the link in the notes. [25:08] Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [25:12] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Chris Reilly! [25:34] The pendulum has swung one way. Chris thinks that it will swing back as smarter and calmer minds prevail, in the end. Organization leaders know what's right and wrong. Once the noise calms down, people will realize that we already have things in place to protect everybody. [26:14] We already have Title VII and the EEOC in place. I have told people that with all that's being said, no laws have changed. Title VII is in place and the EEOC is still there to enforce it. If there were crazy problems with this, Title VII and the EEOC would already be addressing it. [26:44] Chris believes the pendulum will swing back to the center sooner rather than later. Executive orders and attempting to change laws are not going to sit well. There are already protections in place to prohibit employment discrimination. [27:13]  Chris is the National Chair of Link USA. A couple of days after this episode, there will be the New York City Link-Up Networking Happy Hour, Pride Edition. That's going to be in Manhattan on the Avenue. [27:33] On June 26th, in Los Angeles, there will be a Pride Movie Night and Networking Mixer at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Chris says these events are always fun. Link tries to create personal connections between the LGBTQ+ Community and its allies. [28:04] We're all doing the same thing, feeling the same pressures, working in the insurance industry, and wanting connection. Some people work at companies that may not have anybody else like them in their firm. They're looking for connections within the LGBTQ+ community. [28:28] Link is heavily supported by its allies. They couldn't fight the fight without the allies. The events are about bringing people together in a fun way and ultimately, networking in the industry. People connect and build business relationships and develop businesses, as well. [28:55] We've got a link to Link in this episode's notes. [28:58] Chris, it's been a real pleasure to speak with you. I'm glad we're having this dialogue. I hope to see you at RISKWORLD 2026 and the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Studio. [29:21] Special thanks again to Chris Reilly of Link, the LGBTQ+ Insurance Network. Links to the events that we mentioned and to Link's website are in this episode's show notes. [29:34] RIMS has a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council and page. You can visit it on RIMS.org, through the Community section, and the link in this episode's show notes. [29:49] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:17] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [30:35] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [30:53] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [31:09] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [31:23] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [31:31] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council Link (LGBTQ+ Insurance Network) Link USA Events in New York City and Los Angeles RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration now open! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus — Application Deadline June 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Register by July 7. | Bi-weekly course begins July 16. RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 8‒9, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Generative AI for Risk Management” | June 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “Live from RISKWORLD 2025” “Thoughts and IDEAs on Inclusivity with Michael Bach” “The Strengths of DE&I Initiatives with Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray of Alliant Insurance Services” “LAAIA Atlanta Chapter President Jose Aponte” “Equality and the Risk Profession with Elisa Stampf”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Chris Reilly, National Co-Chair of Link USA | LGBTQ+ Insurance Network, Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader at Amwins Group Benefits   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Send us a textBeyond the Blue and Gray is a sub-series about the unique units of the Civil War. We look at their uniforms, traditions, cultures, and war record. Today we sit with Thomas B. Mack to discuss 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry-The Lead Mine Men!Purchase book here: https://www.siupress.com/9780809339143/the-lead-mine-men/Music is graciously provided by Craig Duncan.Our website: https://www.untoldcivilwar.com/Our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMWxSupport the show:One time donation of any amount here: https://www.paypal.me/supportuntoldCWMonthly payment through Patreon and unlock unique perks!https://www.patreon.com/user?u=51151470&fan_landing=truThis show is made possible by the support of our sponsors:The Badge MakerProudly carrying affordable, USA made products for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history.Civil War TrailsThe world's largest 'Open Air Museum' offering over 1,350 sites across six states. Paddle to Frederick Douglass's birthplace, follow the Gettysburg Campaign turn-by-turn in your car, or hike to mountain tops where long forgotten earthworks and artillery positions await you.Military Images MagazineAmerica's only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.The Excelsior BrigadeDealers in FINE CIVIL WAR MEMORABILIA.The goal of the "Brigade" is to offer high quality, original items while ensuring the best in service and customer satisfaction.HistoryFixCome enjoy history! Explore stories from the Middle Ages to the early 21st century. Enjoy historical video content always ad free and get a 7-day free trial as you explore our site.1863 DesignsAre you looking for Civil War themed graphic design, logo design, historical art and or hand drawn art? Look no further than 1863 Designs. Use the code, “UNTOLD” for 15% off your purchase!History by mailUse the discount UNTOLDCIVILWAR10, and get access to History by Mail! This is a subscription service that will give you a unique hands on experience with explosive moments of the past by sending you replica documents right to you doorstep!  Support the show

5/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg 1865 JOHNSON INAUGURATION  https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death.  To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

1/8: Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2025  by  Michael Vorenberg  CHANCELLORSVILLE   https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Peace-Struggle-American-Civil/dp/1524733172 We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. 

The only sitting U.S. president to ever be arrested was Ulysses S. Grant, who was busted THREE TIMES for the same crime: speeding. The first was 9th April, 1886, when he tore through Washington, D.C. in a horse-drawn buggy. General Grant scoffed at the idea of getting arrested and simply rode off: the 1860s version of flipping the bird. Grant's love for fast horses wasn't just a reckless hobby—it was part of his identity. Even at West Point, he was known more for his exceptional riding skills than his military prowess, and his ability to charge fearlessly into battle on horseback had made him an unstoppable force in the Civil War, leading the Union Army to victory. But back in peacetime D.C., his speed-demon tendencies weren't quite as heroic. The streets were packed with pedestrians, and reckless buggies had already caused serious injuries, so law enforcement was cracking down. Just three months later, he was caught speeding again. This time, he played it cool, paid the fine, and didn't cause a scene. But the real kicker came in 1872, when Grant—now a sitting U.S. president—was arrested yet again. This time, the officer in question was William West, a Black Civil War veteran turned policeman. The encounter was almost poetic: a president known for fighting for African American rights being held accountable by a Black officer who had once fought for the Union. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly review the veracity of Officer West's account, given it wasn't published for many decades; consider why twenty women reportedly turned up to court the next day to testify against the President's mates; and reveal how the arrests were reported very differently in the South… Further Reading: • ‘Has a U.S. President Ever Been Arrested Before? | When Ulysses S. Grant Was Arrested for Speeding' (Smithsonian Magazine, 2023): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-president-ulysses-s-grant-was-arrested-for-speeding-in-a-horse-drawn-carriage-180981916/ • ‘Was General Grant Arrested for Speeding in Washington, D.C.?' (U.S. National Park Service) https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/was-general-grant-arrested-for-speeding-in-washington-d-c.htm • ‘Civil War Hero: Ulysses S. Grant was a Horse Whisperer?! | Told By Macey Hensley | History at Home' (History, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOj0qUGpksg #Funny #Black #Crime #1800s Love the show? Support us!  Join 

One historian's journey to find the end of the Civil War—and, along the way, to expand our understanding of the nature of war itself and how societies struggle to draw the line between war and peace. We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

One historian's journey to find the end of the Civil War—and, along the way, to expand our understanding of the nature of war itself and how societies struggle to draw the line between war and peace. We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared “the insurrection is at an end”? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of “forever wars,” to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War—and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network