April 17, 2023 –The Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge judging committee has selected eight university teams to compete at RISKWORLD® in Atlanta, GA for the Challenge’s top honor. The Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge is an annual student competition that aims to inspire future risk leaders with real-world business experience.
The Spencer Educational Foundation continues to work closely with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) Chief Risk Officer to create a compelling, real-life case for the students to develop effective risk management strategies. Students were charged with identifying SEPTA’s top five risk management exposures and to present their solutions for these top five risks, including identifying three Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives that SEPTA could implement in the future.
The eight university teams chosen to compete at RISKWORLD are:
- Appalachian State University – Boone, NC
- British Columbia Institute of Technology – Burnaby, Canada
- California State University, Fullerton – Fullerton, CA
- Peking University – Beijing, China
- Saint Joseph’s University – Philadelphia, PA
- St. Mary's University – San Antonio, TX
- The University of Georgia – Athens, GA
- University of Wisconsin-Madison – Madison, WI
This year, 24 university teams from across the USA, Canada, China, and India entered the competition. Eight of the teams were first-time applicants and five of the universities were Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The teams comprised 3-4 undergraduate students and based on the solutions they developed for the 2023 case study, the top eight teams were invited to present their strategies at the RISKWORLD in Atlanta, GA, USA from April 30 - May 3, 2023.
A diverse panel of six risk management leaders scored each team’s success in developing Risk Management Reports and assessed the teams’ risk identification skills, risk reporting, analysis, risk strategies, professionalism, and innovation. This year’s judges are:
- Cameron Alford - Manager, Insurance at CSL Behring
- Victoria Dinh - Director of Risk Management at Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG)
- Richard Graham - Chief Risk Officer at Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
- Esequiel Nathal - Senior Risk Management & Insurance Advisor at Compass Risk Services, LLC
- Petyah Pierre - Assistant Manager, Workers' Compensation at Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO)
- Jami Willingham - Risk Manager at Southern Company
On April 30, the top eight teams will present their findings to the panel of judges and will answer live questions. The top three teams will be selected after the first round of presentations, and these finalists will present one last time at the conference on May 1 in front of an open session for all RISKWORLD attendees. The winning team will be announced at the Spencer Reception later that evening (5-7 PM ET at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta).
To learn more about the annual Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge, visit www.rims.org/community/students/spencer-rm-challenge.
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About the Spencer Educational Foundation:
The Spencer Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funding the education of tomorrow’s risk management and insurance leaders through scholarships, grants, internship opportunities, on and off campus experiential learning, and support of risk management/insurance curricula. Since Spencer was founded in 1979, we have awarded nearly $9 million in scholarships and over $8 million in grants to universities and professional institutions impacting an estimated 70,000 students through our programming. For more information, please visit us at www.spencered.org.
About RISKWORLD®
Launched in 1963 as RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition, the annual event attracts some 10,000 risk and insurance professionals at all experience levels, business executives with risk management interests, brokers, insurers and service providers for the ultimate learning and networking experience. The four-day RISKWORLD experience offers more than 150 learning opportunities, keynote presentations, special events, and an expansive Marketplace with hundreds of solutions providers – all with countless opportunities to engage and grow your risk network. RISKWORLD 2023 is scheduled for April 30 – May 3 in Atlanta. RISKWORLD 2024 is in San Diego from May 5-9.
About RIMS
RIMS, the risk management society®️, empowers risk professionals to make the world safer, more secure, and more sustainable. Through networking, professional development, certification, advocacy, and research, RIMS and its 80 chapters serves more than 200,000 risk practitioners and business leaders from over 75 countries. Founded in 1950, the Society publishes the award-winning Risk Management Magazine and produces RISKWORLD®️, the largest annual gathering of global risk professionals. RIMS embraces diversity, equity and inclusion and welcomes all risk professionals to connect and learn, explore the online Risk Knowledge library, tune into the RIMScast podcast series, and engage via LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. To learn more, visit www.RIMS.org.
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