Tell me about how you became a risk manager.

Mostly by accident, like many other risk managers! Prior to working with the County of Fresno, I spent nearly ten years in the Army working in signals intelligence. Throughout my Army career, I had many ancillary safety-related duties, serving as the Safety Officer at both the Company and Battalion levels for several years. In my final position with the Army, I oversaw the Security and Intelligence section, responsible for physical, information, personal, and operational security, dealing with various risk-related functions in the military environment.

I started out with the County of Fresno in the Staff Development and Training Division, where I often provided training on safety-related topics. We also provided introductory training on various facets of the County’s Human Resources Division, which kick-started my interest in Risk Management. At the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020, I was given the opportunity to transition to Risk Management, working on the constantly changing COVID regulations and processes. Not only was I able to continue expanding on my safety background in the public sector, but I also engaged with workers’ compensation, general liability, and insurance processes. I worked in several positions in Risk Management, ultimately becoming the Risk Manager last year.

What are the rewards you experience professionally by being a PARMA member?

Coming from a military background, I was relatively new to public entity risk management. My involvement with PARMA has been instrumental in developing connections with other risk management professionals. Through local PARMA meetings, I’ve had the opportunity to network and engage with local public entity risk management professionals, developing collaborative relationships with many of them during my membership. This is possible on an even larger scale through attendance at the annual conference, where I have been able to expand my professional network even further. Additionally, I would be remiss not to mention that the educational opportunities offered through PARMA are second to none!

How has your professional knowledge expanded by interacting with other PARMA members?

I am so thankful for the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained through my interactions with other PARMA members. Whether discussing complicated issues, navigating ever-present regulatory changes, or receiving general advice, my professional knowledge has expanded in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without my involvement in PARMA.

When did you start realizing you wanted to move into a leadership role within PARMA?

I was encouraged to get involved with the Central Valley Chapter shortly after moving into risk management, and the opportunity to take on a chapter leadership role presented itself fairly early in my involvement. I jumped at the opportunity because I thought it would be a great way to be more involved in providing quality educational and networking opportunities to fellow risk professionals in the Central Valley.

After being a member in PARMA for some time now, how essential was becoming a member of PARMA?

I believe that it has been one of the most important aspects in my professional development as a risk manager. My involvement in PARMA has helped me expand my network exponentially, which was extremely important to me, as someone who made a later-in-life career change. 

How would you respond to a risk manager who says they don’t have time to participate in PARMA and /or moving towards a leadership position?

If full conference attendance seems like too big a time commitment, I would encourage them to start by attending their chapter meetings to get a feel for the opportunities afforded by PARMA involvement. The time commitment at the chapter level is minimal, with most meetings lasting around half a day. This would give them the opportunity to network with other local risk management professionals, engage in educational sessions, and hopefully come away with a sense of the benefits that PARMA participation provides.

What do you see being one of the largest challenges for the future of risk management?

As someone that stumbled into the field of risk management, I think it may be a challenge to attract new people to this career field early on, who are willing to take over the institutional knowledge and carry it on to the next generation of risk professionals.

How will PARMA respond to that challenge? 

PARMA is working on strategies to attract and engage the next generation of the workforce through educational outreach and collaboration as well as mentorship programs.