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Digital EditionIntroducing the 2025 Risk All Stars
Someone once told me that the truth is a lonely place. I’ve come to believe that to be true.
What’s also true is that the courage and conviction to effect true change can also feel like a lonely exercise.
In some cases, the 13 risk managers whom we celebrate in this year’s class of Risk All Stars had to start risk management programs from scratch. There was no blueprint. There was no history of a risk management program or a risk management position.
One of our winners, Timothy Adam, vice president of operations for ULCS, a subsidiary of Asplundh, needed to look beyond the numbers to find out what was leading to risk exposures at a previous employer. What he uncovered was that there was a fundamental lack of trust between the company’s management and its workforce. He could have observed that, shrugged and turned a blind eye to it. But he didn’t. Instead, he instituted a company-wide culture survey — something that had never been done before.
The results were sobering: Employees didn’t feel heard, valued or invested in. And beneath that sentiment was the real root of the risk — disengagement, distrust and the silent erosion of safety.
Once employees felt heard, they were more likely to buy in to the safety programs Adam built. Workers’ compensation costs plummeted. That same dedication led to an equally effective program at ULCS. When COVID struck, Adam took the initiative to develop a host of risk management tools.
Among them, a daily health check in for each worker, and a tracking system that monitored infection rates and tracked return to work for the entire company. As a result of the trust that Adam built, workers’ compensation expenses came down and employee engagement rose.
Adam’s story is just one of 13 that you will read about in this Risk All Star issue. I’d be hard-pressed to tell you which of these risk management professional’s achievements is more impressive. Maybe that’s the wrong way to look at it. They are all impressive and worthy of emulation. &
The 2025 Risk All Stars
Rosie Partida, director of risk management, Save Mart Companies
Timothy Adam, VP, of operations, ULCS/Asplundh
LaVeta Breath, director of risk management, City of Oklahoma City
Josh Weisberg, chief risk officer, managing director, RMS, SterlingRisk
Jill Alfano, claims manager, insurance & risk Victoria’s Secret & Co.
Hillary Jacques, senior risk manager, REI
Heather Harrison, senior risk manager, WESCO Distribution Inc.
Melissa Hollingsworth, deputy chief risk officer, Los Angeles Unified School District
Barbara Johnson-Bechthold, VP, administration & risk management, Clean Energy
Joselle Bamford, director of WC claims management, National Campuses, Erickson Senior Living
Tricia Cottman, VP of risk management and safety, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Dr. Deeba Siddiqui, CRO, SVP team health and safety, Hackensack Meridian Health
David Cassity, senior director, global risk management, Jacuzzi Brands
