R&I: What was your first job?

I got into the insurance business working for the Combined Insurance Co. of America on a part-time basis while I was attending the University of Illinois.

I was interested in the business partly because my great-grandfather started a regional property insurance company in 1917 in Indianapolis, Ind., named Merchants Property Insurance Co. of Indiana. It is still family owned and I succeeded my father on the board of directors when he passed away in 2011.

R&I: How did you come to work in risk management?

I was recruited by Wausau Insurance Cos. … As it turned out, the Superintendent of Schools for Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), Leonard Britton, had been reading about risk management and told his friend — who happened to be my boss with Wausau — that he wanted to create a risk management department from what was the current insurance department.

I [agreed] to meet with Superintendent Britton … he told me of his vision. Ultimately, I told Dr. Britton that I would come to the school for two years and help him build a risk management program for the district [but] I forgot to leave. I’m currently in the middle of my 29th year here!

R&I: What’s been the biggest change in the risk management and insurance industry since you’ve been in it?

I think the biggest change is the fact that risk managers are not just viewed as insurance purchasers but professionals that sit at the highest levels of our organizations and serve business leaders on a macro level rather than just serving as insurance people within our organizations.

With a push from the risk management community, the insurance industry has become more accountable to their policyholders. This includes listening to the risk management community with regard to the types of coverage risk managers are seeking, including terms and conditions; issuing policies in a timely manner; and overall becoming a partner in creating strategic risk solutions.

R&I: What emerging commercial risk most concerns you?

Like many other industry professionals I am concerned about cyber risk, but my concern transcends the normal risks associated with cyber. It’s not just about making sure that … the personal information of my 345,000 students and 50,000 full and part-time employees is not hacked.

We have a significant focus on placing technology in the hands of our students, and to move them from traditional book learning into a high-tech environment of teaching and learning. That includes providing students with tablets, outfitting classrooms with SmartBoards and empowering all 345,000 students to become technologically savvy so that they will be able to compete in a technologically sophisticated world.

When you do that, cyber capability and protecting the risk around it becomes paramount. We must take necessary steps to protect [employees’ and students’] personal information, Social Security numbers, grades, and family information. Many fees which were once paid with cash are now paid with credit cards at our 400+ locations and this information must be protected as well.

With a push from the risk management community, the insurance industry has become more accountable to their policyholders.

R&I: Who is your mentor and why?

My mentor is a gentleman whom I have had the privilege of knowing and working with for my entire career at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. His name is Jim Marshall and he is a principal in the consulting firm of Silver Insurance Consultants based in St Petersburg, Fla.

I’ve worked with him for the better part of my 29 years at the Miami-Dade schools. His firm has been a consultant to Miami-Dade in property/casualty and risk management including claims administration. Jim has been instrumental in providing wording for many of the district’s manuscript insurance policies.

He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know and someone I would go to when I need clarity on how to handle a risk management issue.

R&I: What have you accomplished that you are proudest of?

Being identified as a national leader in risk management and serving as president of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) in 2011.

R&I: What is your favorite book or movie?

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is my favorite book. The book is set in Chicago around 1893 and is an interesting depiction of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair intertwined with fictional characters and sub-plots.

Being from Illinois, I found the book fascinating for its historic depiction of the creation of the buildings for the 1893 World’s Fair on the South side of Chicago close to where the University of Chicago now is, and Erik Larson’s ability to augment this nonfiction story with creative fictional story lines and sub-plots.

I remember vividly how young the North Korean soldiers appeared to be, and I was only 20 years of age myself at the time.

R&I: What is the most unusual/interesting place you have ever visited?

Seoul, South Korea. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel with my best friend and fraternity brother and his family my senior year at U of I. His father was a project engineer for Amoco and they were building a refinery in the Seoul area.

I believe it struck me as a kid from Illinois as it was so different from other places I had traveled and we were actually able to go to the demilitarized zone and step into North Korea.

I remember vividly how young the North Korean soldiers appeared to be, and I was only 20 years of age myself at the time.

R&I: What is the riskiest thing you have ever done?

As a risk manager, I dare say that I typically do not participate in risky things; however, the two things which come to mind which I would typically not do include taking a small seaplane from Vancouver to Victoria (we returned by way of Ferry).

The other was a helicopter ride over the Hawaiian waterfalls and the pilot realized halfway through the trip that he was on the wrong radio frequency and unable to communicate with other helicopters in the area.

R&I: If the world has a modern hero, who is it and why?

Heroes are very personal and it’s not my place to name one for the world; however, my father who passed away in 2011 was one of mine. He taught me right from wrong, supported me and was very proud of my career in the insurance industry.