Award-Winning Ideas and Lessons from PRMYs
Allie Matthews, John Burkholder, Megan Damato, Esq. & Sean Catanese
December 18 | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
This panel of PRIMA’s Risk Managers of the Year will help every level of risk professional. New risk managers can learn how to establish a solid program and more seasoned risk managers might leave knowing a few new tricks. These experts come from all different types of public risk (City, County, State, Schools, Special District Utility and Air/Seaports). They offer implementable strategies with million-dollar impacts. Attendees can learn ways to make risk managers superstars in their organization.
Attendee Takeaways:
- Learn how to build credibility and influence in your organization by using performance-driven solutions
- Develop and apply metrics to demonstrate your success
- Identify and resolve organizational exposures
- Evaluate your program, identify areas of improvement and apply effective solutions
Presenter
Allie Matthews, Risk Management Administrator, City of Tucson, AZ (Ret.)
John Burkholder, Risk Manager, LYNX
Megan Damato, Esq., Director of Risk Management, Town of Greenwich, CT and Greenwich Public Schools
Sean Catanese, ERM Manager, King County, WA
Allie began her career in public education serving 37.5 years in various capacities that included curriculum, finance, risk and human resources departments until her retirement in 2013. She immediately began her second career as the risk manager/fund administrator for the City of Tucson, managing a combined workers’ compensation and public liability trust fund with varied risk programs. Since her leadership, risk programs have been enhanced and the city has managed to turn the fund’s $24M negative net position into a positive net position within the last six years. Allie also serves as vice president of a community elder care home and is a board member of a local school district trust fund. Active in PRIMA, she served on the PRIMA Institute planning committee and regularly attends local chapter meetings. She is also the 2022 PRIMA Public Risk Manager of the Year.
John has a lifetime of experience beginning in the family’s insurance agency his grandfather started in 1932. He served as the first risk manager, as well as deputy insurance commissioner and attorney for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. John held the Robert Morgan Endowed Chair of Insurance at Eastern Kentucky University and has consulted with and defended both public and private entities as an attorney. He was named the 2016 PRIMA Risk Manager of the Year while serving as director of risk management for Broward County, Florida.
Megan began her career as an attorney before entering risk management. She earned her JD from Quinnipiac University School of Law. This background has been a valuable foundation in designing coverages and managing claims. Megan founded the Cyber Security Task Force as well as the Town of Greenwich’s Defensive Driving Program. She is president of the Connecticut chapter of PRIMA and founding president of the newly established New England chapter. She was also the 2021 PRIMA Risk Manager of the Year.
Sean has been the ERM manager for King County, Washington since 2014. He has developed King County’s ERM program from a nascent concept into a highly-sought resource in the toolbox of decision makers across the county’s diverse agencies and well beyond. Sean has led projects to modernize the county’s risk management information system and claims intake process. He has also led the development of customer service policies to ensure transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse claimants are served with respect while ensuring their safety and privacy. Sean was recognized as PRIMA’s 2023 Public Risk Manager of the Year and is very involved in PRIMA.
