The cyber insurance has been in the midst of a hard market for two renewal cycles - pricing and coverage continuing to move in sine waves. The continued development of loss activity, the moving targets of security controls and the material wording changes has deepened the impact on insureds, with the potential of the hard market continuing for public entities who don't have required security controls in place. For the entities with the security controls, the market is starting to show signs of fragmentation. We will explore in detail the current marketplace asks for security controls, where the marketplace seems to be heading, as well as steps public entities can take to showcase themselves positively with the insurance marketplace.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Understand where cyber insurance market is with regards to public entities
2. Understand security controls insurance underwriters are looking for help to obtain
3. How to continually have conversations with your insurance partners on your cyber security roadmap
4. How the industry is doing as a whole, are the insurers accurate in the statement that public entities are riskier than their private counterparts?

Susan joined Alliant Insurance Services in 2018 and has been working with public entities since 2010. She has worked with many school and municipality pools across the country on general liability, professional liability, property and workers’ compensation placements, and has specific expertise in cyber insurance.

Currently, Susan is located in the Chicago office and serves as Alliant’s Public Entity Group Cyber Practice Leader. She has 18 years of insurance and reinsurance experience. In 2010, she began working with the public entity sector. She also spent a portion of her career in Asia leading cyber liability insurance placements for commercial entities across 13 countries.

Susan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She obtained the Associate in Reinsurance designation in 2006.

Employee mental wellness is so much more complicated than simply focusing on resilience training. The buzz about resilience in the workplace puts the onus of responsibility on the individual employees. If we’ve learned anything from the Great Resignation and the “quiet quitting” movements of 2022, it’s that employees are seeking a balance between their work obligations and their personal lives, and they are willing to bail on a job that doesn’t feel supportive of this balance. It’s time to realize that managers and leaders have an opportunity (and an obligation) to positively impact their employees’ overall mental wellness within the sphere of work life.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Attendees will recognize the limitations of utilizing a resiliency model in an effort to impact employee mental wellness
2. Attendees will have a better understanding of what motivates employees to be engaged in their work
3. Empathy is not a skill everyone possesses in equal measure; but as a skill, it can be improved upon with enough focus and practice
4. Employee engagement is a two-way street: attendees will learn ways to navigate their side of that street

As clinical manager of behavioral health services at Sedgwick, Mark leads a team of master’s level behavioral health specialists. His team consults with claims examiners and clients on complex recovery or psychiatric injury claims. They also work with injured employees who are struggling with the after-effects of a workplace trauma or who are experiencing other types of psychosocial stressors in their lives. His team helps injured workers overcome barriers to treatment and improve motivation for successful return-to-work outcomes. In addition, he provides subject matter expertise on mental health issues as they relate to the workplace and management practices. Prior to Sedgwick, Mark worked in employee assistance (EAP) and mental health fields in crisis response services. Mark has a BA in psychology and communications from Marquette University and an MSW from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Illinois.

This session focuses on the establishment of trust between managers, risk and safety staff and employees to encourage not only reporting accidents and near misses but to report processing issues, equipment deficiencies or policies that may lead to a greater potential for harm than the policy intended.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. How safety staff are essential in building relationships
2. Understanding the importance of employee input and where it is most critical
3. Understanding how policies can create greater issues and resentment
4. Keys to progressive discipline

Dan has experience as a risk manager for both a school district and municipalities, including a 2-year stint as a practice leader for an excess workers’ compensation carrier. Dan is a past PRIMA president and past president of the VA PRIMA chapter. Dan has an ARM-P, is a Certified Safety Professional and has both an MPA and MS from Old Dominion University with a BA from Virginia Tech. Although recently retired after 44 years, starting as a social worker, Dan continues to be involved with VA PRIMA as a board member and with casual part time work.

Marilyn is a risk management consultant with over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sector. She is a past PRIMA board member and a recipient of the President’s Award for her stewardship in returning PRIMA Institute to prominence and leading PI for the next six years. Marilyn is a frequently requested member of PRIMA’s speaker’s bureau.

After Action Reports (AAR) are defined as “a detailed critical summary or analysis of a past event, created to re-assess decisions and consider possible alternatives for future scenarios.” AAR’s are critical learning tools and should be must-reads for stakeholders. Learn how to review and use AAR’s from several critical events to improve your school(s) security.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Participants will be able to identify key components of an AAR
2. Participants will be able to review details of an AAR and incorporate lessons learned into their day-to-day
3. Participants will learn to look beyond the words to improve their school(s) safety programs

Jason is the director of school safety and security for Charles County Public Schools. He is responsible for sustaining a safe learning and work environment for over 28,000 students and nearly 4,000 staff members. Since serving the schools in July of 2018, he has created the Office of School Safety and Security and has been awarded a number of state-of-the-art programs and technologies that have enhanced school safety for students and staff. Prior to joining the schools, he retired as a lieutenant with Charles County Sheriff’s Office.

“Why should I comment? You’ve already made up your mind.” Combat this phrase by closing the public feedback loop before your next engagement. Learn to incorporate public input and demonstrate the value of their insight. Don't just check the box. Increase public understanding of proposed solutions, increase credibility, reduce controversy and foster transparent decision making.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Differentiate the types of public input that are useful for your project
2. Formulate ways in which public input may shape the planning process
3. Describe ways to close the feedback loop with the public to build trust

Amy is the national public involvement discipline leader for CDM Smith and has over 14 years of experience in public engagement, communications and marketing. Passionate about solving complex problems and building consensus, her expertise is in developing and executing public engagement strategies for complex infrastructure and policy projects, including outreach to traditionally underserved populations. Most recently, she has focused on virtual and hybrid engagement and authored a best practices report for the US Army Corps of Engineers on the subject.

Stress, employee conflict, poor performance, absenteeism and turnover… if your organization has any of those problems, the presentation will help you resolve them. Achieving and maintaining life balance is the single, most effective way to increase employee engagement and improve overall performance.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Maximize employee engagement by showing your team members how they make changes to their daily routine that will help them feel and perform better
2. Increase productivity and positively influence the overall atmosphere in your organization
3. Cut down on employee turnover by minimizing stress and helping employees experience fulfillment at work and in their personal life

Randy is co-founder of E3 Professional Trainers, a training firm that provides workplace and life training for individuals, teams and companies. Before starting E3 in 2005, Randy spent 20 years in sales and management. His career path has allowed him to work with virtually every type of business and in every industry. From that experience, he developed strategies that help people become more engaged in their job, better equipped to do it, and to feel empowered to have greater influence at work and enjoy more fulfillment in life. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in communications from Texas Tech University in 1990, Randy received the designation of Certified Speaking Professional.

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 a superstar in their organization.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Learn how to build credibility and influence in your organization by using performance-driven solutions
2. Develop and apply metrics to demonstrate your success
3. Identify and resolve organizational exposures
4. Evaluate your program, identify areas of improvement and apply effective solutions

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.

Every door is locked, you have panic buttons, time lock safes, employee key cards, surveillance and perhaps even on-site security. But that didn’t matter. Now, after the all-clear is given, you have police asking you questions, and a reporter approaches you with a camera and a microphone asking for a comment. Understandably, your adrenal gland is still in overdrive and you dig deep for something to say, but what do you say? More importantly, what do you NOT say? In today’s connected world, a comment given out of context or a leaked surveillance video clip will present significant problems. Before you know it, your organization is all over the evening news that will make any litigation that follows more complicated and politicized.

There’s been a great amount of information on how to protect your facilities from an active assailant, but just like a ransomware or phishing attack, all it takes is for something like a stolen key card to circumvent. It’s important to understand how critical the next steps are in the aftermath of an event so you can avoid missteps that could result in making a difficult situation infinitely more difficult.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Don't just prepare for before, but prepare for after
2. Is there a designated spokesperson - internal or external?
3. Have resources planned that tend to your employees (e.g., EAP/Crisis Management)
4. This is a constant conversation, it's a fluid risk and has to be managed

Jason is entering his 10th year in the insurance industry, having started soon after graduating from Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with a degree in pre-law. He’s been a part of USI Connecticut’s public sector practice for most of his career and has dedicated himself to the study of risk management. He obtained his Certified School Risk Manager designation and is planning to attend Columbia University’s master’s program for Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) this coming Fall. Throughout his career, Jason has developed a client base that includes public transit agencies, housing authorities, regional school districts, towns and more.

Are you proactive or reactive? In the United States, emergency management has widely been approached from a reactionary manner through response and recovery. Hazard occurrences are increasing in frequency and severity with mounting negative impacts to our community systems. Response and recovery, no matter how refined, will not result in resilience. In order to get ahead of the curve of disaster impact, communities must have a change in mindset and focus time, energy and funds proactively. Disaster risk reduction involves tipping the scales in favor of preparedness, mitigation and capability growth.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Identify how disasters are impacting communities in the U.S
2. Understand elements of disaster risk
3. Explore capability growth within community systems

Amanda’s education and professional experience contribute to a career dedicated to public service. Amanda joined the U.S. Air Force as a young adult where she forecasted weather in mission planning for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her experience in weather resulted in the discovery of a passion for emergency management, leading her to attain a master’s degree in crisis, emergency and risk management from George Washington University. Amanda advanced her knowledge in public health emergency management while working at the Medical University of South Carolina, and later at SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. In these positions, she was responsible for effective coordination among healthcare providers, community stakeholders and government organizations to enhance disaster preparedness. Amanda now serves in municipal government at the Town of Mount Pleasant where she is responsible for guiding comprehensive disaster risk reduction and capability growth to foster a resilient organization and community.

Today’s workplace is becoming more inclusive, diverse and accommodating. A one-size-fits-all approach fails to account for individual differences and specific needs. By increasing the adjustability in the office, employees can move toward the goals of creating a healthy, productive and ideal work environment.

Attendee Takeaways:

1. Connect workplace risk factors with healthcare-related expenses and loss experience
2. Appreciate the risk related to low-quality, outdated and poorly designed office workspaces
3. Improve employee wellness and promote a positive workplace

Merl works to provide professional services to organizations concerned with improving their work environment. As a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), he is dedicated to improving safety, increasing productivity and profitability while reducing work-related musculoskeletal injuries. The past 30 years of focus on injury prevention have allowed him to hold a variety of health and safety-related positions, including roles in industrial/sports medicine occupational safety and health, risk management, and employee health and wellness. Today, he runs Performance Ergonomics providing onsite ergonomics and injury prevention services which implement best practices in musculoskeletal disorder prevention. Prior to founding Performance Ergonomics, Merl led the injury prevention efforts within Banner Health's corporate risk management, implementing the safe patient handling and mobility program across a system of 24 acute care hospitals.

Kevin is the safety manager for the City of Scottsdale. He is a former facilities services manager for the City of Scottsdale and
City of Phoenix, and former director of safety and site operations for the Desert Botanical Garden. Kevin has a Bachelor of Science degree in technology management
from Northern Arizona University and holds active board certifications as an ADA Coordinator (ACTCP), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), and Certified Facilities Manager (CFM). Kevin has served as an appointed member of the Board of Adjustment and the Commission for Disability Concerns for the City of Tempe and is a U.S. Navy Veteran of 10 years active duty.