Spencer's 2024 Outlook

Mar 5, 2024

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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

Justin interviews guests Megan Miller, Spencer Educational Foundation Executive Director, and Tandeka Nomvete, Spencer Educational Foundation External Engagement Director. They discuss the recent Spencer Day and Megan presents a brief history of the Spencer Educational Foundation. Megan and Tandeka review the various programs of Spencer and who benefits from them, the Spencer events coming up including those at RISKWORLD 2024 and the Spencer Gala on September 12th, 2024. Megan and Tandeka speak of their experiences as women in the risk and insurance industry and how that experience has evolved over the years. They discuss their hopes for DEI within the industry.

Listen in for all that the Spencer Educational Foundation offers schools and organizations focusing on risk management and insurance.

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:14] Public registration for RISKWORLD 2024 is now open. Explore infinite opportunities with RIMS from May 5th through May 8th, 2024, in San Diego, California. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD.

[:31] About today's EPISODE of RIMScast. We will be joined by leaders from the Spencer Educational Foundation and we'll discuss everything they do to ensure the future of the profession.

[:53] The RIMS-CRMP is the only competency-based risk management credential. That matters because earning the certification shows employers and recruiters that you have the skills necessary to manage risk and create value for your organization. [1:09] Several Exam Prep virtual workshops are coming up. On March 19th and 20th, this two-day course will be presented with PARIMA. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop will be held from April 2nd through the 4th and led by Joe Mayo. Visit the certification page on RIMS.org for more information. A link is in these show notes.

[1:39] If there is a full group of employees in your organization who should earn the RIMS-CRMP, visit RIMS.org/webinars and register for the complimentary webinar, How Deloitte Leveraged the RIMS-CRMP.

[1:58] We will have leaders from the RIMS-CRMP Commission and leaders from Deloitte, who will speak to why they supported several of their employees in earning the RIMS-CRMP. It will be a relaxed, informational session and a lot of fun. Mark your calendars for March 15th and register!

[2:19] On March 20th at 9:00 a.m., Eastern, we have another informational session about Recertification: Keep Your RIMS-CRMP Active. I will be hosting that session, along with RIMS VP of Professional Development, Denise Osorio. If you have the CRMP and you don't want the credits to lapse, find out how to keep it active! The link is in the notes.

[2:45] We are looking forward to RISKWORLD 2024 in sunny San Diego, California, from May 5th through May 8th, 2024. Public registration is open. Register today at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes.

[3:00] In the prior episode of RIMScast we had opening keynote Peter Diamandis join us. Check out that episode for just a taste of what's in store for RISKWORLD 2024.

[3:16] The Spencer Educational Foundation was established in 1979 and remains the leading organization funding the education of future leaders in risk management and insurance.

[3:27] My guests are two of the leaders of the Spencer Educational Foundation. Executive Director, Megan Miller rejoins us, and External Engagement Director Tandeka Nomvete makes her RIMScast debut. We're going to talk about the things that Spencer does to ensure the future of the profession and foster growth.

[3:47] Against the backdrop of Women's History Month in March, we will discuss how the profession has evolved and how the professional landscape is leveling out. We're going to get a rundown of all the cool things and events that Spencer has coming up this year, starting with RISKWORLD.

[4:06] Megan Miller and Tandeka Nomvete, welcome to RIMScast!

[4:57] Spencer Day was on Monday, February 26th! They raised close to $10K, which allows them to award two additional scholarships this year. That's two more students who are studying risk management and insurance, whom we can help to fund their education, make sure they make it through, and get into the industry! A record day!

[5:49] #SpencerDay is really catching on in the risk profession for organizations that want to boost their risk departments.

[6:17] Megan tells of Spencer's history and purpose. It was founded over 45 years ago with two main goals: to fund the students and talent that are seeking to come into our industry and to attract more talent. Last year, Spencer awarded more program dollars than ever, raised a lot of money, and hit a high-water mark for the gala.

[7:05] In 2024, Spencer wants to do it all over again, a little bit better. Most of the programs have been awarded this year already. The scholarships are left to be awarded. Spencer is looking to raise over $3M this year.

[7:39] Tandeka says they want the Spencer Educational Foundation to be top-of-mind when people in the industry think about early talent and getting college students into this industry. They are open to partnering with existing non-profit organizations and associations within the industry. Together they can solve the talent crisis in the industry.

[8:11] Spencer eventually wants to establish more programs to support college students. It wants to expand to serve the risk management and insurance industry, in the U.S.A. and internationally. They are a small team of only three people, so they will start by hiring a fourth team member they are interviewing for now.

[8:47] RIMScast has had educators on the show, including Elle Michelle Hall and David Cisneros. Listen to those two episodes, linked in the show notes, to learn more about being an educator leading a program.

[9:30] Spencer provides funding to colleges and universities to develop risk management and insurance courses. Providing money for a risk curriculum exposes more students to careers in the industry and prepares those students better. In 2023, Spencer more than doubled its course development spending.

[10:24] In 2024, Spencer has a potential donor who is interested in putting massive dollars into course development. Spencer would love to see RMI 101 taught at every business school. There's no reason these courses shouldn't be within a business degree, taught by risk professionals, for the next generation of risk professionals.

[12:37] Tandeka tells what Spencer looks for in a proposal. Besides course development, Spencer offers scholarships, internships, Risk Manager On Campus (RMOC), general grants, and the Spencer RIMS Risk Management Challenge.

[12:55] The scholarship is a merit-based program for the top students across the U.S.A. and Canada who are interested in the industry and actively pursuing a career in the industry. Spencer wants to support those students and make it a little easier for them to enter the industry. They award undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. scholarships.

[13:19] Students need internships while in college to put all of their knowledge into practice. The industry does not have enough risk management internships. Spencer is attempting to fill that hole within the industry with the internship grants program by creating job opportunities for students.

[13:40] About the Dan Kugler Risk Manager On Campus grant. You can donate to support it on the Dan Kugler RMOC page of the Spencer website. The RMOC sends practicing risk managers to campuses to plant the seed in classes of up to hundreds of students and give them an introduction to the risk management industry.

[14:20] The General Grants program supports universities and colleges across the U.S.A. and Canada with what they need to attract students to this industry and creating experiential learning opportunities. Several of Megan's professors use the General Grants program to take their students to the annual RIMS RISKWORLD conferences.

[14:59] The Spencer RIMS Risk Management Challenge is an international student competition. This year, nine countries from around the world participated.

[15:28] Spencer will be at RISKWORLD 2024 in San Diego, from May 5th through May 8th. They will have pickleball on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday they have the Gallagher Golf Tournament and Tandeka will run the first leg of the Risk Management Challenge. On Monday, the final round of the Risk Management Challenge will be from 1:00 to 3:00.

[16:36] On Monday night they have the Spencer Soirée, open to everyone. The winners of the Risk Management Challenge will be announced at the Soirée. The top teams will be ranked, one, two, and three and will be presented awards. Tuesday morning they have the Spencer Sedgwick 5K Run. These events are a big part of the fundraising effort.

[17:29] RIMS plug time! RIMS Virtual Workshops: Visit RIMS.org/virtualworkshops to see the full calendar. On March 12th and 13th, former RIMS president Chris Mandel hosts, Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique. On March 13th and 14th, Chris Hansen hosts a two-day course on Claims Management.

[17:55] Information about these workshops and others is on the RIMS Virtual Workshops page and a link to the full calendar is in this episode's notes.

[18:03] On March 7th, in celebration of International Women's Day, Origami Risk leads the session Women of Risk & Compliance: Leading & Learning One Step at a Time.

[18:16] Resolver returns on March 14th to deliver the session Maximizing Business Value: Top 5 Risk and Compliance Dashboards for Organizational Resilience. On March 21st, Zurich presents Fraud Attitude Shifts in the Industry.

[18:31] On March 28th, our friends at TÜV SÜD GRC will present Inflation and Property Valuation: Aligning Your Assets with Reality. On April 11th, Clara Analytics returns to present AI's Impact on Emerging Risk Management Trends.

[18:47] On April 18th, Hub International returns for the second installment of its Ready For Tomorrow Series, Challenging the Status Quo: Rethinking Your Casualty Risk Strategy. Visit RIMS.org/Webinars to learn more about these webinars and to register! Links are in the show notes. Webinar registration is complimentary for RIMS members.

[19:11] Our friends at FERMA encourage you to participate in its inaugural International Risk Managers Survey, open through March 2024 to risk professionals from the U.S., Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. It is produced in partnership with PwC France. The results will be distributed in October 2024. A link is in this episode's show notes.

[19:50] March is Women's History Month. It's a great time to observe the achievements of women in risk management. Megan was a Spencer Scholar. She received the Part-time Master's Scholarship that Spencer awards, while she was earning her MBA.

[20:28] Megan was working part-time in the industry, getting her MBA, and that allowed her to transition from an underwriting role to a key client management role, working with Fortune 100 clients. Now, at Spencer, running the organization, including the financial component, her MBA degree comes in handy.

[20:48] In terms of being a woman in the industry, Megan thinks the industry has come a long way. Early in her career, she helped develop women's networks, getting panels together, and elevating issues to senior management. Megan recently noticed a panel on LinkedIn that was all women and the topic was not women in insurance but captives!

[21:46] Just seeing women coming together, and being the majority in situations where the topic is not just focused on how to advance women; that, to Megan, is a benchmark of success. She is proud that women are being tapped for their experience, technical ability, client-facing ability, and not just the fact that they're women who persevered.

[22:18] Tandeka was fortunate to meet students in her college classes who were transferring to Georgia State University to study actuarial science and she followed them. That was her introduction to this industry. After graduating from Georgia State, she got a job with Marsh.

[22:54] Tandeka worked in Marsh's Commercial Insurance Brokerage for five years. She moved on to the non-profit sector, for a student association as a recruiter, to help students get entry-level jobs and internships in the risk management and insurance industry. Tandeka joined Spencer a year and a half ago. It has been amazing!

[23:34] Tandeka has been working in this industry for about 10 years. She has seen a difference over the past 10 years. She didn't see women in senior leadership 10 years ago. She would love to see it progress in the right direction in the future.

[24:08] Justin and Tandeka met at RISKWORLD 2022 in San Francisco, just before she was scooped up by Spencer. Everything happens for a reason, Tandeka says. Tandeka acts as an unofficial Spencer ambassador.

[25:42] Megan says the students who are applying for our scholarships and taking the courses we are helping to develop are a diverse group. A lot of our funds are going to students from historically underrepresented groups in our industry and minority-serving institutions like HBCUs and Hispanic-serving institutions. The diversity is there.

[26:23] Megan likes to say to donors, we can help you get the diversity in the door but you have to make them feel that they belong there. That's where I would like to see the industry go, to have more companies embracing that inclusion piece, and doing a better job internally of building a culture where people feel included and heard.

[26:59] Tandeka says she would love for our industry to get to a place where diversity and equity are baked into who we are as an industry. Instead of subsections focused on DEI, I would love for all our companies and organizations to have DEI as part of their core programming; part of what they do every day, where it's not even a discussion.

[27:42] The Funding Their Future Gala will be Thursday, September 12th at The Cipriani on 42nd Street. They will announce their amazing honoree before the RISKWORLD 2024 Conference. Plan to join them on September 12th, 2024! There's a link to the press release for last year's event in this episode's show notes.

[29:24] Megan Miller and Tandeka Nomvete, thank you both so much! it's a pleasure to speak with you!

[29:33] Special thanks to Megan Miller and Tandeka Nomvete of the Spencer Educational Foundation, for joining us. A lot is happening this year for Spencer! Get involved. Visit Spencered.org for more information. There is a link in this episode's show notes.

[29:51] Go to the App Store and download the RIMS App. This is an exclusive members-only benefit with all sorts of RIMS resources and coverage. Everybody loves the RIMS App!

[30:16] You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. RIMScast has a global audience of risk professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate! Contact pd@rims.org for more information.

[31:00] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information.

[31:17] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more.

[31:33] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com, and check out the blog at RiskManagementMonitor.com. Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org.

[31:54] Thank you for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!

Mentioned in this Episode:

RISKWORLD 2024 — San Diego, CA | May 5–8, 2024

NEW FOR MEMBERS! RIMS Mobile App

Spencer Educational Foundation

Funding Their Future Gala 2023 Press Release

Spencer Educational Foundation — Grants Page

RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)

RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops

2024 International Risk Manager Survey conducted by FERMA in partnership with PwC FERMA

RIMS Webinars:

Women of Risk & Compliance: Leading & Learning One Step at a Time | Sponsored by Origami Risk | March 7, 2024

Maximizing Business Value: Top 5 Risk and Compliance Dashboards for Organizational Resilience | Sponsored by Resolver | March 14, 2024