University Risk Management and Insurance Association
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Red arrow Honors & Awards

Red arrow Emeritus Members

Nominate a Member

URMIA honors those who play a significant role in our organization and higher education risk management in general when the time comes for them to move on to retirement. For this reason we established the emeritus status.

Guidelines for selection are:

  1. Candidate must have provided exemplary service to URMIA. This service may be demonstrated by service as a director or officer of URMIA or receipt of the Distinguished Risk Manager Award.
  2. Candidate must have contributed significantly to higher education risk management by specific contributions to the understanding and practice of risk management in the judgment of his or her peers.
  3. Candidate may no longer be employed in the field of risk management as a practitioner, consultant, service provider, or otherwise not in the field of higher education.
  4. Candidate must receive the nomination of at least three URMIA members.
  • Robert Beth, CPCU, CSP, DRM
  • Isaac Charlton
  • Ernest L. Conti
  • Mary Donato, ARM
  • Murray C. Edge, ARM, CSSD, WSO, DRM
  • Charles D. Emerson, DRM
  • Patricia Fowler, CPCU, ARM, URMIA
  • James R. Gallivan
  • Thomas C. Halvorsen, ALCM, ARM, AU, CPCU, BBA, DRM
  • George Harland
  • Thomas R. Henneberry, JD, DRM
  • Alice Horner, ARM
  • William Hustedt
  • Benning F. Jenness, DRM
  • Michael G. Klein, DRM
  • Sandra LaGro
  • Jack Leavitt, MBA, LCPM
  • Claudina Madsen, DRM
  • Eugene D. Marquart, DRM
  • George H. Meeker, ARM, DRM
  • William O. Park, M.S., MBA, CPCU, ARM, DRM
  • Janet Parnell, ARM
  • William A. Payton, DRM
  • Truman G. Pope, DRM
  • Alex J. Ratka
  • Harry E. Riddell
  • James R. Roesch
  • William F. Ryan
  • Martin Siegel
  • Stanley Tarr, DHL, DRM
  • Donald Thiel, DRM
  • Kathy M. Van Nest, CPCU, DRM
  • Leo Wade, Jr., Ph.D., ARM, DRM
  • John H. Walker, DRM
  • Jerre Ward
  • Robert B. Williams, CPCU, ARM
  • Barbara M. Wolf
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Red arrow Distinguished Risk Managers

Nominate a Member

Being honored by your peers is a singularly high honor because they, so much better than anyone else, understand what you are supposed to do and can best appreciate what you have done. Insurance, one of the core subjects of our work, is a mystery for many people. What we do may sometimes amount to smoke, magic and mirrors - or at least seem that way to the uninformed masses.

Not so with your peers. We know the pathway through this carnival funny house of mirrors and moving floors and strange sounds from the dark. (Why can't we rappel from hot air balloons?) When this honor is bestowed on one of our own - it's deserved.

Each year URMIA honors at least one of its members as a Distinguished Risk Manager. Nominations should take into consideration the following criteria:

  1. Service to URMIA, RIMS, NACUBO, CPCU, CLU societies and other professional organizations as a board member, officer, committee chair and active committee membership. Service as a mentor to others in management, risk management, higher education, insurance industry, or local community. Service as a teacher fostering risk management principles.
  2. Contributions to the field of risk management by working for the development of new techniques or new approaches to problem areas. Authoring articles shedding new light on the practice of risk management.
  3. Demonstrated leadership in marshaling resources to address regular and/or unusual problems occurring within the field of risk management, particularly higher education.
  4. Professional accomplishments (e.g., ARM, CPCU, CLU, etc.).
  5. Long term (distinguished) tenure as a risk manager.
  6. Other honors and recognition received.

The above suggestions are not exhaustive; other accomplishments will certainly be considered. Individual accomplishments are unique. The award committee relies upon the membership of URMIA to call attention to individual members for consideration.

  • 1989 John Adams, DRM
  • 1989 Robert Beth, CPCU, CSP, DRM
  • 1989 Eugene D. Marquart, DRM
  • 1989 William O. Park, M.S., MBA, CPCU, ARM, DRM
  • 1989 Lee B. Stenquist, DRM
  • 1989 John H. Walker, DRM
  • 1990 Thomas C. Halvorsen, ALCM, ARM, AU, CPCU, BBA, DRM
  • 1990 Stanley Tarr, DHL, DRM
  • 1992 Mary Breighner, CPCU, DRM, FM Global
  • 1992 Charles D. Emerson, DRM
  • 1993 John C. Borch, CPA, ARM, Champlain Captive Management, Inc.
  • 1993 Murray C. Edge, ARM, CSSD, WSO, DRM
  • 1993 Leta Finch, MPA, DRM, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services
  • 1994 Benning F. Jenness, DRM
  • 1994 Claudina Madsen, DRM
  • 1994 Truman G. Pope, DRM
  • 1994 William J. Wilson, Jr., MBA, JD, DRM
  • 1995 James A. Breeding, DRM, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  • 1995 Donald Thiel, DRM
  • 1996 Thomas R. Henneberry, JD, DRM
  • 1996 Michael G. Klein, DRM
  • 1997 Charles R. Cottingham, DRM
  • 1997 Kathy M. Van Nest, CPCU, DRM
  • 1998 Leo Wade, Jr., Ph.D., ARM, DRM
  • 1999 George H. Meeker, ARM, DRM
  • 2000 Glenn Klinksiek, CPCU, ARM, MBA, DRM, University of Chicago
  • 2000 John E. Watson, ARM, CIC, CRM, DRM, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services
  • 2001 Rebecca L. Adair, DRM, University of Oregon
  • 2002 Larry V. Stephens, AIC, ARM, CPCU, AAM, DRM, Indiana University
  • 2003 Paul Clancy, ARM, DRM, Boston University
  • 2003 Mary C. Dewey, CPCU, ARM, CIC, DRM, University of Vermont
  • 2004 Elizabeth J. Carmichael, CPCU, DRM, Five Colleges, Inc.
  • 2004 Christine Eick, EdD, ARM, DRM, Auburn University
  • 2005 Jill Laster, ARM, DRM, Texas Christian University
  • 2006 William A. Payton, DRM
  • 2006 Linda J. Rice, CPCU, CPIW, DRM, Clemson University
  • 2007 Allen J. Bova, MBA, ARM, DRM, Cornell University
  • 2008 Mike Bale, ARM, CRM, DRM, Oklahoma State University
  • 2008 Steven C. Holland, DRM, CRM, ARM, University of Arizona
  • 2009 Donna Pearcy, ARM, MBA, DRM, University of Iowa, The
  • 2009 Ruth A. Unks, ARM, DRM, Maricopa County Community College District
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