Newsroom

May 8, 2023 (Atlanta, GA) - At the Spencer Educational Foundation’s 2023 RISKWORLD Reception, Spencer’s Executive Director, Megan Miller, announced the University of Wisconsin-Madison student team as the winners of the 2023 Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge. The team, comprising four risk management students, competed against 24 other universities and delivered the award-winning risk management presentation in front of industry leaders at RISKWORLD 2023 in Atlanta, GA.

The winning University of Wisconsin-Madison team, Riskconsin Appetite, comprised:

• Rebecca Cox
• Lauren Kelly
• Michael Reeser
• Jing Kai Ong
• Faculty Student Advisor: Carl Barlett

The challenge began with 24 universities, eight months ago, who were each presented with a risk management case-study, provided by the Chief Risk Officer at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). During the conference, the field was narrowed to three university teams and those finalists presented one last time in front of risk professionals at RISKWORLD.

“Each year the student Risk Management Challenge showcases the bright future of risk management and insurance,” said Miller.  “Spencer is so proud to support these talented students and provide them with opportunities for growth and development.  We are grateful to our dedicated judges and we sincerely congratulate the University of Wisconsin-Madison and all of our competing teams.”

“The Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge students provided a jolt of excitement and optimism for the profession’s future at RISKWORLD,” said RIMS CEO Gary A. LaBranche, FASAE, CAE. “Throughout the competition, the University of Wisconsin-Madison team demonstrated a highly sophisticated command of critical risk management strategies that was matched by their incredible poise and professionalism. RIMS looks forward watching all of the students who participated in the Challenge transition from elite students to risk leaders in the coming years.”

Second place in this year’s Challenge was the British Columbia Institute of Technology (Canada) and the third-place team was Appalachian State University. Cash prizes and trophies were awarded to the top three teams – the first-place university received $4,000, second $3,000 and third $2,000.

To learn more about the annual Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge, visit www.rims.org/community/students/spencer-rm-challenge.

#             #             #

About the Spencer Educational Foundation:
The Spencer Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funding the education of tomorrow’s risk management and insurance leaders through scholarships, grants, internship opportunities, on and off campus experiential learning, and support of risk management/insurance curricula. Since Spencer was founded in 1979, we have awarded nearly $9 million in scholarships and over $8 million in grants to universities and professional institutions impacting an estimated 70,000 students through our programming. For more information, please visit us at www.spencered.org.

About RISKWORLD:
Launched in 1963, RIMS annual conference, now RISKWORLD, has routinely attracted some 10,000 risk and insurance professionals at all experience levels, business executives with risk management interests, brokers, insurers and service providers for the ultimate educational and networking experience. In past years, the four-day event has offered more than 160 educational sessions, keynote presentations, special events and an expansive Marketplace Exhibit Hall with nearly 400 exhibitors. To learn more about RISKWORLD or to register, visit www.RIMS.org/RISKWORLD.

About RIMS:
RIMS, the risk management society®️, empowers risk professionals to make the world safer, more secure, and more sustainable. Through networking, professional development, certification, advocacy, and research, RIMS and its 80 chapters serves more than 200,000 risk practitioners and business leaders from over 75 countries. Founded in 1950, the Society publishes the award-winning Risk Management Magazine and produces RISKWORLD®️, the largest annual gathering of global risk professionals. RIMS embraces diversity, equity and inclusion and welcomes all risk professionals to connect and learn, explore the online Risk Knowledge library, tune into the RIMScast podcast series, and engage via LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. To learn more, visit www.RIMS.org.