November 13, 2009. Retrieved online November 16, 2009 from Gabriel Vasquez, Las Cruces Bulletin
Risk manager shares lessons learned
Administrators teach it, politicians have touted it and risk managers live by it. Preparation and prevention are key in avoiding costly mistakes and the disaster that can sometimes ensue, and folks in the insurance business have to be prepared for even the wildest of hypothetical situations.
That’s according to Cheryl Johnson, executive director of risk management for the Dallas Independent School District, the 12th largest school district in the United States.
Johnson, who oversees the risk management operations for the 163,000-student, 20,000-employee district, with $1.7 billion worth of property, said she’s learned many valuable lessons throughout her career.
“Analyzing past data is the foundation of risk management,” Johnson said. “Think about the worst thing that can go wrong and then act pro actively to prevent it. Things in life are preventable and predictable.”
Johnson spoke to a group of administrative employees from Las Cruces Public Schools and risk management students at New Mexico State University Wednesday, Nov. 4, at a lecture organized by the NMSU Finance Department.
“Probably one of the most common or ridiculous situations is the slip and fall,” Johnson said. “How many of you have seen a teacher get on a table to put up a poster board? What about a chair? What about a chair with wheels? A lot of these people have master’s degrees, right? Where’s the common sense?”
From small workplace injuries to devastating natural disasters, Johnson and her staff of nine work daily to prevent costly accidents of all types.
“We’ve had schools burn down, injuries, auto accidents, all that and more,” she said.
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