The Spencer Educational Foundation (Spencer) and RIMS, the risk management society®, selected eight universities to compete for the 2026 Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge top honor. Fifty-three university teams from 12 countries entered the annual competition that is supported by FM. Based on the solutions they developed for a case-study provided by Lakeshore Recycling Systems (Rosemont, Illinois) the top teams have been invited to present their risk management strategies in at RISKWORLD in Philadelphia.
The eight university teams chosen to compete at RISKWORLD are:
- University of Alabama – Risk Wranglers
- University of Lagos (Nigeria) – Risk-Transformers
- DePauw University – RiskBusters
- University of Texas at Austin – Risky Wranglers
- Azerbaijan State University of Economics (Azerbaijan) – Schrodingers Stock
- University of New South Wales (Australia) – Stratum Advisory
- National Insurance Academy (India) – The Mitigators
- Tribhuvan University (Nepal) – The Variance Vanguard
Developed by Lakeshore Recycling Systems Vice President of Risk & Insurance Richard Rabs, this year’s Challenge case-study asked student teams to develop strategies for the waste industry to address mounting fire risks resulting from the improper disposal of lithium batteries.
On May 4, the final three university teams will present one last time in front of a panel of risk management leaders, and the winner will be announced later that evening at the Spencer Soriée. This year’s esteemed judging panel includes:
- Sandy Avina, MBA – Claims Services Manager, California Schools JPA
- Kristy Coleman, CRM, ARM – Director of Risk Management, Warner Bros. Discovery
- Cristian Iglesias, ARM – Manager of Risk Services, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated
- Jeff Stolle, ARM – Vice President, Risk Management & Treasury, Castle & Cooke, Inc.
- Tony Quinones, RIMS-CRMP, ARM, AIC-M-Director, Risk Strategies & Compliance, Walt Disney World & Disney Cruise Line
- Catrina Gilbert – Vice President, Risk Management, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Tyler Vaughan – Global Risk Manager, Cook Group
To learn more about the Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge and other opportunities, resources and content for risk management and insurance students, visit RIMS Student Resource Center.
