About UA Risk Management
Overview
Everyone manages risk. When you buckle your seatbelt and drive responsibly, you are taking ownership of your risk and mitigating it. We all do this in a number of ways on a daily basis both personally and professionally. The role of the UA Office of Risk Management is to support those efforts. We help departments analyze their risk and assist them as needed. In our support role, we employ three types of techniques: risk control, risk financing and risk transfer.
Risk Control is a category of techniques designed to reduce loss frequency and loss severity. We work collaboratively with all departments to analyze exposures and select appropriate risk control measures. The departments implement and administer the measures. Examples include working with Housing to make the “move-in” process safer and working with Student Life to make Homecoming events safer. Our office and the departments collectively monitor the results.
Risk Management is directly responsible for implementing and administering four risk control programs: the Driver Safety Program, the Security Vendor Program, the Utility Cart and Golf Cart Program and the Outside Vendor Catering Program.
Risk Financing is a category of techniques designed to pay for losses that occur. Both the expected long-term cost of the program and the potential disruption to the university in the event of a loss are considered when selecting the technique. These techniques include insurance, self-insurance and retention.
Risk Transfer is a category of techniques designed to contractually transfer exposure from the university to other entities. We also addresses requests from other entities to contractually transfer exposure to the university. The category includes contracts, waivers, releases, assumptions of risk, requests for proposals and similar documents. We provide general, non-legal risk management advice to departments related to risk transfer, and we coordinate these efforts with the Office of Counsel.
Director’s Philosophy
In the West, we typically think of good and bad as polar opposites on a spectrum. For Aristotle and in Eastern philosophy, virtues are a balance in the middle of the spectrum with vices at the polar extremes. In other words, virtues are a balance between “not enough” and “too much”. A healthy diet is a middle path between not eating enough and consuming too much. And courage is a middle path between cowardice and recklessness. Likewise, sound risk management is a middle path between paralysis by analysis and irresponsible recklessness.
Bios
Wade Bond, Executive Director of Risk Management
Wade grew up in the small town of York, Alabama and was a student at the Capstone in the early 90’s. His favorite classes were business law, business leadership and a survey in world religions. He worked as an RA in Friedman Hall and Rose Towers. Wade majored in business management and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration degree in 1995. He gained insurance and risk management experience in Birmingham at EMC Insurance, Compass Bank and Vulcan Materials before his UA homecoming in April of 2014.
Robby Plumb, Associate Director of Risk Financing
Robby Plumb is a native of Houston, Texas, and a graduate of The University of Alabama. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration, majoring in finance with a concentration in insurance and risk management. Additionally, he earned a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the same field. Before returning to the Capstone, Robby worked as an insurance broker in the Energy and Marine Division at McGriff, Seibels, and Williams in Birmingham, AL.
Chad Berry, Associate Director for International Health, Safety & Risk Management
Chad is an Alabama native and second-generation alumnus of The University of Alabama, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 2001. He later acquired a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University. After starting his career in journalism and communications, Chad first became involved with international education while living in East Asia for several years. He returned to UA in 2014 to work in the Education Abroad department and now works to support all types of international travelers – faculty, staff, and students – who go abroad for a UA purpose.
Zachary Dutton, Risk Control & Claims Analyst
Zachary is a native of Moulton, Alabama and graduated from The University of Alabama in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration degree. He majored in finance with a minor in economics and concentration in insurance and risk management. Zachary began his career at Berkley Industrial Comp handling industrial workers compensation claims and obtained a Property and Casualty Adjuster License. He returned to the Capstone in May of 2021 when he was hired as a Risk Control and Claims Analyst.