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RISK MANAGEMENT'S FINEST

Posted On: Oct. 29, 1997 12:00 AM CST

For 20 years of the publication's 30-year history, Business Insurance has had the privilege of bestowing our Risk Manager of the Year Award on an individual whose achievements and innovation have elevated risk management standards and advanced the profession.

Here is the list of those 20 individuals and where they are now. Some are with the same company, others have moved to new jobs or started their own businesses, others are enjoying retirement and, sadly, a few have passed away. We also list those individuals that we have named to our Risk Management Honor Roll, which debuted in 1981.

1997: The most recent Risk Manager of the Year is Judy M. Lindenmayer, vp- Fidelity insurance and risk management for FMR Corp. in Boston.

1996: Brian D. Casey is director of risk management and loss prevention for Corning Inc. in Corning N.Y., the same position he held when he won the award.

1995: Scott K. Lange is the director of risk management for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp., the same position he held when he was Risk Manager of the Year.

1994: Lucille A. Gallagher was vp of risk management for ConAgra Red Meat Cos. in Greeley, Colo., when she was honored. In December 1996, Ms. Gallagher started her own firm, Human Resource Risk Management L.L.C. in Greeley, where she is CEO and managing partner.

1993: Richard C. Heydinger is the director of risk management services for Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., the same position he held when he won the award.

1992: Millicent W. Workman was the director of corporate risk management for Belz Enterprises in Memphis when she was selected as Risk Manager of the Year.

She currently is the corporate risk manager for Mueller Industries Inc. in Nashville, Tenn.

1991: Arnold L. Davenport is vp of risk management for Marriott International in Bethesda, Md., the same position he held when he was honored.

1990: Stephen M. Wilder was director-corporate risk management for The Walt Disney Co. in Burbank, Calif., when he was named Risk Manager of the Year.

He was named vp-risk management in 1993.

1989: When he won the award, Jeffrey W. Pettegrew was risk manager and chief administrative officer of the Contra Costa County Municipal Risk Management Insurance Authority in California. In October 1991, he joined Western Staff Services in Walnut Creek, Calif., as director of insurance and risk management, and now is vp-insurance and risk management.

1988: William L. Mather was administrator-risk management for The Gillette Co. in Boston when he was voted Risk Manager of the Year.

He was named director of risk management later that year and retired to Needham, Mass., in June 1996.

1987: Edith F. Lichota received the honor when she was senior vp for the Irving Trust Co. in New York. Ms. Lichota spearheaded the development of Bankers Insurance Co. Ltd., where she was vp-administration. In 1989, she became an independent consultant but maintained her ties to BICL. At age 65, Ms. Lichota died of a sudden heart attack on Nov. 21, 1994.

1986: Donald Nelson was director-risk management for ARA Services Inc. when he won the award. In October 1989, he went to Alexsis Inc./Alexander & Alexander Inc. in Philadelphia, where he was a vp and risk management consultant. Mr. Nelson retired in November 1995 and currently lives in Wilmington, Del.

Since his retirement, he has worked as a risk management consultant on an as-needed basis for Hibbard Brothers Inc. in Media, Pa.

1985: Harold C. Lang was named Risk Manager of the Year when he was director of insurance and risk management for Leaseway Transportation Corp.

In February 1987, he went to Kohler Co., a plumbing products company based in Kohler, Wis., where he was director-insurance and risk management. Mr. Lang retired in 1995 and is living in Kohler, Wis.

1984: Richard M. Inserra was director of insurance and risk management for American Can Co. when he was named Risk Manager of the Year.

He then became managing director-risk management and corporate real estate. Mr. Inserra worked for Triangle Industries Inc. in New York and left there as vp-risk management and business development.

Beginning in 1989, Mr. Inserra was president and principal of his own firm, Insurance Strategies Ltd. in Ridgefield, Conn. In 1991, he joined Union Carbide Corp. as director of insurance and risk management.

In 1992, he became assistant treasurer-risk management and insurance, a position he holds today for the Danbury, Conn.-based company.

1983: John A. O'Connell was executive director/risk manager for Holy Cross Shared Services Inc. when he won the award.

Mr. O'Connell later was appointed president of Holy Cross Shared Services and president of the Havican Insurance Co., a Holy Cross-owned captive in Colorado.

In addition, Mr. O'Connell was one of the founding members of Consolidated Catholic Risk Retention Group, a Vermont-domiciled RRG owned by Catholic health care systems.

Now retired, Mr. O'Connell serves on the boards of two not-for-profit organizations, Notre Dame Federal Credit Union in South Bend, Ind., and the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the South Bend area.

1982: Eckart Russell was named Risk Manager of the Year while serving as risk and insurance manager for Alcan Aluminum Ltd. in Montreal.

At Alcan, he later became a manager responsible not only for risk management but also for foreign exchange risk, financial planning and futures markets activities.

In 1986, Mr. Russell joined Johnson & Higgins as a vp in Montreal. He later became senior vp/director of J&H Canada.

Mr. Russell will remain in Montreal as a senior executive with J&H Marsh & McLennan.

1981: Duane E. Allen earned the honor while working as assistant treasurer for Hanna Mining Co. in Cleveland, now known as The M.A. Hanna Co.

He worked there until 1984 as assistant treasurer-director of risk management.

Mr. Allen then was a principal with Applied Risk Funding Services in Laguna Hills, Calif.

From 1987 to 1996, he was president and owner of Applied Risk Insurance Services in Pasadena, Calif.

Today, Mr. Allen is president and part owner of MacAfee & Edwards Inc.-Mexican Insurance Specialist in Pasadena and also works as an independent broker.

1980: Thomas V. Hallett was risk manager for General Motors Corp. when he was named Risk Manager of the Year.

Mr. Hallett, a leader in the field of risk management, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1993 after a career that included positions as executive vp at Frank B. Hall & Co. Inc. and senior vp at Alexander & Alexander Services Inc.

1979: Edward L. Erickson was director of insurance for American Broadcasting Cos. when he won the award. He retired in January and is living in New York.

1978: Howard T. Weber was director of insurance at Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. when he won the honor of becoming BI's first Risk Manager of the Year. He served in the same position with 3M when he died in 1988.