Spencer Announces New Board Leadership
Board Elects Chair, Robin S. (Joines) Roeder of Sedgwick
January 21, 2021 (New York, NY): The Spencer Educational Foundation has named Robin S. (Joines) Roeder, SVP Risk Management at Sedgwick, as the 2021 Board Chair. Robin (Joines) Roeder has been a Spencer Board Member since 2016 and was Spencer Board President from 2019-2020.
Serving with Roeder on Spencer’s Executive Committee is President - Teresa M. Black (Chubb); Vice President - Johnell Holly (FM Global); Secretary - Jeffrey M. Cohen (Advisen, now owned by Zywave); and Treasurer - Peter Heard (Travelers). Spencer also welcomes RIMS Board Vice President Patrick Sterling (Texas Roadhouse) as an ex-officio Board Member, and thanks outgoing RIMS liaison Ellen Dunkin (Amalgamated Family of Companies), who has been promoted to RIMS Board President, for her past year of Spencer board service.
“I am both grateful and excited to have the opportunity to lead Spencer and feel blessed to be part of such an impactful organization helping risk management and insurance students,” said Robin Roeder. “It is especially important to be that resource for students today during these unprecedented times. I look forward to the future of Spencer and thank Marya Propis, our outgoing Board Chair, for her mentorship.”
Joining Sedgwick in 2011, Robin developed the strategic risk management vision and framework for the company’s program. Today, she leads operational risk management activities and oversees the management of claims, safety and loss control, physical security, and travel risk management. She is also responsible for risk management planning and response related to business interruption, crisis management, and business resiliency.
In addition to being the 2021 Spencer Board Chair, Robin is a Spencer Scholar alumni who actively participates in Spencer’s Risk Manager on Campus Program. Robin is a student mentor and judge advocate for the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration and Risk Management, serves on the board of trustees for Gamma Iota Sigma, and is a Tennessee Self-Insurers’ Association board of managers member. Robin was awarded the Ron Judd “Heart of RIMS” award in 2016 in recognition of her volunteer contributions to the Memphis RIMS Chapter.
While Spencer looks forward to 2021 with Roeder as Chair, the Foundation would also like to thank the outgoing Chair, Marya Propis, for her outstanding work over the past two years. Marya Propis will continue to serve on the Spencer Board. Under Propis’ leadership, a new Executive Director position was created, a revamped strategy was outlined, and diversity initiatives were strengthened. Her positive impact on the organization sets Spencer on a path to reach new heights for years to come.
“Serving as Chair has been a tremendous privilege for me, and I’m very pleased to pass the Spencer mantle to such a dedicated colleague in service, Robin (Joines) Roeder. There is no doubt in my mind Spencer will continue our upward trajectory of expanding our programs, industry reach, and tangible impact to our stakeholders,” said Marya Propis, SVP, Distribution & Broker Partnerships at RT Specialty.
Spencer had a successful 2020 thanks to the generosity of the risk management and insurance community. Spencer was proud to award 89 scholarships, 26 internships, and more than 30 grants totaling $1.2 million. Since being founded in 1979, Spencer has awarded over $8 million in scholarships and $5 million in grants to universities and professional institutions affecting more than 60,000 students through its programming.
For more information on the Spencer Educational Foundation, please visit www.spencered.org.
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