What are your primary job responsibilities?

I advise the C-Suite on employee legal issues, and strategically manage a $3-million self-insured workers’ compensation and safety plan and an $8-million self-insured health and wellness plan. I am beginning to focus on developing an ERM approach to risk management for ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

Why did you choose the MS-RMI Program at FSU?

I chose the degree for a very personal reason. After going to FSU right out of high school, my sister got sick with breast cancer and my family asked me to come home to help care for her. I never got to graduate from FSU. It was the right decision to go home, as she passed away a year later. My career then took me in the direction of risk management and insurance. When I saw there was a master’s program in risk management and insurance, I applied and was accepted all within a six-week time period. It wasn’t until after I was accepted that I found out it was a top-ranked program in the U.S. I am so very thankful I made the decision.

How did your graduate education help shape your professional experiences?

The combination of a human resources education coupled with a master’s in risk management and insurance is a very powerful combination. Understanding people and behavior change is helpful in deploying programs. The graduate education I received opened my mind, giving me a more holistic view of the company and the world. I understand the role of risk appetite for a company, and I am able to better advise leadership, not to mention seeing risks everywhere now. One of my biggest accomplishments has been dropping $1.2 million in workers’ comp expense to the bottom line over the past five years. I also sit on the leadership advisory board for the Florida Chamber Safety Council, and I am very proud to serve with some of the brightest risk and safety professionals in the U.S. I have also started my own consulting firm, Nona HR & Risk Consultants, LLC.

How has working in your industry changed the way you look at the world?

I am more aware and have the foresight to see how things could go wrong from a risk perspective. There has to be a balance in risk appetite, and I think working in this arena has helped me in applying that balance to my personal life.

How have you stayed connected to the FSU MS-RMI Program?

I have occasionally reached out when I have a problem I’m trying to solve, and I have also attended a networking event in the Tampa area. I look forward to potentially sourcing candidates for employment from the program.

What advice would you give yourself in college?

Put in the time because it will pay dividends in the end. Being a single mom going through the program and no matter how difficult the coursework, I never gave up.

What is your favorite office snack?

Chocolate covered almonds.

What is your favorite source for keeping up with industry news?

RIMS 

Best piece of advice you’ve received?

When you get in the car to go home from work at night and as you turn the key, turn off work mode. This advice has allowed me to be present at home and keep the work-life balance. It took me awhile to learn, but it worked!

What are your success habits?

I have learned the value of proper nutrition and exercise. Planning and structure have become my best friends.

What is one characteristic your co-workers dig about you and one that drives them crazy about you?

I am highly approachable and have a calming force that comes in handy when dealing with crisis type situations. The thing that drives them crazy is that I am a listener and an analyzer, so I don’t make super-fast decisions. However, the decisions I make are very solid.

If someone asked you to teach for an hour about any topic at a moment’s notice, what would you choose?

It would be a toss-up between “What Legacy Do You Want To Leave” and “Change – The Value Of Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone.”

Who is your biggest supporter?

My biggest supporters are my two daughters, who are very proud of me and tell me that I need to brag more!