NU Online News Service, Jan. 3, 3:15 p.m.EST

The Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.(RIMS)says Deborah M. Luthi will serve as president for the2012 term, effective Jan. 1.

Luthi is the enterprise risk manager for the San FranciscoPublic Utilities Commission. She has been a member of RIMS foralmost 32 years and has served on the board for 11 years.

Previously, Luthi served as vice president and board liaison toRIMS' Finance Committee and Spencer Educational FoundationCommittee. She is a member of RIMS Golden Gate Chapter; as well asRIMS Sacramento Valley Chapter, which she helped to co-found in1991.

“If I had a crystal ball, it would be really cloudy right now.It feels like 2011 was a year of unknowns,” Luthi tellsNU in an exclusive interview. “If you think about theearthquake in Japan and the tsunami and meltdown of the nuclearreactor; the Occupy movement; Arab spring; Europe's rocky economy,our continuingly struggling economy—think of the things you neverthought of happening, and they're happening.”

All of this uncertainty, she says, creates a great opportunity“for us to reach out and collaborate with other risk practitionerswithin our organizations and bring it all together.”

Luthi notes, “As incoming president of RIMS, I have to say thatRIMS is right there with the tools and resources and the thoughtleadership to help risk managers be at that tipping point and leadthe way.”

Officers on RIMS 2012 Board of Directors:

President: Deborah M. Luthi, director, risk management services,San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Vice President: John R. Phelps, director, business risksolutions, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc.

Treasurer: Carolyn M. Snow, director, risk management, HumanaInc.

Corporate Secretary: Nowell R. Seaman, manager, risk management& insurance services, University of Saskatchewan.

Newly-Elected Board Members:

Al Gorski, chief risk officer, Orange County TransportationAuthority

Leslie Lamb, global risk manager, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Re-Elected Board Members:

Robert Cartwright Jr., loss prevention manager, BridgestoneRetail Operations, LLC

Scott B. Clark, Risk & Benefits Officer, Miami-Dade CountyPublic Schools (Ex-Officio)

Kim Hunton, corporate risk manager, City of Ottawa

Dan H. Kugler, assistant treasurer, risk management, Snap-OnInc.

William Montanez, director, risk management, Ace HardwareCorporation

Julie C. Pemberton, director, enterprise risk mnd InsuranceManagement, Coinstar

Michael D. Phillipus, director, insurance and risk management,ATP Oil & Gas Corporation

Richard J. Roberts Jr., corporate risk manager, Ensign-BickfordIndustries, Inc.

Frederick J. Savage, director, risk management (San Ramon),Chevron Corporation

Lori Seidenberg, vice president, enterprise risk management,Centerline Capital Group.