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| Public Agency Risk Managers Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Public Agency Risk Managers Association |
| Abbreviation | PARMA |
| Type | Nonprofit professional association |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Sacramento, California |
| Region served | United States |
| Membership | Public sector risk managers, insurers, brokers, consultants |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Public Agency Risk Managers Association The Public Agency Risk Managers Association is an American nonprofit professional association serving public sector risk management professionals. It provides education, networking, standards, and advocacy to local and state entities, coordinating with insurers, reinsurers, and public administrators. The association engages with insurers such as California FAIR Plan, Munich Re, and Swiss Re and intersects with institutions like National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, Government Finance Officers Association, International City/County Management Association, and Association of Government Accountants.
Founded in the mid-1980s amid liability crises affecting municipal entities, the association's origins trace to regional practitioner meetings in California, Washington (state), and Oregon. Early leadership included municipal risk officials from Los Angeles County, San Diego County, and Sacramento County, and the organization aligned with national movements such as the creation of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and responses to rulings like Monell v. Department of Social Services. The association expanded during insurance market cycles alongside entities like California Joint Powers Insurance Authority and Risk and Insurance Management Society, adapting to trends influenced by statutes including the Tort Claims Act and cases like Town of Chester v. Laroe Estates, Inc. that shaped governmental liability. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s its membership grew with chapters modeled after organizations such as Public Risk Management Association and partners like National Association of Counties.
Governance follows a volunteer board structure influenced by nonprofit norms exemplified by boards of American Bar Association sections and councils like National Association of State Auditors. Officers have typically been city risk managers from municipalities like San Jose, California, Phoenix, Arizona, and Houston, Texas. Committees mirror subject-matter groups found in American Society for Public Administration and work with expert panels including actuaries from firms such as Willis Towers Watson and Aon. The association incorporates nonprofit compliance routines akin to those overseen by the Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt regulations and liaises with certification bodies similar to Institute of Risk Management.
Membership consists of public entity risk managers, insurance pool administrators, brokers, attorneys, safety professionals, and consultants from organizations such as Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Los Angeles Unified School District. Chapters exist regionally, mirroring networks like California Special Districts Association, Texas Municipal League, and Florida League of Cities, and coordinate with statewide joint powers authorities including California State Association of Counties and New York State Association of Counties. Affiliated chapters maintain relationships with legal institutions such as American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and with actuarial groups like the Casualty Actuarial Society.
Programs include risk transfer modeling, loss control toolkits, and contract review templates informed by standards from National Fire Protection Association, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and guidance from Federal Emergency Management Agency. Services mirror offerings from consulting firms such as Marsh & McLennan Companies and Bureau Veritas including pooled insurance program design, claims management support, and enterprise risk management frameworks consistent with guidelines from Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The association also offers legal resources referencing decisions of courts such as Supreme Court of California and federal appellate courts.
Annual conferences attract speakers from academia and practice, including faculty from Harvard Kennedy School, Johns Hopkins University, and University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and practitioners from entities like Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Portland Bureau of Transportation. Trainings cover disaster recovery planning linked to FEMA National Incident Management System, cyber risk sessions referencing standards from National Institute of Standards and Technology, and insurance procurement workshops featuring underwriters from Lloyd's of London and pool managers from California Municipal Finance Authority.
The association publishes white papers, benchmarking surveys, and model policies paralleling research by RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and Pew Charitable Trusts. Periodicals and newsletters summarize case law from courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and regulatory updates from agencies like Department of Labor and Environmental Protection Agency. Research collaborations have occurred with academic centers such as Stanford Center for Longevity and University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Advocacy efforts engage lawmakers and regulators at state capitols and with federal bodies such as United States Congress committees on oversight and appropriations, as well as state legislatures like the California State Legislature and Texas Legislature. Policy positions have touched on statutory immunity, tort reform, funding for infrastructure resilience initiatives tied to programs by Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency, and public procurement rules paralleling reforms advocated by National Association of State Procurement Officials.
The association recognizes outstanding programs, innovation in risk financing, and lifetime achievement with awards modeled after honors from National Association of Counties and International City/County Management Association awards programs. Recipients have included risk managers from jurisdictions such as San Diego County, City of Phoenix, and County of Santa Clara and organizations like California Joint Powers Insurance Authority for advances in loss prevention and intergovernmental risk pooling.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in California Category:Risk management organizations