PHILADELPHIA—RIMS, the risk management society, announced the winners of its annual industry awards during RISKWORLD 2026, honoring a cohort of professionals and chapters advancing the risk profession in areas ranging from enterprise strategy to community leadership.
The society’s highest honor, the Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award, was presented to Nowell Seaman, recently retired special projects lead for insurance and risk management at Federated Co-operatives Limited and 2017 RIMS board president. The award recognizes individuals who have advanced the society and the profession through outstanding service and achievement.
Jeffrey Bray, senior vice president and head of global risk management at Prologis Inc., was named the 2026 Risk Manager of the Year. Established in 1977, the award recognizes professionals who have developed and implemented impactful risk management programs within their organizations.
Since 2011, Bray has overseen global risk management for the logistics real estate leader, developing an enterprise-wide program to match a portfolio of 1.3 billion square feet across 20 countries. Bray’s approach centers on a formal enterprise risk management (ERM) framework that explicitly links risk identification and mitigation with the organization’s strategic planning. To optimize the cost of risk, Bray’s team has focused on a range of alternative risk transfer mechanisms, employing a sophisticated mix of catastrophe bonds, parametric insurance, alternative risk transfer and a captive insurer.
In announcing the honors, RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche said the recipients reflect a broader shift in how the function contributes to business performance. “The best leaders in this field don’t just protect value, they help create it by empowering innovation, guiding strategy and cultivating business cultures that recognize the advantages of thoughtful risk-taking,” he said.
Emily Buckley, insurance risk manager at Specialized Bicycle Components and vice president of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter, was inducted into the Risk Management Honor Roll, which recognizes professionals whose work has strengthened organizational resilience and decision-making. As the company’s first dedicated risk manager, Buckley constructed a modern, enterprise-ready risk and insurance function from the ground up. Her initiatives include launching a global business continuity program and implementing a centralized risk management information system designed to streamline decision-making and scale governance across the company's global footprint. In its first year, Buckley’s overhaul of the global insurance structure delivered seven-figure savings by eliminating policy overlap and aligning coverage to operational exposures.
RIMS also recognized long-standing contributions to the profession with the induction of Jorge Luzzi into the Risk Management Hall of Fame. The honor is awarded to individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to advancing the discipline. Before his death in 2024, Luzzi held leadership roles across global organizations and professional associations, including serving as president of IFRIMA and FERMA, and founding the Latin American Risk Management Foundation. Over his career, he worked to strengthen collaboration across international risk communities and elevate the role of risk management globally. His family (above) accepted the award on his behalf.
“Jorge Luzzi’s contributions to advancing the risk management profession globally were immeasurable,” LaBranche said. “He will inspire others for generations to come.”
Additional individual honors highlighted contributions at different career stages and across the broader risk community. Candace Heron, manager of claims management at Toronto Hydro, received the Volunteer of the Year Award, which recognizes chapter-level leadership. Heron is a co-chair and co-founder of the RIMS Ontario Chapter’s Rising Risk Professional Network and was lauded for her efforts to expand engagement among emerging practitioners.
Tyler Vaughan, global risk manager for corporate risk and insurance at Cook Group Incorporated, received the 2026 RIMS Rising Risk Professional Award. The honor recognizes up-and-coming risk management professionals under the age of 35 or with less than seven years of professional experience in the industry. Vaughan was lauded for demonstrating exceptional initiative, volunteerism, professionalism and leadership potential.
Chapter awards, meanwhile, underscored the role of local networks in supporting professional development and community-building. The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter was named Chapter of the Year for its efforts to expand programming and deliver resources to members in 2025, with President Catrina Gilbert accepting the award on the chapter’s behalf.
The 2026 awards program included the first annual RIMS Community Impact Award, formerly the DEI Chapter Leadership Award, recognizing chapters that demonstrate outstanding leadership in cultivating community, professional development and leadership within the risk management community. The Rocky Mountain chapter received the inaugural Community Impact Award for taking exceptional action to support its network of risk professionals and industry partners.
RIMS also presented Chapter Honors to the Los Angeles and Saskatchewan chapters for aligning their programming with the organization’s strategic priorities, including initiatives focused on professional development, member engagement and advocacy.