RIMS-CRMP Stories

Emily Casso Ford leads the ERM team at Globe Life and serves as the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) RIMS President 2024. She reflected on how her career experiences as a lawyer provided foundational knowledge for passing the RIMS-CRMP exam and how her group’s participation received organizational support and acclaim.

RIMS: What inspired you to pursue the RIMS-CRMP certification?

Ford: I became interested in the RIMS-CRMP in 2019 after attending my first RISKWORLD in Boston. I was hyper-focused on building out an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) function from the ground up and supporting my company through the pandemic. Therefore, my goal to earn the RIMS-CRMP certification had to wait.

However, by 2024 our ERM department was fully staffed and I gained the support of leadership to permit my entire team to complete the RIMS-CRMP. This certification adds an extra layer of credibility to support my four-person team in this challenging work.

RIMS: You’ve had a varied career, which led you to your role at Globe Life. How did your career experience lend itself as a knowledge base for taking the exam?

Ford: I have been a licensed attorney for the last 15 years and practiced in the corporate law space for most of that time. My career in risk began in 2013 while serving as corporate counsel at a nutraceutical company where I was asked to form a risk management function and build it out.

In 2018, I joined Globe Life as the Vice President of Enterprise Risk and was given the opportunity to establish and develop a formalized enterprise risk function for a large public company. Leading the charge of a risk function for two companies and helping corporations prevent legal risk from escalating certainly helped establish a firm knowledge base that served me well as I prepared for the RIMS-CRMP exam.

RIMS: Did some of the questions or scenarios on the test remind of you of your daily work?

Ford: Absolutely. Many of the scenarios felt familiar, and even if it wasn't something that was in the practice questions, it was related to real-life scenarios I had experienced in my career. For example, there were scenarios on the exam that highlighted the capacity for the risk management function to help support the company’s strategic planning process and to enable more risk-informed strategic decisions.

RIMS: In what ways did your experience as a lawyer and corporate counsel support you in preparing for the exam?

Ford: I always say that an in-house corporate lawyer is in the business of "litigation prevention." In my experience in corporate law, I helped companies avoid or mitigate legal risk through strategic risk discussions that empowered risk-informed decision-making. While I might not have utilized the same terminology that was on the RIMS-CRMP exam, the experience I gained in my corporate law practice was incredibly relevant.

RIMS: How do you expect adding the RIMS-CRMP to your title will further elevate your professional profile? How do you feel the RIMS-CRMP complements other certifications?

Ford: I believe that the RIMS-CRMP certification lends a level of credibility not only to me personally, but to the entire ERM department. Since members of my ERM team were able to earn the RIMS-CRMP certification, company leadership expressed admiration for this achievement. On my team we have individuals who hold other insurance/risk management certifications, and the RIMS-CRMP certification conveys their specific expertise relevant to the practice of ERM.

RIMS: How did you study?

Ford: I had not studied for an exam since enduring the Texas bar exam, so I was not looking forward to the process. However, I enrolled in the RIMS-CRMP prep course with several of my team members and we kept each other motivated. Ahead of the exam, I spent about 2 weeks going through the materials from the prep course, reviewing the RIMS-CRMP study guide and preparing flashcards with practice questions.

RIMS: What methods will you use to accrue points for recertification? For example, sitting on the RIMS board, attending/planning conferences like RISKWORLD or DFW events, attending webinars, contributing to articles, etc.?

Ford: I will make sure to recertify so that I can maintain the certification. I am currently tracking my points and so far that includes my service on the DFW RIMS board and the non-profit board for Ascend Dallas, as well as various risk committees that I chair for Globe Life's subsidiaries, publications of the DFW RIMS newsletters that I am involved in and continued professional education.

Overall, I would encourage industry leaders to obtain the RIMS-CRMP certification and to empower their teams to do the same. It has helped my team gain recognition and exposure with senior leadership. In addition, the recertification requirements will ensure that my team will continue to learn and adapt as the risk industry changes over time.

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Interview by Justin Smulison, RIMS Business Content Manager