Assistant director of the Enterprise Risk Management Program has played a pivotal role in advancing the University’s enterprise risk management capabilities.
The University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA) has named Victoria Meadows, MS, assistant director of the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), as a recipient of the 2025 Emerging Risk Professional Award. The award recognizes higher education risk professionals who are early in their careers and have already demonstrated exceptional leadership, impact, and contributions to the field.
Meadows joined UMB in 2022 and has played a pivotal role in advancing the University’s enterprise risk management capabilities. Within her first year, she led the ERM program through key milestones including identifying and assessing institutional risks, developing targeted mitigation action plans for mitigation task forces to use, integrating risk assessment processes into UMB’s strategic planning efforts, building key relationships through her one-on-one meeting efforts with stakeholders across UMB, and making a conscientious effort to send handwritten accolades to pertinent individuals involved in ERM. Her work has helped embed risk awareness into decision-making across the institution.
“Victoria’s leadership in enhancing our enterprise risk management framework has strengthened UMB’s ability to anticipate challenges, make informed decisions, and advance our mission with confidence,” said Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MPA, MAS, provost and executive vice president of UMB. “We are proud to see her recognized nationally for her expertise, commitment, and collaborative approach. This award is well-deserved, and we congratulate her on this tremendous honor.”
In addition to her work at UMB, Meadows has been an active member of URMIA since 2022. Her engagement began at the organization’s annual conference, where she immediately built connections and became involved in planning and programming. When URMIA’s 2023 annual conference was held in Baltimore, Meadows served as the “honoree conference chair,” contributing to event coordination, member engagement, social connections, and most notably bringing puppies and kittens to the conference for the first time ever for the conference attendees to snuggle and take a breather from conference happenings. She has since moderated and presented at multiple URMIA conferences — annual and regional — as well as done multiple webinars for URMIA. She has helped cultivate community among early-career risk professionals and seasoned career risk professionals nationwide.
“Victoria’s work has had a transformative effect, fostering a culture where risk awareness and responsible decision-making are becoming part of everyday operations,” noted her URMIA award nomination materials. “Linking ERM to the strategic direction of a university strengthens organizational resilience and promotes a broader understanding of risks and opportunities — an invaluable achievement for any institution.”
Meadows is one of two recipients of this year’s award. URMIA also recognized Caitlin Cai, risk and insurance program manager for the University of Tennessee System, for her leadership and contributions within her institution and the national risk management community.
The award was announced this fall, accompanied by a surprise notification video shared with URMIA members.