As the risk manager for an international company with billions in annual sales, David Hershey brings a wide range of perspectives to the profession. Now he will provide insight to students at the University of Houston-Downtown’s Marilyn Davies College of Business.

Hershey is this year’s UHD Risk Manager in Residence and will share his experiences as part of his presentation on Risk Assessment, Transfer & Self Insurance for a Diverse International Company at 6 p.m., Tuesday March 17 in Room B240 of the Shea Street Building. The UHD community is invited to attend this free event.

Hershey serves as the risk manager for Lexa International Corporation, a U.S. based conglomerate with 4,000 employees and 125 locations globally. The company’s principle interests are in the areas of wholesale petroleum, wet and dry marine, industrial and residential water filtration systems design, manufacturing and installations, lumber recycling, medical device manufacturing, business application software development and student housing.

“We are honored and fortunate to have a speaker like David Hershey to bring a wealth of knowledge and risk management experience to the classroom,” said Patricia Oehlert, director of UHD’s Insurance and Risk Management Center. “He has been the risk manager for notable companies such as Sotheby’s Holdings, the world’s most prestigious auction houses of unique items and The DePaul Group, a $500 multi-million conglomerate.”

A risk manager for over 20 years, Hershey’s perspective brings a different dimension to the risk management field. After working for an insurance carrier and public broker for over 10 years, his experiences in the areas of pollution liability, ocean marine, construction, munitions manufacturing, aviation, transportation and finite risk, provide a multi-faceted risk perspective.

Hershey, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Bentley University, is a frequent speaker at national and regional Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) events. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) chapter president and has served as the Massachusetts RIMS president and speaker chairman. He is also a member and project manager on the national RIMS Standard and Practices committee that works to affect positive change on legislation and industry practices impacting the risk management community.

“At this upcoming presentation, students will gain knowledge of the multiple career paths in the extremely stable risk management and insurance industries along with the critical role risk management plays in an organization,” Oehlert said. “They will also learn about various insurance programs and how an organization can’t function without an effective risk management program to protect it from losses.”