Risk Leadership on the Construction Frontlines with Cynthia Garcia

About this episode

Cynthia Garcia discusses her career in construction risk management and the importance of mentorship and diversity in the field.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Cynthia Garcia about her career journey. She credits mentors and sponsors for paving the way for her success. Justin and Cynthia discuss the demands of the Chief Risk Officer role and how Cynthia works with stakeholders who have competing priorities. Cynthia shares her perspective on construction risk and safety. She is seeing more diversity in the rising generation of risk professionals, with amazing opportunities for all. Cynthia shares how her Confucianist upbringing still makes it a struggle for her to receive recognition. Despite that, she posted on LinkedIn about receiving the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. That post led Justin to reach out to her. Cynthia speaks of her involvement with the Spencer Educational Foundation, including being a Risk Manager on Campus. Justin and Cynthia talk about the March 6th Webinar, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management" , that she joins as a featured…

People in this episode

Host: Justin Smulison

Guest: Cynthia Garcia

Topics covered

• construction risk
• leadership
• diversity in risk management
• career development
• stakeholder management

Keywords

• risk management
• construction
• Cynthia Garcia
• leadership award
• diversity
• stakeholders
• career tips

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RIMS, International Risk Management Institute, Spencer Educational Foundation

Places: Bernards

More episodes of RIMScast

• RIMS Rising Risk Professional Award Winner Tyler Vaughan · April 28, 2026 · 38 min
• Energy Efficiency, Mental Health Awareness, and Risk with Nick Quigley · April 21, 2026 · 47 min
• Board Reporting and ERM in 2026 with Trisha Sqrow and Suzanne Christensen · April 14, 2026 · 34 min
• Still in the Weeds with Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation, with Kiersten Cash · April 7, 2026 · 33 min
• Navigating Marine Risks in 2026 with Joshua Gold · March 31, 2026 · 39 min
• Tom Armstrong on Leading Risk at Comcast and RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter · March 24, 2026 · 32 min