Kevin Crawford, executive director with the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR), has been selected for a prestigious Award for Excellence in Leadership by the Association of Governmental Risk Pools (AGRiP).
NYMIR is uniquely formed by three New York municipal associations:
- NY Association of Counties
- NY Conference of Mayors
- Association of Towns of the State of NY
Kevin was instrumental in NYMIR’s formation in 1993. At that time, he was general counsel for the Association of Towns of the State of NY (AOT), where he helped AOT respond when municipalities were otherwise unable to obtain adequate and affordable coverage. As an attorney, he lobbied state lawmakers and the governor in 1986 to enact legislation allowing public entity pooling. Once adopted, he incorporated NYMIR’s Attorney-in- Fact and helped it navigate New York insurance statutes and rules to ensure compliance for the property and casualty pool. He played a similar role in the formation of the NYS Workers Compensation Alliance where he also served as Trustee for 10 years.
“NYMIR — and public pooling in New York — would not be what it is today without Kevin’s dedication to protecting public entities from the risks that local governments face,” said a letter co-signed by the executive directors of the three municipal associations who work directly with him through NYMIR. “His grace under pressure has left a calming effect on all involved, no matter how daunting the problem. This is why Kevin has been able to lead a diverse set of people who may have differing interests from time to time.”
He continually solves challenges with strategic foresight and has worked to steadily improve NYMIR’s financial strength. Working with NYMIR’s Investment Committee and investment advisor, he monitors changing market conditions and performs comprehensive studies. Changes and improvements in their allocations and strategy has resulted in NYMIR becoming a success story of prudent long-term investment management.
“Kevin is the definition of a leader — smart, dedicated, diplomatic, humble, thoughtful, and funny,” said Gerard DeCusatis, NYMIR Board President.
Even before becoming executive director in 2003, Kevin advocated for NYMIR to obtain an AM Best Rating and he’s helped the pool keep that rating since receiving it.
“Without question, Kevin Crawford has been the pillar of NYMIR’s success,” said Susan O’Rorke, president of Wright Risk Management and NYMIR’s third-party administrator. “His leadership, mentoring and foresight made NYMIR the premier carrier for over 940 New York State municipalities.”
Since taking on the role as NYMIR’s first executive director in 2003, Kevin has fostered an environment of openness and education. He frequently shares his expertise by presenting at state association and AGRiP conferences on important municipal insurance and liability issues. He also led the creation of an online training program for his governing body. Additionally, membership has almost doubled to more than 940 members during his 20 year tenure, with gross written premium exceeding $100 Million dollars for FY 2023.
“There is no doubt Kevin’s leadership has contributed greatly to NYMIR’s success,” said Barbara Rhoades, AGRiP Board President. “But more than that, Kevin believes in the power of pooling and has dedicated his career to sharing his success stories and best practices with all of us who work in pooling.”
AGRiP’s Award for Excellence in Leadership is given to an outstanding leader and/or mentor in the public entity pooling community who has made strong contributions to the industry and inspires others. Kevin will receive his award at AGRiP’s Governance Conference on March 6 in Orlando, FL.