# Enterprise Risk Management: Executive Seminar for Resource Managers Course Canonical URL: ## Overview Enterprise Risk Enterprise Management (ERM) at the executive level incorporates system-wide assessment of organizational risks, trade-offs, and controls over the mission direction, allocation of and accountability for resources, and protection of human, fiscal, information, and physical assets for effective operations. This seminar is an essential guide for executive leaders and managers in gaining awareness of the risks, challenges, and opportunities in a dynamic external environment and of internal operations to proactively manage and reactively respond. This seminar helps decision makers better understand the interrelationship of risk vs reward, control objectives, and decision points for leveraging resources, addressing challenges and opportunities for high performance. ## What you'll learn - Understanding the Nature Risk in Government. - Recognizing the Risk vs. Internal Control vs. ERM relationship. - Following/implementing the Risk Management process. - Understanding the "whys" for an ERM Approach. - Gaining Value from ERM for higher performance. - Valuing the Complementary Role of Audit within ERM. - Achieving Leadership accountability for Enterprise Risk Management. - Developing Strategies for building a risk awareness culture. - Using ERM to define risk to strategic goals. - Applying ERM as an element of organizational decision-making. ## Prerequisites Students should be familiar with frameworks like ISO 31000 and COSO, and have an understanding of qualitative and quantitative methods. Prior experience with strategic decision-making and internal controls in a government or public sector context is also beneficial. ## Curriculum #### Module 1: Risk in Government - Explore the history and evolution of risk management in public sectors. - Understand different definitions of risk including ISO 31000 and COSO frameworks. - Discuss the concepts of risk appetite and tolerance in government operations. - Differentiate between risk, uncertainty, and opportunity. #### Module 2: Risk vs. Internal Control vs. ERM - Examine the relationships among risk management, internal controls, and enterprise risk management (ERM). - Analyze internal and external risk environments and their implications. - Learn how internal controls support but do not fully substitute for risk management. #### Module 3: The Risk Management Process - Establish organizational risk context and criteria for analysis. - Identify and evaluate risks through qualitative and quantitative methods. - Develop risk profiles, heat maps, and bowtie analyses. - Explore risk treatment options: accept, avoid, transfer, or mitigate. #### Module 4: The Need for ERM - Understand the strategic advantages of ERM over siloed risk management. - Review the history and policy mandates for ERM in federal agencies (e.g., OMB A-123). - Discuss how ERM improves coordination and reduces unmanaged risks. #### Module 5: Gaining Value from ERM - Explore value maximization through balancing results, resources, and risks. - Implement ERM as part of value-based decision-making and portfolio management. - Incorporate stakeholder needs, governance, and data into risk-informed strategies. #### Module 6: Additional Considerations for Implementing ERM - Assess ERM maturity models and long-term implementation strategies. - Define leadership’s role in risk culture and governance structures. - Understand collaboration with auditors and audit readiness within ERM systems. ## Schedule - Aug 17, 2026 9:00am–5:00pm — Washington, DC - Sep 28, 2026 9:00am–5:00pm — Washington, DC - Nov 12, 2026 9:00am–5:00pm — Washington, DC ## Instructors ### Alan B. Robinson — Instructor Mr. Robinson is a seasoned legal and federal employment expert with over two decades of experience. He recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, where he spent 11 years as Deputy Director/Director for the Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) and 8 years as Chief of Employee and Labor Relations. In these roles, he provided extensive guidance on federal employment matters, showcasing his deep expertise in labor relations and diversity initiatives. A graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Government, Mr. Robinson earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Before his federal service, he built a robust legal career, starting as a law clerk for the Baltimore City Orphan’s Court, followed by 10 years as a civil defense litigator with a D.C. law firm, and later operating his own solo practice for 5 years. His private practice focused on representing federal agencies, employees, municipalities, and private entities in employment-related cases before the EEOC, Merit Systems Protection Board, and various courts. Currently, Mr. Robinson shares his wealth of knowledge as an adjunct instructor with the Graduate School USA and serves as a registered arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). His extensive background in law, federal employment, and diversity makes him a valuable resource in his field. ### Kent Miller — Instructor Kent D. Miller, Jr., MBA, CDFM-A, is a highly accomplished financial management expert and educator with over 40 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. A retired U.S. Army officer, Kent has held leadership roles such as Controller/CFO for the U.S. Army Missile Command and Program Manager/Financial Analyst for the Assistant Secretary of the Army. His expertise spans budgeting, cost analysis, managerial accounting, and financial systems implementation. Notably, he managed a $9 billion organization, supervised a financial staff of 150, and developed funding requirements and congressional testimony for senior Army leadership. Kent’s career also includes consulting and training, where he has developed over 50 courses and taught more than 20,000 students from federal agencies and contractors. As an adjunct instructor at Graduate School USA since 2005, Kent specializes in financial management training for federal employees. His courses cover a wide range of topics, including appropriations law, budget formulation and execution, and performance-based budgeting. Kent’s teaching is informed by his extensive experience in planning, programming, and budgeting, as well as his work in reengineering processes to achieve cost savings. He is also a Certified Defense Financial Manager with Acquisition Specialty (CDFM-A) and has been recognized for his leadership in professional organizations such as the Society of Defense Financial Management and the Association of Government Accountants. ### Alan McCain — Curriculum Program Manager Alan McCain is a retired combat veteran who served as both an Air Force enlisted member and a Navy officer. He brings over 30 years of experience spanning federal and commercial budgeting, auditing, programming, operations, global logistics support, supply chain and inventory management, as well as major IT acquisition. He possesses extensive, hands-on budget and audit experience across Federal, State, and Local government operations, including work within the Executive Office of the President and the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, as well as the Office of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., among others. Alan’s consulting background includes strategic planning and business development with the District of Columbia government, multiple federal agencies, Lockheed Martin, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a Certified Government/Defense Financial Manager (CGFM/DFM), holds a Teaching Certification from Harvard University’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and earned an Executive MBA in International Business from The George Washington University. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $579