Karen Cutts, Managing Editor of the Risk Retention Reporter, dies of cancer |
 PASADENA, California - Feb. 8, 2010 - Karen Cutts, the Managing Editor of the Risk Retention Reporter, passed away on February 2, 2010, after a courageous seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Ms. Cutts, age 69, had been on medical leave since her diagnosis on July 4, 2009.
Ms. Cutts was the founder and publisher of the Risk Retention Reporter — now in its 24th year — and related publications. From years of experience and in-depth involvement with the Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA), Ms. Cutts brought a unique perspective to the risk retention industry. Her technical knowledge of the LRRA, coupled with her practical insight into state insurance department implementation, gave her unique insight not available from other sources. Considered one of the foremost experts on the LRRA, Ms. Cutts was a frequent speaker on the subject and author of articles in a wide range of insurance publications.
Ms. Cutts' contribution to the risk retention industry was profound. Since the inception of the LRRA, she had forged close working relationships with insurance professionals and regulators as well as the insurance consumers that the LRRA has benefited.
"This is a great loss for the entire captive industry. Karen is an icon in the risk retention group (RRG) field," says Wendy Fisher, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Home Buyers Warranty Family of Companies and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Risk Retention Association. "She was a wonderful expert, eager to share her knowledge and expertise with everyone. I will miss her wit and bubbly personality and her friendship."
Dana G. Sheppard, Associate Commissioner, Risk Finance Bureau, District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking recalls, "I will always remember Karen for her passion for risk retention groups and risk purchasing groups. Her work was invaluable to those of us who work with RRGs."
Ms. Cutts, an attorney, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and graduated summa cum laude from the San Fernando Valley College of Law, where she was the class valedictorian.
In addition to her activities in the insurance industry, Ms. Cutts had been active in civic affairs in Pasadena. She was also an accomplished classical pianist. Her passions included hiking and bicycling in the countryside around Santa Barbara, where she and her husband spent weekends. She enjoyed taking bicycling trips with friends to many parts of the world, including France, Croatia, Turkey and Thailand.
Ms. Cutts is survived by her husband, James Cutts, now the Publisher of the Risk Retention Reporter, her daughters Brianna Cutts and Dominique Cain, her brother Donald Lemos, and her sister Barbara Lemos.
Karrie Hyatt, the Assistant Editor of the Risk Retention Reporter, who assumed Ms. Cutts' role as editor when she became ill, has been appointed Managing Editor. Ms. Hyatt has worked closely with Ms. Cutts for the past five years and had a number of key responsibilities for the Risk Retention Reporter and the related publications. Karen Cutts will remain on the masthead as the Founding Editor of the Risk Retention Reporter. James Cutts stated, "I remain committed to Karen’s legacy. We will continue to serve the industry that she loved and sustain the standards of insightful and accurate reporting for which she was widely recognized."
The Cutts family encourages all who wish to celebrate Karen's memory to join the fight against pancreatic cancer by making a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org). |
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Recollections of Karen
from her colleagues in the industry
Wendy Fisher, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Home Buyers Warranty Family of Companies and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Risk Retention Association
This is a great loss for the entire captive industry. Karen is an icon in the RRG field. She was a wonderful expert, eager to share her knowledge and expertise with everyone. I will miss her wit and bubbly personality and her friendship. I can't express how much appreciation and love I have for Karen and what she's done for this industry.
Robert H. "Skip" Myers Jr., General Counsel for Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
I've known Karen for many, many years. She was a great friend. She was a person with real insight into the risk retention industry and a real supporter of the industry. I remember discussing with her one time how she got into [the LRRA]—she was a lawyer and wanted to follow this young industry as it grew. And that's what she did. She was a constant presence at industry meetings and was such a very warm, friendly person.
Arthur Perschetz, Counsel for Baker & Daniels
The first time I met Karen at a captive meeting, it was in the early stages of my captive practice. She was such a welcoming person, eager to offer her help and her counsel. She was of significant importance to me. She was enthusiastic and vibrant and loved what she did. She was a generous person who cared about everyone. She never said an unkind word about anyone. She will be truly missed by the industry, both professionally and personally.
Dana G. Sheppard, Associate Commissioner, Risk Finance Bureau, District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
Personally, I will always remember Karen as a beautiful, kind and pleasant person. She was always very sincere and warm—just an all-around fantastic person. Professionally, I will always remember Karen for her passion for risk retention groups (RRGs) and risk purchasing groups. Her work at the Risk Retention Reporter was invaluable to those of us who work with RRGs. Most importantly, and more so than any other reporter/editor that I have known or worked with, Karen made sure she had her story absolutely one hundred percent correct before she published it. And I never knew her to have an agenda. Karen obviously loved her work and she will be missed dearly.
Michael J. Bemi, CPCU, ARM, ARe, President, The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc.
I first met Karen in September 1987 at the original meeting of the NRRA. Throughout the years, I frequently had the great pleasure of interacting with Karen, sometimes in my role as a NRRA Board Director and later Chair, sometimes related to industry presentations I was giving at NRRA's or CICA's or VCIA's respective annual meetings, and sometimes as she contacted me to author an article for the RRR.
At all times, my experience of Karen was that she was an incredibly warm, outgoing, enthusiastic and positive person, who clearly loved life, people and her professional endeavors. She was also a consummate professional, imbued with total integrity and a passion to 'get the story right' and her facts 'straight.' Finally, she was a tireless and extremely effective advocate for the RRG/PG industry. I will miss her very, very much.
Jack P. Gibson, CPCU, CRIS, ARM, President, International Risk Management Institute, Inc.
Karen was a bright and innovative person who helped nurture the risk retention industry from its infancy to the maturity and legitimacy that it enjoys today. She provided a positive influence to many people in the industry and left a lasting legacy. Karen will be missed.
Christina A. Mancini, CIC, CEO, Captive.com, LLC
We will all miss Karen's smiling face at industry events, but please know that she was loved by many, and that her memory will live on in our hearts. She was an amazing woman.
Ken Crippen, President & CEO, ATTIC, RRG
I never had the opportunity to meet Karen in person, but did have the pleasure to talk with her on a couple of instances over the last seven years. It was always a rewarding experience. She took her journalistic leadership in the risk retention industry very seriously, it was obvious. She will be missed.
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