Brenda Powell Wells
Brenda Powell Wells holds both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia. She holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Accredited Advisor of Insurance (AAI) and Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations.
Brenda has spent over 30 years studying and teaching risk management and insurance. She presently serves as the director of that program and is the Robert F. Bird Distinguished Professor of Risk Management and Insurance.
During her career she has taught numerous risk and insurance courses. She has also supervised countless internships and independent study projects. Brenda has a long history of forming, supporting, and mentoring student organizations and has a wide range of experience in public relations and fundraising. She is the founder of the Texas Risk and Insurance Professional Society (TRIPS), a non-profit entity that supports insurance education. She has a career fundraising total of well-over $2 million.
Brenda has published articles in Journal of Risk and Insurance, Journal of Insurance Regulation, Journal of Insurance Issues, and others. Her current research interests include mass tort litigation in the pharmaceutical industry, the effect of marijuana legalization on the insurance industry, social media, cyber liability and how insurance education impacts public attitudes towards the insurance industry. Her publication in Journal of Insurance Issues on marijuana legalization and its impact on property-casualty insurance is considered the seminal paper in this field.
Outside of her duties in academia, Brenda serves as a private consultant and corporate trainer to the insurance and risk management industry. Her consulting firm—Risk Education Strategies--offers agency management consulting, social media consulting, custom seminar delivery, preparation of expert opinions and testimony, continuing education course delivery, agency valuation, risk management audits, and intellectual patent application review. More information about her firm can be found at www.riskedstrategies.com
Who's Driving This? Where Are We Going with Autonomous Vehicles?
Self-driving cars are on the roads today in varying degrees, including vehicles that are not designed to have any human pilot on board. These vehicles are working in cities around the country, potentially in a city new you. Join us as Brenda Wells brings her take on this expanding and evolving risk.
Space Needs Spring Cleaning: The Growing Problem of Satellite Pollution
Satellite growth is accelerating, from about 10,000 in orbit today toward a projected 60,000, driving new collision and disruption risk. Join Dr. Brenda Wells to examine orbital pollution through an insurance and risk lens, and what mitigation steps can reduce exposure.
Beyond The Label - The Hidden Dangers of Ultra Processed Foods
In a recent article, a major snack brand announced a rebrand and marketing effort to remind people that their potato chips are made with real potatoes. According to them, 47% of consumers didn't know that there were potatoes in potato chips. Join us as a team of students from East Carolina University bring us their take on the topic of Ultra Processed Foods, what risks they pose, and what we can do about them.
Top Risks to Watch in 2026
Hurricanes? Wildfires? Political upheaval? Locusts?
What are the top risks that the insurance world should be paying attention to in 2026? Join us as Dr. Brenda Wells brings a special session dedicated to the biggest risks that could arise in the coming year.
PFAS: An Evolving Risk That Won't Go Away
In this refresh, Dr. Brenda Wells is going to help us to understand the risk of PFAS, what they are, and why we should care. Join us so that you're aware of what's going on and how this exposure might affect you and your clients.
Triggering Change: The Rise of Parametric Insurance
Parametric insurance doesn't work like other insurance policies. It pays based on a triggering event, based on the specifics of the policy. Join us as Dr. Brenda Wells and her RMI team at ECU bring us this timely class all about parametric insurance.
Cyber Liability in 2024: The Expanding Need for Coverage
Everyone needs to understand cyber liability and what it means for any size business that relies on computers. Join Dr. Wells as she discusses the various exposures to loss, as well as the coverages that are available to help with this risk.
The US Legal System and Legal Liability
The legal system is complicated and so is liability. Even the process of discovering who is liable can be complicated.
Join us as Brenda Wells gives us an overview of the US legal system and helps us understand how the law might impose liability.
Artificial Intelligence for the Insurance Industry
AI is in the news and we are being told that it will disrupt everything from the work we do to who is doing the work. Join us as Brenda Powell Wells brings us her new session all about AI and how it'll impact us humans who work in the insurance world.
Automobile Diminished Value: Is THAT Covered?
Diminution in value is the loss of value in an automobile after it has been wrecked and repaired. Very simply, it’s the decline in fair market value attributed to a vehicle having been wrecked and then repaired. In some states, it's actually a covered loss and in others, it isn't. Join us as Brenda Wells brings this session on an important topic related to auto claims and coverage.