Award Winner-Leland Blackwood, City of Maryville

East Tennessee Excellence in Risk Management Award Winner - Leland Blackwood, Risk Manager, City of Maryville

The City of Maryville provides water, sewer, electric, codes, planning, economic development, fire, police, parks and recreation, and sanitation services to approximately 30,000 citizens. In his role as risk manager for the city, Leland Blackwood has worked diligently for more than 19 years to make safety a priority across the city and among the entity’s more than 300 employees, and to safeguard public resources, including buildings valued at nearly $220 million.

For nearly two decades, Leland has focused on providing safety training, developing various programs that reduce accidents and injuries, complying with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) through the city’s transition plan, and advocating for a common-sense approach to risk management.

Leland has worked on many safety-related projects, including special safety events and ensuring that certificates of insurance are properly managed for third-party vendors. Some of the projects he has developed over the years include a comprehensive city-wide safety manual and a bucket truck training course, and he has also advocated for defibrillators in departmental supervisors’ vehicles.

Maryville has a large staff with multiple departments, which can make prompt claim and accident reporting challenging. Leland has worked throughout the years to encourage departments to report incidents and to circulate fillable claims forms to each department. Through his leadership, Maryville has also taken advantage of grants and scholarships offered through Public Entity Partners.

As a result of Leland’s efforts, Maryville had zero loss time workers’ compensation claims for the 2020-2021 policy year, and has only had three property claims since 1992!

If you’ve met Leland, you know he is a kind and thoughtful person. He’s proactive, seeks to utilize the resources available to him, continues to learn and grow, and has demonstrated these characteristics throughout his risk management career. His work and dedication to the City of Maryville and its risk management program has led to his recognition for Excellence in Risk Management.