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Founded in 1914, The Risk Management Association (RMA) is a not-for-profit, member-driven professional association whose sole purpose is to advance the use of sound risk principles in the financial services industry. RMA promotes an enterprise approach to risk management that focuses on credit risk, market risk, and operational risk.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, RMA has approximately 3,000 institutional members that include banks of all sizes as well as nonbank financial institutions. They are represented in the association by 18,000 risk management professionals who are chapter members in financial centers throughout North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.

The Tri-Counties Chapter, like all RMA chapters, is organized and run by volunteer members. We strongly encourage current or prospective members to become involved in shaping the future direction of the chapter by contacting any of the current officers or committee chairs. We would also be happy to discuss the many benefits that can be derived from membership in RMA.

The Tri-Counties Chapter was founded in 1988 as a Group of the Southern California Chapter. That affiliation was terminated in 1995—the same time that the Orange County, Inland Empire, and Las Vegas Groups broke off and became self-standing chapters.

The founding board included officers James DiSanto, President (since retired), Paul Mistele, Vice President, Tim Marme, Secretary, and Cary Post, Treasurer. Additional board members included Tom Reese (since retired), Bob Alviani, Tom Farmer, Don Dobie, Tom Ruggles, and Gary Gruttadaurio (Deceased). Today's board continues to represent the banks headquartered within the geographic boundaries of the chapter—Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

General membership meeting locations rotate among cities from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria in an effort to more effectively serve the extended geography of the chapter. The chapter also sponsors educational events from Arroyo Grande to Ventura on an annual basis.

The Tri-Counties Chapter has been a premier performing chapter for RMA National the past seven years, having achieved the highest level of performance—the Platinum Award—for chapters in similar markets. This award is granted to the chapter with the highest level of service to its constituents, as measured by the STAR report, the monitoring tool used by RMA National to judge chapter performance.