
Left to right: California JPIA Chief Executive Officer Alexander Smith, Finance and Risk Manager Audrey Cray with the City of Pacific Grove, California JPIA Executive Committee President Margaret Finlay

Left to right: California JPIA Chief Executive Officer Alexander Smith, Raylette Felton with the City of Lawndale, Audrey Cray with the City of Pacific Grove, California JPIA Executive Committee President Margaret Finlay, Linda Reid with the City of Buellton, Alexa Davis with the City of Rolling Hills Estates, Heather Reiter with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
The California JPIA presents the Capstone Award each year to an individual who best exemplifies the practice of risk management by working to support risk management efforts, developing loss control programs, and coordinating systems that support their agency’s risk management efforts. An individual nominated for the Capstone Award can be a person who works at any level within a member agency and ideally, would be someone who:
- Works to support traditional or enterprise risk management efforts for the member agency.
- Develops, implements, and administers loss prevention and loss control programs to mitigate risk exposures for the member agency.
- Coordinates support systems that serve the member’s risk management goals and needs.
- Influences others in developing quality risk management programs for the member agency.
The nominees judged to be the most worthy of recognition will be selected as finalists and invited to attend the Authority’s Risk Management Educational Forum. A brief presentation will introduce each of the finalists during an award ceremony, with the announced winner receiving the Capstone Award.
The 2023 Capstone Award finalists were:
- Alexa Davis, Assistant City Manager, City of Rolling Hills Estates
- Audrey Cray, Finance and Risk Manager, City of Pacific Grove
- Heather Reiter, Training and Safety Specialist, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
- Linda Reid, City Clerk / Human Resources Director, City of Buellton
- Raylette Felton, Deputy City Manager / Human Resources and Risk Manager, City of Lawndale
The Capstone Award was presented to Audrey Cray during a ceremony at the 2023 Forum at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.
For questions about the Capstone Award, contact Administrative Services Director Nikki Salas by email or at (562) 467-8722.
The 29th Annual Risk Management Educational Forum will be held October 9–11, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells, California.
Capstone Award Recipients
2023 – Audrey Cray, City of Pacific Grove
2022 – Shannon Buckley, City of Lake Elsinore
2021 – Arabo Parseghian, City of La Cañada Flintridge*
2019 – Stephen Y. Aryan, City of Palm Desert
2018 – Teri Davis, City of Moorpark
2017 – Isaac Etchamendy, City of San Marcos
2016 – Susan Crumly, City of Bellflower
2015 – Nikki Salas, Town of Apple Valley
2014 – Rayna Ospina, City of San Gabriel
2013 – Debra Garcia, City of Pismo Beach
* The Capstone Award was not presented in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.