With gratitude for more than 17 years of service to the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (California JPIA) and its members, Assistant Executive Officer Norm Lefmann has announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2021.
“I have been very fortunate to be able to work with the California JPIA,” said Lefmann. “What’s been most satisfying to me is the professional and personal relationships I’ve developed with our staff and our member organizations. It’s been tremendously rewarding for me to collaborate with people who have passion for achieving their absolute best.”
A well-respected presence both internally and externally, Lefmann also served as the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities’ vice president and chair of its legislative committee.
“As a leader of not only the California JPIA but also the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities,” said Chief Executive Officer Jon Shull, “Norm is a highly respected professional who has made a lasting impact on the risk pooling community with his sincere commitment to education, advocacy, and assistance.”
Lefmann, who joined the California JPIA in March 2004 as a senior risk manager, also served as member services director before his promotion as assistant executive officer in 2006. Overseeing member-facing programs, he has been responsible for the Authority’s claims management functions, risk management and training programs, technology initiatives, and social media presence. Under his leadership, the Authority expanded its member programs and services, including ADA assistance, sidewalk inspection and maintenance, and the Loss Control Action Plan (LossCAP) Program.
“In the nearly 18 years since I first started working for the Authority,” he said, “we have matured tremendously, not only in our coverage programs but also in our holistic approach to helping members. We have also invested in our culture, which has made our organizational fabric extremely strong.”
“Norm has been an essential element in crafting the culture of our organization and contributing to its success,” said Shull. “His institutional knowledge and industry experience have set us apart from our peers in the self-insurance pooling community, making our pool more effective, more efficient, and better able to provide excellent service to our members.”
An executive with over 20 years of experience visualizing, developing, and organizing effective organizational strategies, implementing innovative service delivery models, investing in relationships, and creating dynamic workplace cultures, Lefmann joined the Authority from the City of Burbank where he was an administrative officer. In Burbank, he initiated decentralized accountability for managing the police budget by pushing real-time information and redefining roles in expending authorized funding. At the same time, he served as an adjunct professor at California State University, Long Beach, teaching public budgeting to students in the Graduate Center for Public Policy & Administration.
Lefmann holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy, local government, and privatization from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he studied state and local finance, as well as public finance, organizational behavior, and economics.
Lefmann and his wife, Sheryl, former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Duarte Chamber of Commerce, have relocated to South Carolina.
“We certainly look forward to spending more time with family,” he said. “Being invested in their lives is a big priority for us.”
“Norm will be greatly missed for his intelligence and insight into risk management for our cities and the state,” said Executive Committee President and Duarte Councilmember Margaret Finlay. “Personally, I will miss Norm, as he and his wife, Sheryl, were residents of my city. Best of luck to the Lefmanns in their retirement.”
The California JPIA thanks Norm for his service to the Authority and its members, and wishes him the best in retirement.
Providing innovative risk management solutions for its public agency partners for more than 40 years, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (California JPIA) is one of the largest municipal self-insurance pools in the state, with more than 120 member cities and other governmental agencies. Members actively participate in shaping the organization to provide important coverage for their operations. The California JPIA provides innovative risk management solutions through a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services, including liability, workers’ compensation, pollution, property, and earthquake coverage, as well as extensive training and loss control services. For more information, please visit the California JPIA’s website at cjpia.org.