PARK RIDGE, Illinois — The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the world’s oldest professional safety organization, has completed its 2018 Society elections and congratulates its new leaders, whose terms begin July 1. Rixio Medina, CSP, ASP, CPP, will become ASSE’s new president for 2018-19.
“Elections are the heart of a professional society, and I’m happy to see our members staying involved and being committed to voting,” said ASSE President Jim Smith, M.S., CSP, whose term expires June 30. “Highly engaged members define our Society, keeping ASSE dynamic while putting us in position to achieve new successes.”
The top elected positions at ASSE – all part of its Board of Directors – are president, president-elect, senior vice president, vice president of finance and directors-at-large. Each is a one-year term, except for the two-year term of vice president of finance and the three-year term of director-at-large. The succession of leaders from senior vice president to president-elect, and from president-elect to president, is automatic.
Following is a snapshot of ASSE’s top newly elected leaders, whose influence and contributions will help shape the policies and programs that sustain the organization as a global occupational safety and health leader.
● President Rixio Medina, CSP, ASP, CPP, provides occupational safety, fire protection, process safety and security consulting services as president of Rixio Medina & Associates L.P. His four decades of experience include 30 years at CITGO Petroleum Corporation. He also held positions at Mobil Oil Corporation, BP, AcuTech Consulting and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Medina is a former presidential appointee to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. He is an ASSE Fellow and professional member since 1991.
● President-Elect Diana Stegall, CSP, CFPS, ALCM, ARM, CPCU, is senior loss control consultant for United Heartland, previously serving as loss control branch manager at Chubb. She has been an ASSE member since 1990, becoming the first woman named Safety Professional of the Year in 2005. Stegall is a two-time winner of the Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award. Her committee work includes government affairs and chair of the Professional Development Conference Planning Committee. Stegall will be Society president in 2019-20.
● Senior Vice President Deborah R. Roy, MPH, RN, CSP, COHN-S, CET, FAAOHN, is corporate director of Health, Safety and Wellness at L.L.Bean. She previously was the owner and president of SafeTech Consultants Inc., providing safety training and consulting for global clients. She earned a Master of Public Health degree in occupational health and safety from the University of North Carolina. An ASSE Fellow in 2018 and member since 1993, Roy served two years on the ASSE Board of Directors. She will be Society president in 2020-21.
● Vice President, Finance, Christine M. Sullivan, CSP, ARM, is senior vice president and loss control leader at Sompo International. Prior to that, she was senior vice president and risk control services manager at Lockton Cos. LLC. Sullivan has been an ASSE member since 1996, previously serving as vice president of the Council on Professional Development. Her honors include the Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award and being named the Risk Management and Insurance Practice Specialty Safety Professional of the Year.
● Director-At-Large Joel M. Haight, Ph.D., P.E., CSP, CIH, is associate professor of industrial engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where he conducts research on productivity, human factors engineering and safety engineering. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, book chapters and proceedings papers. Haight was chief of the Human Factors Branch at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has been an ASSE member since 1985.
● Director-At-Large Pamela Walaski, CSP, CHMM, is director of health and safety for GAI Consultants Inc., an engineering, planning, environmental and economic consulting firm. She has been an ASSE member since 2003, serving on the Finance Committee and Council on Professional Affairs. Walaski is a member of the Safety Science Advisory Board at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the Safety Engineering Certificate Advisory Committee at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned a 2015 Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award.
To run on the ASSE ballot, candidates must possess a number of qualifications in addition to being a professional member. Attributes include involvement in an ASSE committee or task force, a record of positive contributions to the safety and health profession, support and understanding of the Society’s vision, and being a good motivator who is results-driven. See a complete list of ASSE’s election results at http://www.asse.org/elections/results2018/.
Media contact: Blaine Krage, 847.768.3416, bkrage@asse.org