Years as an ASSP member – 1
Years in the safety industry – 5

Meet Matt Thompson, Project Safety Manager at Brady. Matt grew up in a Tualatin, Oregon. He later attended Oregon State majoring in Earth Science and the University of Idaho majoring in Technology Management.

3 key responsibilities of your job – 

• Site safety visits, where I look for unsafe conditions and unsafe behavior
• Training and validation of competency on safety topics
• Employee resource for improving the safety of project sites

What or Who inspires you – My wife, Courtney, pushes me everyday to grow beyond my comfort zone, both personally and professionally.

Most meaningful professional achievement – I had the opportunity to work on the Life Safety team for a major factory construction project in North Carolina. I was able to write a maintenance plan for our life safety equipment, guide installation, commissioning, validation, and debugging of equipment for the site. I was fortunate to learn and grow with some really talented people.

Future career goal or aspiration – I am hoping to go for my CSP before the end of the year.

Go-to comfort food – Anything spicy. I love tacos and jalapeno poppers.

Hobbies/Enjoy doing outside of work – I love to travel. I’ve been to India, Mexico, Costa Rica twice, Germany, England twice (3x if you count being born there). We are hoping to do Italy or Greece next, although there is always the risk we will be distracted by a cheap flight to Costa Rica, which is my happy place.

I have been described as a foodie and a beer nerd. I’ve already taught my daughter how to make a basic bechamel sauce. I think Shrimp and Grits is probably the next recipe I will try to perfect in my kitchen. I share that same level of nerdiness about beer, and if you ever want to discuss the pros and cons of a triple decoction brewing technique, come find me.

I also enjoy being outdoors. I like to fish and enjoy camping. In a past life I was a passionate skier, but unfortunately I was not a good one. While I no longer spend my Saturdays in lift lines, I do still set off metal detectors at the airport.

Recommended TV series to watch or book to read – Breaking Bad

Years as an ASSP member – 37
Years in the safety industry – 42

Meet John Pauls, CSP, ARM, Home Office Manager-Loss Control at Penn National Insurance. John grew up in a ‘small town outside of Pittsburgh’. He says “half of it is torn down, the other half should be”. He later attended the University of Dayton, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

3 key responsibilities of your job – 

• Overseeing Loss Control consulting services provided to our insured commercial policyholders.
• Managing Loss Control Department staff, goals/direction, and budgets.
• Interacting with Home Office Executive staff, Branch Management staff, and Branch employees on the goals of reducing insured policyholder losses and achieving corporate goals.

Years as an ASSP member – 5
Years in the safety industry – 6

Meet Debbie Talbott, EHS Director at Community Based Care. Debbie grew up in here in Greensboro. She later attended Liberty University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science. She will graduate with her MBA this May.

3 key responsibilities of your job – 

• Preparing for and leading the response and recovery of our organization for any manmade or natural disasters.
• Ensuring our Group Homes meet and maintain state and federal regulations.
• ProEnsuring the safety of Homecare workers in multiple states.

Years as an ASSP member – 10
Years in the safety industry – 14

Meet Rená Hart, Corporate Space and Defense Group EHS Manager at Moog, Inc. Rená grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. She later attended Clemson University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.

3 key responsibilities of your job – 

1. Partner with site EHS staff and site leadership for implementation of EHS programs, to include delivering training and assisting with building project plans.
2. Participate in internal Corporate EHS Compliance Audits of sites, domestic and international.
3. Provide technical expertise on applicable regulatory requirements.

Meet Andrew Davis, Safety Manager & Quality Compliance at Allen Industries. Andrew grew up in High Point, North Carolina. He later attended High Point University, graduating with a BS in Manage Information Systems.

Years as an ASSP member – 1
Years in the safety industry – 5

3 key responsibilities of your job

• Polices – Responsible for the written EHS policies for all six manufacturing facilities throughout the country. Reviewing and auditing the EHS policies while modernizing to current OSHA standards; PPE Assessments, JHA’s, and WSA on jobsites to ensure worker safety; conduct plant and equipment inspections; and conduct Root Cause Analysis on incidents to minimize risk exposures.
• Teaching – Hold training workshops in toolbox topics, first aid, CPR, forklift training, OSHA 10, HAZCOM, 1910 General Industry & 1926 Construction topics and various other courses for the employees to create a safe work environment.
• Coordinating – Organize the OSHA & DOT consultative visits around the country to confirm the operation is meeting federal standards in OSHA, EPA, DOT, and Fire Code regulations.

Meet Bakri Abushouk, EHS Coordinator at CSL. Bakri grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He later attended NC State University, graduating with a BS in Environmental Science.

Years as an ASSP member – 2
Years in the safety industry – 6

3 key responsibilities of your job – Provide EHS guidance and maintain compliance both with regulatory and company requirements.

Drive initiatives and facilitate engagement for employees to get involved with safety and environmental stewardship. Our company is on a journey toward a world class EHS culture and this is critical.

Provide support to key improve performance (KPI) goals for the site. This includes employee engagement, incidents occurred and reported on time, investigations and corrective actions completed in a timely manner.

What or Who inspires you – I’ve been fortunate to have worked with exceptional employers and teammates, each with many years of experience in the EHS field. Their knowledge, commitment to safety and their continuous support of my success, shape who I am today. They’ve set the example of strong leadership and inspire me today.

Most meaningful professional achievement – Mine has not been dedicated to any specific recognition, but rather the opportunity to work in the role where I have made a real impact with safety. I am proud of the credibility I’ve gained by my peers and by employees I’ve worked with.

Future career goal or aspiration – Continue advancing in the EHS field, continue to learn and have meaningful relationships. I also aspire to take on leadership roles where I can continue to influence culture.

Go-to comfort food – Pizza

Hobbies/Enjoy doing outside of work – I enjoy sports, running, hiking and comparative religious studies.

Recommended TV series to watch or book to read – TV Series – Monk

Meet Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi, Associate Professor at North Carolina A&T State University. Emmanuel grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. He later attended Indiana University in Bloomington, graduating with a PhD Environmental Health & Epidemiology.

Years as an ASSP member – 6

Years in the safety industry – 10

3 key responsibilities of your job – 

Teaching: Educating students in Environmental Health and Safety by delivering courses, mentoring, and preparing them for careers that address critical public health and safety challenges. This includes designing curricula, fostering critical thinking, and ensuring students gain practical knowledge.

Research: Conducting advanced research in Environmental Health, focusing on the effects of environmental exposures, stressors, and pollutants on public health.

Service: Engaging in professional and community service, contributing to the development of policies and practices that enhance environmental health and safety. This includes collaboration with academic institutions, industry, and community stakeholders, as well as participating in committees and providing expert advice on environmental risk assessments.

Meet Nick Townsend, Sales Manager North Carolina Territory, Sales Solutions Inc. Nick grew up in Muskegon, MI. He later attended California State University in Long Beach, graduating with a degree in International Business & Marketing.

Years as an ASSP member – First year

Years in the safety industry – 2

3 key responsibilities of your job – Educate, demonstrate and sell Fall Protection, PPE & Traffic Safety equipment

What or Who inspires you – The person who speaks up and confidently says “I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’ll do some research and get right back with you with an answer for it.” – Writes it down and follows up promptly

Most meaningful professional achievement – The relationships I’ve developed in North Carolina over the past 2 years in my current role

Future career goal or aspiration – To be a great father

Go-to comfort food – Pizza

Hobbies/Enjoy doing outside of work – Reading, traveling, exercising, after-dinner walks with my wife Kati, laughing & helping others.

Recommended TV series to watch or book to read – Your Honor (tv series) & The Odessa File (book)

Jerri Taylor, Construction Safety Technician

Meet Jerri Taylor, a construction safety technician at Brady Services. Jerri has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Safety from the University of Central Oklahoma. She has worked in various administrative roles in the medical field for over 20 years, until 2019 when she stepped over to contracted safety work, mostly in construction, before starting with Brady.

Some key and fun facts about Jerri:

• Name, Title, Company:  Jerri Taylor, Construction Safety Technician, Brady Services
• Years in the safety industry: 4 years
• Years as an ASSP member: 2 Years
• Key job responsibilities: Going out to jobsites, doing audits, and continuing to educate on safe work practices.
• Most meaningful professional achievement: No one has ever died or had lost work days while I was their safety person.
• Future career goal or aspiration: Getting my CSP.
• Go-to comfort food: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
• Hobbies: Kick boxing.
• Favorite book read: Rich Dad Poor Dad

Ligé Reese, Construction Management Student, NC A&T

Meet Ligé Reese, a student at NC A&T in the Construction Management program who recently completed her term as Student Chapter President.

Some key and fun facts about Ligé :

• Why I chose NC A&T: I chose NC A&T because of its construction management degree. I wanted to challenge myself academically and grow personally.
• Favorite EHS class: Construction Safety: this was my first introduction to safety and piqued my interest.
• Career fields of interest: General Contracting, Agriculture Safety
• Most meaningful achievement: Being part of a research team. Under our professor, Dr. Yuhan-Jiang, we developed an AI-powered Roadway Management System named iPave. This system can understand Aerial Images (i.e., Google Earth Imagery and mapped Drone Images) to identify potential pavement defections, create working orders for field inspections, handle field inspections collected 3D Reality data, and predicate the pavement’s life cycle time.
• Future career goals or aspirations: I want to obtain a master’s degree in business administration and move out of North Carolina, where I grew up. I want to buy some land and start a little farm.
• Go-to comfort food: Pizza
• Hobbies: Working out, Going to the zoo, Walking in parks, Cooking
• Favorite book read: Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), The People Factor (Van Moody)
• Places worked: Bordeaux Construction Company, Intern, Summer 2022 and 2023; Undergraduate Research Assistant, 2023; U.S. Army Reserves, Sergeant, 5 years.