Meet this year’s diverse lineup of speakers
Adele Abrams, Esq., ASP, CMS
President, Law Office of Adele L. Abrams PC
Meet the Speaker: Adele Abrams
Adele Abrams is an attorney, safety professional and trainer who is president of the Law Office of Adele L. Abrams P.C. in Beltsville, MD, Charleston, WV, and Denver, CO, a multi-attorney firm focusing on safety, health, environmental, and employment law nationwide.
Adele is an Associate Safety Professional (ASP), and a Certified Mine Safety Professional (CMSP). She provides consultation, safety audits and training services, and represents employers in OSHA, MSHA and employment law matters. She is on the faculty of University of Colorado and the Catholic University of America, where she instructs on employment, labor, and safety law.
Adele is a member of multiple state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. She is a graduate of the George Washington University’s National Law Center, and earned her B.S. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her professional memberships include the American Society of Safety Professionals, National Safety Council, and the American Bar Association. In 2017, she received the NSC’s Distinguished Service to Safety Award. She is a multiple recipient of the ASSP SPY award at the chapter, practice specialty and regional level.
James Alexander, CSP, CIT, CHST
Safety Professional, HammerTech
Meet the Speaker: James Alexander
Awarded Safety Professional with 20 years of experience in construction and industrial sectors. Pioneered the adoption of new technology solutions to support DPR Constructions Compliance, Safety and Risk Programs.
James joined HammerTech in 2021 to help the industry leverage CRS data more widely to improve results, profitability, and productivity.
Fernando Arias
Director of Sustainability, Clark Construction
Meet the Speaker: Fernando Arias
Fernando Arias works with executive leadership to shape Clark’s national sustainability approach. Since joining Clark in 2017, Fernando has overseen Clark’s national sustainability operations teams, advised preconstruction teams on healthy, high-performing building design and construction strategies, and leveraged his department’s research team to find solutions and innovations that meet a diverse range of goals. He has also led the company through its corporate sustainability initiatives, including the successful Fitwel health and wellness certification of Clark’s corporate offices in all U.S. major markets.
Fernando earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, and holds two master’s degrees from Columbia University in architecture and urban design, and in public administration focused on environmental science and policy.
In 2019, Fernando was appointed by Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to the Green Building Advisory Council, advising various city agencies on industry best practices related to the implementation of the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018, and the Green Building Act of 2006.
Amanda Atkinson
VP, Sustainable Services, Holder Construction Company
Meet the Speaker: Amanda Atkinson
Amanda Atkinson, VP of Sustainable Services for Holder Construction, is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Amanda has 20 years of overall experience in the construction industry and pioneered Holder Construction Company’s efforts to assist clients and partners in exceeding their sustainability goals. Through support of 170+ projects in her career, she has greatly influenced the sustainable building impacts of universities, airports, hotels, and many Fortune 500 companies.
Amanda sets the vision and implements sustainable practices for Holder, a large commercial construction management firm. She provides industry leadership through her involvement in the USGBC Georgia Market Leadership Advisory Board and as co-chair of the Carbon Leadership Forum’s Atlanta Hub.
Anette Balestrand Tower
Project Manager, Erland Construction, Inc.
Meet the Speaker: Anette Balestrand Tower
Anette Balestrand Tower is a Project Manager at Erland Construction, Inc. She served as the PtD Coordinator on a new 149K SF mixed-use office and lab pharmaceutical building. During the project which kicked off in 2019, she assisted with developing 100+ prevention considerations that were implemented into the building’s design and construction.
She has continued this work on new projects and assisted with developing key considerations that can be presented to the project team early on to lead off the process. Mrs. Tower has sat on the NIOSH-funded PtD Steering Committee since 2020 and holds a Master’s in Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Thomas Barnard
Director for HSE – Construction and Design, Digital Realty
Meet the Speaker: Thomas Barnard
Eric A. Berg
Of Counsel, Ogletree Deakins
Meet the Speaker: Eric A. Berg
Eric has more than twenty-five years’ experience investigating, negotiating, and litigating disability access claims under federal, state, and local laws—including Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act, and the Chicago Building Code—and, most recently, claims involving a hotel in Atlanta, a restaurant in Chicago, and multifamily housing developments in Oklahoma.
Dr. Stephen A. Dawkins
Medical Director, Caduceus USA
Meet the Speaker: Stephen A. Dawkins
Dr. Dawkins is nationally recognized for his work and has been covered by the media, both print and television. He has presented nationally with respect to the treatment and prevention of injuries and illnesses related to the workplace. Dr. Dawkins serves/has served as the Medical Director for numerous companies.
Dr. Jesus M. de la Garza, PhD., DIST.M.ASCE, F.CMAA, NAC
Clemson University
Meet the Speaker: Jesus de la Garza
Dr. Jesus M. de la Garza is professor and chair of the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University. He is a subject matter expert for ARTBA’s Safety Certification for Transportation Project Professionals (SCTPP) program. In addition, he is the Vecellio Professor Emeritus of construction engineering and management at Virginia Tech.
Dr. de la Garza is a Distinguished Member of ASCE, Member of the National Academy of Construction, Fellow of the Construction Management Association of America, and a 2021 recipient of ASCE’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) award. Dr. de la Garza received his MS and PhD from the University of Illinois and his BSCE from Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. He has held visiting professorships at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, Arizona State University, and Georgia Tech.
Steve Duff, CSP, ASP
SE Regional Safety, DPR Construction
Meet the Speaker: Steve Duff
Steve has over 20 years of construction safety and health experience. He started his career as a safety manager at The Weitz Company and, after 6 years, joined Danis as their Corporate Safety Director. For the last 6 years, Steve has served as DPR Construction’s SE Regional Safety Manager.
Steve graduated from Iowa State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology – Occupational Safety & Health.
Alex Etchen
Senior Director, Government Affairs, Infrastructure Advancement, AGC of America
Meet the Speaker: Alex Etchen
Prior to joining the Department, Alex worked in Congress for nearly seven years; first for a Member of Congress from Idaho and then on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Originally from Ligonier, Pa., Alex earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University.
Jim Frederick
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, OSHA, U.S. DOL
Meet the Speaker: Jim Frederick
Jim Frederick has three decades of experience providing occupational health and safety leadership to North American labor unions as an advocate and a resource to workers, their employers and regulatory agencies. Mr. Frederick spent twenty-five years in the Health, Safety and Environment Department of the United Steelworkers Union (USW), serving as Assistant Director and Principal Investigator until 2019. In that role, he provided technical guidance to the USW and other unions on matters pertaining to occupational health, safety, and the environment. Mr. Frederick worked closely with the USW’s management counterparts and organizations around the world on a wide range of projects to improve workplace health and safety.
Mr. Frederick earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health (Industrial Hygiene) from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Environmental Health and Safety Management from Rochester Institute of Technology. Throughout his career, he has served on a number of safety and health groups including: the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselor; the ANSI Z10 standard committee; the US committee that contributed to the ISO 45001 standard; the NIOSH NORA Traumatic Injury Prevention Council; the NIEHS Worker Training Program National Clearinghouse Advisory Committee; and the OSHA Metal Working Fluids Standard Advisory Committee.
Julia Gisewite
Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, Turner Construction Company
Meet the Speaker: Julia Gisewite
Julia is Turner Construction Company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, responsible for setting and implementing sustainability policies, standards, and strategies across Turner’s national and international operations. Turner’s program addresses topics relevant to the building industry including embodied carbon, energy, construction emissions, resiliency, waste, green building rating systems, and more. Julia has over 17 years of construction industry experience and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cornell University.
Robin A. Kemper, PE, LEED AP, EVN SP, F.SEI, Pres.19.ASCE
Senior Risk Engineer, Zurich Resilience Solutions
Meet the Speaker: Robin Kemper
Robin A. Kemper, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP, F.SEI, and ASCE 2019 President has over forty years of diverse and extensive structural engineering experience in design, analysis, and forensics, focused mainly on buildings. Robin currently is a Risk Engineer with Zurich Resilience Solutions. She works for both the Professional Liability and Construction Properties Risk Engineering Groups providing technical support to construction project policies, developing best practices, and investigating losses on construction projects. Robin represents Risk Engineering on Zurich North America’s sustainability team to help drive sustainability and resiliency. She has a passion for Engineering Ethics and since 2011, in her spare time Robin has given over 40 presentations to various engineering groups and classes.
Robin is a licensed Professional Engineer in six jurisdictions, and is a Fellow of the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute. She has been active in ASCE since college, was President of both the Central Jersey Branch and the New Jersey Section of ASCE, was District 1/Region 1 Director on the Society Board of Directors, and the Society President in 2019. Robin also served on the Board of Direction of Engineers Without Borders, and the Civil Engineering Industrial Advisory Board of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, her alma mater. She is currently a member of the Civil Engineering Industrial Advisory Boards for Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey.
Robin has been recognized for her service to ASCE throughout her career. Some recognitions include the 2013 William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award (a National award), and the 2015 ASCE New Jersey Section Civil Engineer of the Year.
Robin loves to travel, seaside vacations, and her family. She and Chris have been married over 40 years; they have two wonderful daughters and two great sons-in-law, and Robin loves playing with the newest members of the family, grandsons Jonah and Ari, and granddaughters Riley and Evie.
Scott C. Ketcham, MPA, CSP
Director, Directorate of Construction, OSHA, U.S. DOL
Meet the Speaker: Scott Ketcham
Prior to coming to OSHA’s national office, Ketcham worked for 19 years as an OSHA acting deputy regional administrator, area director, assistant area director, and compliance officer and manager in offices in the Seattle, Dallas and Philadelphia regions. Before joining OSHA, he spent five years as a staff industrial hygienist with the U.S. Army Medical Activity at Bassett Army Hospital on Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. He retired from the U.S. Army after 24 years of active and reserve service.
Ketcham holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Alaska, a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Texas A&M University, and is a Certified Safety Professional. He has a strong background in the general industry, maritime and construction industries.
Donna Laquidara-Carr, Ph.D., LEED AP
Industry Insights Research Director, Dodge Data & Analytics
Meet the Speaker: Donna Laquidara-Carr
Her insights on these topics have been published in numerous industry publications, and she regularly conducts webinars and speaks about this research at events for diverse organizations, including the AIA National Conference, CMAA National Convention, AGC National Convention, the Lean Congress, Greenbuild, the inaugural WELL Conference and BOMA.
Previously, Donna was responsible for policy and training for the editorial division of the Dodge Reports. Donna has her Ph.D. from Tulane University, M.A. from Boston University and B.A. from Middlebury College.
Julianne Laue, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, BEAP
Director of Building Performance, Mortenson Construction
Meet the Speaker: Julianne Laue
Beyond the traditional construction build, Julianne works closely with Mortenson’s customers to provide asset optimization services, including annual operating cost analysis, energy bill analysis and tracking, facilities optimization, conditions assessments, energy forensic audits, energy reduction services and facility improvement solutions—ensuring our customers can take action on the pressing challenges and issues that impact the performance of their facilities.
Andrew Levinson, MPH
Deputy Director, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance
Meet the Speaker: Andrew Levinson
Mr. Levinson received his master’s degree in public health from the Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and is a graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
Howard A. Mavity
Partner, Fisher & Phillips LLP
Meet the Speaker: Howard A. Mavity
He draws upon his past business experience in transportation, logistics, construction, and industrial supply to work with clients as a business partner and focuses on eliminating employee problems by commonsense management.
Howard has provided counsel for over 225 occasions of union activity, guided unionized companies, and has managed approximately 550 OSHA fatality cases in construction and general industry, ranging from dust explosions to building collapses, in virtually every state.
He has coordinated complex inspections involving multi-employer sites, corporate-wide compliance, and issues involving criminal referral. Howard is active in rulemaking and dealings with federal and state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies.
He oversees audits of corporate labor, HR, and safety compliance. He also responds to virtually every type of day-to-day workplace inquiry and has handled cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and numerous other state and federal agencies.
Dr. Rick McShane
Medical Director and Owner, Occucare International
Meet the Speaker: Rick McShane
Dr. Ricky McShane has been practicing occupational medicine for nearly 25 years. After completing his residency in 1999, he spent the next 10 years working in occupational clinics. From there, he went on to become the Owner and Medical Director of Occucare International.
Dr. McShane currently serves as the Corporate Medical Director for multiple National and International Corporations across a wide array of industries, for which he provides leadership and expertise in developing corporate medical policies and procedures. Additionally, he pioneered the formation of an industry leading telemedicine-based injury management platform for construction. Over the years he has also served as the Medical Control Officer for Paramedics and Forward Operating Bases throughout Afghanistan and Africa for Department of Defense Contractors. After walking hundreds of jobsites and talking to thousands of workers throughout his career, Dr. McShane has become the professional medical voice and guide to industry leaders across the country, contributing his comprehensive knowledge of corporate occupational health and wellness.
Douglas L. Parker
Assistant Secretary of Labor, OSHA, U.S. DOL
Meet the Speaker: Douglas L. Parker
Before serving in the Obama Administration, Mr. Parker was a partner at the law firm Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy and Welch in Washington, D.C. He began his legal career as a staff attorney at the United Mine Workers of America. Prior to law school, Mr. Parker worked in the private sector as a sales and marketing director, in communications for the Democratic National Committee, and was a staff assistant for the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Mr. Parker earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in history from James Madison University. He is married and has two daughters. Mr. Parker is originally from Bluefield, West Virginia, and grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Chuck Pettinger, Ph.D.
Vice President, Customer Success & Experience, Newmetrix
Meet the Speaker: Chuck Pettinger
Chuck Pettinger, Ph.D. has spent three decades helping companies create processes to better use their organizational metrics to improve performance, reduce error, and eliminate injuries. He has accomplished this by evaluating gaps in culture, assessing data use processes, and using advanced predictive analytics to develop leading indicators for many industries around the world. He holds a doctorate in Organizations Psychology from Virginia Tech and been twice named “101 Top Leaders in Safety” by ISHN. When he’s not helping drive organizational change and eliminating death on the job, you can find Chuck barbecuing, backpacking or overlanding in his Bronco.
Kenneth D. Simonson
Chief Economist, AGC of America
Meet the Speaker: Kenneth Simonson
Ken has more than 40 years of experience analyzing, advocating and communicating about economic and tax issues.
He currently serves on the Census Bureau’s Scientific Advisory Committee. He is a Fellow and past president of the National Association for Business Economics, and he is co-director of the Ta Economists Forum, a professional meeting group he co-founded in 1982.
Ken has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago, and an MA in economics from Northwestern University.
James J. Sullivan, Jr.
Co-Chair, OSHA-Workplace Safety Practice, Cozen O’Connor
Meet the Speaker: James J. Sullivan, Jr.
Prior to his service with the commission, Jim had a distinguished career in private practice for nearly four decades in labor and employment and workplace safety and health law working with clients in a wide range of industries. From 2000 to 2003, Jim served as vice-president of labor and employment law and deputy general counsel for Comcast. During that time he also served as the corporation’s chief spokesperson at collective bargaining negotiations with the Teamsters, Electrical Workers, and Communication Workers’ unions.
Douglas Trout, MD, MHS
Medical Officer, NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health
Meet the Speaker: Douglas Trout
Dr. Trout has a degree in Industrial Hygiene and is an Internal Medicine and Occupational Medicine physician. He has worked for CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) since 1992 in several roles, including a number of years in the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program. Dr. Trout is currently a Medical Officer in the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health and a member of the NIOSH Construction Sector Council.
Douglas Ware
Vice President of Risk Management, Suffolk Construction
Meet the Speaker: Douglas Ware
Doug Ware is Suffolk’s Vice President of Risk Management and has been with Suffolk for 21 years. Doug received his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety & Health from Keene State College. Doug is responsible for identifying and assessing risk throughout Suffolk’s enterprise. Doug’s duties include, management of various insurance programs, claims management, coordination with legal and operations on contract terms, reviews enterprise data for loss leaders, and implements procedures to mitigate enterprise risk.
Bill Wright
Director of Communications CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training
Meet the Speaker: Bill Wright
Bill Wright is director of communications at CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, which is dedicated to reducing occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the construction industry through research, training and service. CPWR is also NIOSH’s National Construction Center. Bill has worked in nonprofit communications for 25 years, at organizations focused on issues such as historic preservation, affordable housing, and low-income legal services. He has a B.A. in economics from Williams College and an M.A. in history from Duke University.
Jim Young
Senior Director, Congressional Relations for Labor, HR, and Safety, AGC of America
Meet the Speaker: Jim Young
James holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.