Central Florida President Update

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Dear Members,

I hope this letter finds you all healthy and in good spirits. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Central Florida ASSP Chapter President for the 2020-2021 term. It is an honor and privilege to have the trust of my fellow members and to lead this outstanding organization. The past six months have been challenging, but through perseverance and technology we have upheld our tradition of offering great content to our membership and we have found a way to grow.

I would like to thank last year’s president, Emily Schoonover, and congratulate her on her success. The chapter thrived under your leadership and marched forward under the most difficult of circumstances. I would also like to thank all the officers, board members and volunteers who have helped over the past year. Through their diligence and tireless efforts, our chapter finds itself on sound financial footing with a robust and engaging program schedule.  They have all been an invaluable resource for me over the past several years and I know I will continue to call on their wisdom and experience in the year to come.  The success of ASSP is truly a team effort.

We will continue to seek out new ways to engage with and deliver content to our members.  We have some exciting speakers and learning opportunities lined up for the upcoming year. Although the schedule may remain fluid and the ability to gather in person may remain an impossibility, our commitment to making this year the best that it can be will remain strong.

I’m looking forward to another year of growth and success for our chapter.  Please mark your calendars and join us throughout the year, we’ll be saving you a seat.

All Best Wishes,

Josh Densberger

Congratulations Isabella Green!

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Isabella Green recently graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the Daytona Beach Campus with a Bachelor’s in Aerospace and Occupational Safety. In her sophomore year, she joined the ASSP Central Florida student chapter on campus and realized all of the opportunities the organization could provide for an aspiring safety professional. In her senior year, Isabella served as President of the student chapter and was awarded with a 2020 academic scholarship from the ASSP Foundation. Isabella looks forward to taking all she has learned from the organization and applying it in Environmental Health and Safety at Textron.

Central Florida Chapter Continues Meeting Virtually

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

The Central Florida Chapter continues engaging, connecting and educating members virtually, despite being unable to meet in person due to COVID-19.  The May meeting topic was “What OSH Professionals Should Know about Total Worker Health (TWH)” facilitated by Liz Hill and Dede Montgomery of the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance.

Liz and Dede shared the five key elements of Total Worker Health®, a concept coined and supported by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  Dede and Liz represent the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance. Additionally, Dede is part of ASSP’s Task Force on Total Worker Health, and Liz is on the American Industrial Hygiene Total Worker Health Task Force. Together they shared important takeaways for safety and health professionals on this increasingly relevant topic, including examples of how organizations are expanding their traditional safety programs to better support the health, safety and well-being of workers.  The topic could not be more relevant at this time, while workers nationwide are directly or indirectly being significantly impacted by the global pandemic.  The Central Florida Chapter is very thankful Liz and Dede were willing and able to share their time and knowledge with our members.

Liz Hill is the Total Worker Health Adviser for SAIF Corporation.  Liz has twenty plus years of experience in professional health and safety and a short stint of international health work.  Prior to working at SAIF, Liz worked in a variety of industries from oil and gas to higher education.  Liz has BS in Industrial Hygiene from Utah State University and a Master’s of Public Health from Oregon State University. She has designation as a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional.  She is currently serving on the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s Safety Committee as an officer and on Total Worker Health Task Force.

Dede Montgomery has more than thirty years experiencing working as an industrial hygienist and safety and health professional.  For the last 15 years, Dede has supported the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Science’s Outreach and Education Programs and provided industrial hygiene technical expertise to its research.  She is also the Outreach and Education Director for the NIOSH-funded Oregon Healthy Workforce Center. Dede has a BA in Biology from the University of Montana and MS in Environmental Health Sciences from University of Washington.  She is a Certified Industrial Hygienist. She is currently the VP of the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of ASSP, and sits on ASSP’s Council on Professional Affairs and its Total Worker Health Task Force.