ASSP elections highlighted by Walaski’s upcoming move to president
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), has announced its new leaders based on the 2024 Society elections. All terms begin July 1. Pam Walaski will serve as ASSP president for 2024-25.
Jim Thornton
“Our Society’s strength is rooted in our dedicated volunteers and their desire to lead our organization,” said ASSP President Jim Thornton, CSP, CIH, FASSP, FAIHA, whose term ends June 30. “Engaged safety professionals have always defined ASSP, keeping it vibrant while advancing worker safety and health.”
ASSP’s top elected positions are president, president-elect, senior vice president, vice president of finance, and directors-at-large. Each is a one-year term on the board of directors, except for the three-year terms of the vice president of finance and directors-at-large. The succession of leaders from senior vice president to president-elect, and from president-elect to president, is automatic. All board members also govern the ASSP Foundation.
Following are snapshots of ASSP’s newly elected leaders, whose influence and contributions will help shape the Society and the profession while sustaining the organization as a global leader for workplace safety and health.
Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP
• President Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP, is a senior program director with Specialty Technical Consultants and an adjunct faculty member for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The ASSP Fellow has 30 years of experience, serving as director-at-large from 2018-21. Her honors include the Charles V. Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award. A member since 2003, Walaski lives in Rimer, PA.
Linda Tapp, CSP, ALCM, CPTD
• President-Elect Linda Tapp, CSP, ALCM, CPTD, is president of SafetyFUNdamentals, an occupational safety training and consulting firm. She has more than 30 years of experience and holds a master’s degree in environmental health. She was ASSP’s Safety Professional of the Year in 2007 and vice president of finance from 2020-23. An ASSP member since 1989, Tapp will be president in 2025-26. She resides in Madison, NJ.
Monique Parker, CSP
• Senior Vice President Monique Parker, CSP, is senior vice president of safety, environment and health for Piedmont Lithium. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Tennessee Tech University and has 20 years of safety and health experience. Her career spans many industries, including manufacturing and food production. An ASSP member since 2005, Parker will be president in 2026-27. She resides in Charlotte, NC.
Scott DeBow, CSP, ARM
• Director-at-Large Scott DeBow, CSP, ARM, is principal of health, safety and environmental for Avetta. He has more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience – including time in the U.S. Navy – and serves as vice president for ASSP’s Georgia Chapter. He wrote the book “Safety Management Systems in a Joint-Employer Environment” that the Society published in 2023. An ASSP member since 2012, DeBow resides in Atlanta, GA.
Todd Loushine, Ph.D., P.E., M.S., CSP, CIH
• Director-at-Large Todd Loushine, Ph.D., P.E., M.S., CSP, CIH, is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with 30 years of experience in industrial engineering, data analysis and workplace safety. He is vice president of ASSP’s Region V and completed a three-year term as vice president of the Council on Professional Development in 2021. An ASSP member since 2007, Loushine resides in Cottage Grove, WI.
Joining these five leaders on the board of directors are Vice President of Finance Thomas Kramer, P.E., CSP, and directors-at-large Steven Gray, CSP, CHST, and Stephanie Johnson, CSP, CHMM. ASSP will name a successor to Public Director Anil Mathur this summer. Jennifer McNelly, CAE, has been the Society’s CEO since 2018.
Candidates for the board must be professional members who possess specific qualifications. The criteria include involvement in an ASSP committee or task force, a record of positive contributions to the occupational safety and health profession, support and understanding of the Society’s vision, and being a results-driven motivator. Find a complete list of the Society’s 2024 election results on the ASSP website.
