NSC Announces 2024 Rising Stars of Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Safety Council is proud to announce its 15th class of Rising Stars of Safety, a group of leaders aged 40 and younger dedicated to making workplaces safer. The 38 honorees for 2024 have promoted continuous safety improvement within their organizations and created initiatives focused on measurable outcomes to provide workforces safe environments.

“These 38 leaders, representing a wide range of industries, are truly the best and brightest in safety,” said Lorraine Martin, NSC president and CEO. “Through their dedication and enthusiasm, they have shown that improvement, innovation and change are not only possible, but that they also help save lives. We thank each of this year’s honorees for making the world a safer and better place for all.”

The Rising Stars of Safety Award is sponsored by Dow. The class of 2024 honorees is listed below and featured in the September issue of Safety+Health magazine:

• Isabella Anderson, Industrial Hygiene Generalist, Argonne National Laboratory
• Salman Arshad, Deputy Executive HSEQ, Fauji Fertilizer Co. Ltd.
• Amanda Ashworth, Explosives Safety Specialist, Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division
• Lora Cavuoto, Professor, University at Buffalo
• Thomas C. Crews, SHE Advisor, Nutrien
• Ryan Cunningham, Certified Industrial Hygienist, United Cleanup Oak Ridge
• Sean De Hart, Senior Safety Specialist, Amentum
• Sophie Donnison, HSE Leader, Cummins
• Kurt Fellrath, Occupational Health & Safety Specialist, Boeing
• Kayla Lynn Fiveash, Occupational Health & Safety Specialist, Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division
• Nicholas Fonte, Occupational Safety Technician, U.S. Air Force
• Killian Fuh Forbeteh, Safety Supervisor, Surface Operations, Nutrien
• Shruti Gangakhedkar, SHE Senior Manager, Hillsboro Site Safety Officer, Genentech
• Gustina Marie Gonzales, Biosafety Officer, Houston Health Department, Bureau of Laboratory Services
• Ashley Hahn, WHS Lead Kokomo Powertrain Transmission and Casting Plants, Stellantis
• Tommy Hanberg, District Safety Manager – Colorado, Flatiron Construction
• John J. Handrigan, Principal for Safety, U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport
• Sudeep Hegde, Assistant Professor, Clemson University
• Mitchell Holland, Onsite Injury Prevention Specialist/Athletic Trainer, Concentra
• Katharine Karch, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Washington River Protection Solutions
• Michael Kennerson, Director of Safety, PosiGen
• Lyndsey Kenney, Senior WHS-RME Program Manager, Amazon Transportation Services
• William Langford, Safety Manager, ARCO/Murray Construction Co.
• Jamie Mallinder, Director of Health and Safety/Principal Consultant, Collar Group
• Kenneth “KC” Murray, EHS Manager, Hallen Construction
• Taylor Murray, Director of Safety and Development, Danella Cos.
• Kyle L. Naylor, Senior Director of Safety, Health and Environment, Savage Cos.
• Ciara Norman, Senior Manager, Safety Training, Amazon
• Virginia Pajarito, Director, Client Solutions, Risk Control, Lockton Insurance Brokers
• Nicole E. Palermo, Air Combat Command, Occupational Safety Manager, U.S. Air Force
• Jason Reaves, Senior Safety Manager, Rosendin
• Gilbert Lujan Rivera Jr., Senior Industrial Hygienist, Amazon
• Melissa Sawa, Well-Being, Health & Safety Lead, Stellantis
• Michael Snow, Safety Manager, ARCO Design/Build
• Jake Steelhammer, Safety and Health Specialist, Central Plateau Cleanup Co.
• Jose Torres, EHS Compliance Leader, Jones Lang LaSalle
• Christian Virgil, Senior Lecturer, College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago
• Derek Wilson, Area Safety Manager, Clark Construction Group

The class of 2024 honorees will be recognized at the National Awards Celebration on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Orlando. The event takes place in conjunction with the 2024 NSC Safety Congress & Expo, the nation’s largest gathering of safety and health professionals. For more information, please visit congress.nsc.org.

About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.