Leadership

Laura Saldivar Hill Senior Program Manager, Mobility Safety

Claudia Summers Program Manager II, Mobility Safety

Laura Saldivar Hill is a senior program manager at NSC, where she leads DriveitHOME, an initiative providing free resources to parents and caregivers of new teen drivers to help save lives on the nation’s roadways. She joined NSC full time in 2018 after completing five internships with the organization, in which she served in communication and advocacy roles. Previously, Saldivar worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign as a content manager and teaching assistant instructor for undergraduate communication courses. Her extensive experience includes serving on youth-focused boards at local, state and national levels, including Students Against Destructive Decisions, the National Youth Leadership Council’s Youth Advisory Board, the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Youth Speakers Bureau and the National Organization for Youth Safety’s Teen Distracted Driving Peer Prevention Leadership Team. Saldivar is a doctoral candidate in communication at Liberty University, researching transportation news stories and their portrayals of automation. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Laura Saldivar Hill Senior Program Manager, Mobility Safety

Expertise: Teen Driving

Claudia Summers is a program manager at NSC with over two decades of experience in injury prevention, focusing on roadway safety. She creates and manages programs to help individuals remain safe on the road. Summers holds a master’s degree in transportation safety administration from Clemson University.

Claudia Summers Program Manager II, Mobility Safety

Expertise: Child Passenger Safety | Teen Driving | Vehicular Heatstroke

Ryan Pietzsch Program Technical Consultant, Driver Safety

Julia Kite-Laidlaw Senior Program Manager, Road to Zero

Tammy Franks Senior Program Manager II, Mobility Safety

Amy Artuso Director, Mobility Safety Programs

Ryan Pietzsch is a program technical advisor for driver safety at NSC, focusing on improving safety for all road users. As an innovative leader and educator with expertise in risk management and strategic planning, he advances driver training content, directs the International Advisory Committee, and advises on driving regulations and standards. Before joining NSC, Pietzsch developed and managed emergency services risk management education and training at VFIS, a division of AIG and North America’s largest insurer of emergency services organizations. There, he created and updated nearly 30 training programs and led the transition from classroom delivery to blended learning and online training, modernizing the organization’s risk management approach. Pietzsch began his safety career as a firefighter in Iowa, advancing to career fire lieutenant in the West Des Moines Fire Department. He served as a public information officer and safety officer at various emergency events while establishing total quality management protocols in municipal government. His responsibilities included developing emergency action plans, conducting regional training in fire service operations and becoming the city’s leading management trainer. Pietzsch holds a bachelor’s degree from Grand View College in Des Moines, IA, and a master’s in safety, security and emergency management from Eastern Kentucky University. He serves on various technical and advisory committees and maintains several professional safety certifications. Pietzsch is a former firefighter/EMT with the Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Company.

Ryan Pietzsch Program Technical Consultant, Driver Safety

Expertise: Choice Theory Psychology | Defensive Driving | Distracted Driving | Driver Education | Driver Qualification Remedial driver training | Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices | Work Zone Training (Flagger, Technician and Supervisor) Impaired Driving (including fatigue, over the counter med's, prescriptions, elicit drugs and alcohol) Motor Vehicle and licensing laws, regulations, standards and best practices Vehicle technology (ADAS- Advanced Driver Assist Systems)

Julia Kite-Laidlaw is the senior program manager for the Road to Zero Coalition, an initiative of the National Safety Council. RTZ is the nation’s largest traffic safety alliance, with the goal of ending roadway deaths in the United States by 2050. Members represent a variety of stakeholders in traffic safety, including professional engineering and planning organizations; public sector organizations; safety advocates; vehicle manufacturers; technology developers; public health, emergency medical and trauma organizations; and law enforcement and judicial system representatives. RTZ promotes the Safe System Approach to preventing roadway deaths, disseminating best practices and enabling communities to implement local traffic safety improvements through Community Traffic Safety Grants. Before joining NSC, Kite-Laidlaw served the New York City Department of Transportation for six years as director of safety policy, leading Vision Zero initiatives to reduce deaths and injuries in traffic, with a focus on pedestrians and cyclists. She began her road safety career at the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, having previously worked in policy research spanning health care, housing and urban regeneration. She holds degrees from the University of California–Berkeley, London School of Economics and Columbia University.

Julia Kite-Laidlaw Senior Program Manager, Road to Zero

Expertise: Automated Enforcement | Roadway Design | Safe System Approach to Road Safety Speed Management | Vision Zero | Vulnerable Road Users

Tammy Franks has worked in the injury prevention field for over 25 years. She is an NSC subject matter expert on causes of preventable death at home, in communities and on the road. Her current responsibilities include developing and updating curriculum in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Child Passenger Safety Board to support transportation safety for children. This includes child passenger safety awareness courses, a curriculum for school bus safety and children in wheelchairs, and the National Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification Training curriculum. Before joining NSC, Franks worked as the child passenger safety coordinator for a multistate hospital system. In this role, she developed and coordinated inpatient, outpatient and community outreach child passenger safety services. Additionally, she served as the state-wide child passenger safety training coordinator. A nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor since 1999, Franks serves as the curriculum representative on the NCPSB and as co-chairperson of KIDZ IN MOTION, Inc., which annually offers a national child passenger safety conference. Franks holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and German from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, and a master’s degree in international politics from the University of North Texas in Denton.

Tammy Franks Senior Program Manager II, Mobility Safety

Expertise: Child Safety in and around Vehicles | Community Safety

Amy Artuso has worked for over 25 years in children's health and wellness. At NSC, she drives sustainable growth by creating synergies across roadway programs, including child passenger safety, Drive It Home, Our Driving Concern and Check to Protect. She leads NSC initiatives to address preventable motor vehicle tragedies by educating parents, caregivers and all vehicle occupants on proper restraint use. Before NSC, Artuso worked in pediatric injury prevention at All Children's Hospital, part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, where she collaborated with the Florida Department of Transportation on child passenger safety and bicycle and pedestrian safety programs. She also served as a multicounty Safe Kids coordinator and coordinated Safe Routes to School funding and initiatives. Additionally, she was a civilian training specialist for the U.S. Department of the Army in Germany. Artuso earned a bachelor's degree in child development from East Carolina University and a master's degree in public health from the University of South Florida. She is a nationally certified child passenger safety technician instructor, past chairperson of the National Child Passenger Safety Board, and currently serves as its secretariat.

Amy Artuso Director, Mobility Safety Programs

Expertise: Child Safety in and Around Vehicles | Community Safety

Jay Vietas, PhD Senior Director of Research

Kenna Stanley, MA Senior Research Associate

Katherine Mendoza Senior Director, Workplace Safety Programs

Ram Maikala, PhD Program Technical Consultant, MSD Solutions Lab

Jay Vietas brings over two decades of experience leading scientific and operational teams across government and military sectors. Most recently, he served as Chief of the Emerging Technologies Branch at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), where he led the $10M Nanotechnology Research Center and spearheaded national research initiatives on artificial intelligence and occupational health. Under his leadership, his team advanced over 80 cross-institute projects and contributed significantly to federal AI policy development. Prior to joining NIOSH, Vietas served in executive leadership roles in the U.S. Air Force, including as Chief, Bioenvironmental Engineering. In this capacity, he oversaw programs and policy for health, safety, and environmental protection—leading strategy and training for 1,900 professionals supporting more than 500,000 personnel. Vietas holds a PhD in Environmental Health from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Science in Bioresource Engineering and a Master of Science in Environmental Health from Colorado State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the United States Air Force Academy. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional.

Jay Vietas, PhD Senior Director of Research

Expertise: Artificial Intelligence in Safety | Emerging Technologies | Occupational Health Research

Kenna Stanley is a senior research associate with the Work to Zero initiative at the National Safety Council. In this role, she develops research-driven tools and resources to better understand and advance the use of safety technology in the workplace. This entails publishing white papers, overseeing technology pilot projects, collecting case studies, and leading educational workshops and presentations. As a certified Workplace Violence and Threat Specialist with a background in criminology, Stanley also focuses on the creation of tools to help employers address workplace violence risks. Before joining the Council, Stanley worked as a research scientist with the Loss Prevention Research Council, collaborating with Fortune 500 retail organizations to better understand the role of technology in crime prevention and workplace safety. Stanley holds a master’s degree in criminology, law and society from the University of Florida, where she also completed her undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminology.

Kenna Stanley, MA Senior Research Associate

Expertise: Safety Technology | Workplace Violence Prevention

Katherine Mendoza serves as senior director of workplace safety programs. In her role, Mendoza focuses on leading multiple teams and helping organizations succeed through sound environmental health and safety management practices. Her portfolio includes workplace safety programs such as Safe Actions for Employee Returns, Work to Zero and workplace wellbeing initiatives, as well as the Campbell Institute and MSD Solutions Lab, all of which share a focus on developing advanced resources and solutions to help organizations save lives and prevent injuries. The programs have guided numerous top-performing organizations across multiple industries and regions through her leadership. Since joining NSC in 2012, Mendoza has celebrated many milestones in her career, including being named a 2022 Rising Star of Safety for her internal and external leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic. Mendoza earned a master’s degree in biopolitics from Northern Illinois University.

Katherine Mendoza Senior Director, Workplace Safety Programs

Expertise: Safety Equity | Serious Incident & Fatality Prevention

Ram Maikala joined the National Safety Council in November 2021. Previously, he worked as a senior injury prevention and ergonomics program specialist at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA. At Providence, Maikala taught and trained hospital staff on safe patient handling and mobility. He also provided ergonomics and safety risk assessments and mitigation strategies to Providence staff in multiple hospitals and medical clinics in different counties in the state of Washington. Before he arrived at Providence in October 2014, Maikala was a research scientist for more than 12 years at the Center for Physical Ergonomics, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, MA. For almost two decades, his research, in which he used various noninvasive physiological modalities, focused on how work physiology and human performance are impacted by musculoskeletal disorders. Maikala is the current editor-in-chief of Ergonomics in Design, a quarterly peer-reviewed design periodical for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. He is a past president of the Puget Sound Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (2016–18) and the International Society for Occupational Ergonomics & Safety (2016–17). Maikala has a doctoral degree in rehabilitation science from the University of Alberta, Edmonton; a master’s in industrial engineering with special emphasis on ergonomics and safety engineering from West Virginia University; and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Osmania University in Telengana, India. Maikala was inducted into the 2023 Class of Fellows of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and named a 2022 Science Policy Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society.

Ram Maikala, PhD Program Technical Consultant, MSD Solutions Lab

Expertise: Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention | Safety Technology

Chris Louis, CSP, CHMM, PE Networks Senior Leader

Perry Logan, PhD, CIH Senior Director, NSC Networks

Ken Kolosh Statistics Manager

Chuck Jenkins, CIH Networks Senior Leader

Chris Louis is a senior leader with NSC Networks, a global safety networking and services group that provides highly specialized and unique forums for interaction and learning among member companies. He currently leads the Global, Asia Pacific, European and Latin America Networks, focusing on providing Health, Safety, and Environment leaders around the globe with opportunities to benchmark with their peers and subject matter experts from industry, academia and regulatory authorities. He is a conscientious and trusted professional with 25 years of experience in industries including manufacturing, automotive, health care, construction, packaged foods and consumer goods. His goal is to build collaborative partnerships that drive innovation by leveraging data analytics, human factors, learning modalities and continuous improvement philosophies. A native of Ohio, Louis earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He is a registered Professional Engineer, Certified Safety Professional and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager.

Chris Louis, CSP, CHMM, PE Networks Senior Leader

Senior Director Perry Logan has more than 30 years of experience in the EHS field. Prior to joining NSC in October 2023, Logan worked at Health + Safety Leadership Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in providing strategic insights and practical solutions in the areas of health, safety, wellness, and sustainability. He also spent 20 years at 3M, serving as vice president of EHS chemical operations.

Perry Logan, PhD, CIH Senior Director, NSC Networks

Ken Kolosh directs statistical reporting and estimating systems at NSC, where he leads the development of Injury Facts®, an online statistical resource on preventable injuries, their characteristics and their costs. His responsibilities include managing the preliminary motor vehicle fatality estimate program and conducting annual estimates of amusement park injuries. Kolosh also serves as an editor for the Journal of Safety Research. Before leading the statistical function at NSC, Kolosh worked as a research consultant managing workplace safety perception surveys.

Ken Kolosh Statistics Manager Safety Leadership & Advocacy

Expertise: Injury Facts | Research and Statistics

Chuck Jenkins has over 35 years of experience in nearly every facet of workplace health and safety. Jenkins currently leads the NSC Networks focusing on North American and Corporate operations. He also serves on external occupational health and safety advisory committees. He has led health and safety functions at the corporate, business and site levels for large global companies. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and has maintained a subcertification in indoor environmental quality. Jenkins specializes in occupational health and industrial hygiene, health and safety management systems, incident reduction initiatives, and the implementation of human and organizational performance.

Chuck Jenkins, CIH Networks Senior Leader

Expertise: Compliance Auditing | Electrical Safety | Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Machine Safety | Occupational Health Management | Safety and Health Management Systems

Paige DeBaylo, PhD Director, MSD Solutions Lab

Abby Ferri, CSP, ARM Networks Senior Leader

Claire Bryant, MPH, CHES Senior Program Manager III, Workplace Safety Programs

David Consider, CSP, MS Senior Safety Consultant

Paige DeBaylo is the director of the Council’s MSD Solutions Lab. DeBaylo leads the Lab’s research efforts to advance accessible, practical and novel research related to emerging issues in the musculoskeletal disorders prevention space, including how workforce characteristics impact MSDs; assessing lesser-known MSD risk factors, like psychosocial and organizational factors; technologies for MSD prevention; and real-world MSD solution pilots featured in case studies. Before joining NSC, DeBaylo served as a senior research associate in the Austin Independent School District, where she analyzed employee and student data, and evaluated district programs and functions. She brings deep expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods, program evaluation, systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, and survey development and validation. She has edited, reviewed and published occupational health, workplace stress, developmental psychology, and scale development and validation-related research papers in leading academic journals. She has presented her work at national conferences. DeBaylo holds a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Auburn University, where she studied workplace stress and work-life balance. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Paige DeBaylo, PhD Director, MSD Solutions Lab

Expertise: Industrial/Organizational Psychology | Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention

Abby Ferri is an influential leader in global risk management and worker safety with over 20 years of experience. As a Senior Leader with NSC Networks, she works with a team that provides unique forums for member company interaction, enables benchmarking, aligns special projects across the organization and delivers safety consulting and thought leadership. She is recognized as a leading voice in the ethical and safe implementation of workplace artificial intelligence, educates K-12 students on STEM careers and co-founded the global top 200 “Safety Justice League” podcast. She has also authored two books. Ferri is an adjunct professor at Central Washington University and participates in her city’s school district advisory groups, focusing on AI strategy and equitable access to STEM career pathways. She received the 2022 American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Safety Professional of the Year and the 2019 International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Distinguished Service Award for advocating for industrial worker safety. In 2023, she was vice chair of the ASSP/ISEA Technical Report Committee, establishing guidelines for the fit and selection of PPE for women. Ferri holds a master’s degree in environmental health and safety from the University of Minnesota Duluth, is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM).

Abby Ferri, CSP, ARM Networks Senior Leader

Expertise: Artificial Intelligence and Safety Management | Coaching and Mentoring Safety Professional Development | Workers' Compensation

A public health professional, Claire Bryant works on the Council’s workplace wellbeing initiatives. She is responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating programs that address workplace concerns such as substance misuse and fatigue. Her role involves researching relevant topics and providing analysis for technical reports and initiatives to develop future programs. As a Certified Health Education Specialist, Bryant creates tools to help employers address substance misuse and other workplace safety risks related to wellbeing. She develops and promotes holistic interventions that address various forms of workplace impairment, including workplace training programs and impairment detection technology. Before joining NSC, Bryant worked in clinical quality improvement at Mercy Health Center, a nonprofit health clinic in Athens, GA. She also developed injury prevention programs at Atlanta-area nonprofits, including the Shepherd Center. Bryant earned both her Master of Public Health, with a concentration in policy and management, and her undergraduate degree in health promotion and behavior from the University of Georgia.

Claire Bryant, MPH, CHES Senior Program Manager III, Workplace Safety Programs

Expertise: Workplace Substance Misuse and Fatigue | Workplace Wellbeing

Expertise: Compliance Auditing | Safety & Health Management Systems

David Consider is a senior workplace safety consultant and trainer at NSC with more than 30 years of experience developing occupational safety, health and environmental cultures of continuous improvement. His expertise spans multiple industries, including materials handling, construction equipment dealerships, manufacturing, automotive, mining, steel, abatement, construction and demolition. With responsibilities spanning the safety, health and environmental fields, Consider provides field consulting, auditing and training services to address diverse workplace challenges. He is a results-oriented consultant whose experience with ISO 14001 informs his development and implementation of best-practice safety and health programs across industries. Consider also is authorized to teach both the NSC Defensive Driving Course and first aid.

David Consider, CSP, MS Senior Safety Consultant

Transportation Safety

Workplace Safety

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