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Safety is constantly evolving as new technologies, innovations and best practices reshape how we define, measure and promote it. Embracing these changes and finding ways to harness them is no simple task, yet safety professionals, through their dedication and passion, make it look easy.
For more than a century, the National Safety Council has worked to save lives through safer workplaces, roadways and communities. We rely on safety professionals to partner with us in this mission, living it out each day on jobsites, on the road and at home.
Lorraine M. Martin
CEO
National Safety Council
The 2025 NSC Rising Stars of Safety exemplify the value and impact of living and working safely. Founded in 2010, the program recognizes up-and-coming safety professionals younger than 40 who have a proven track record of safety leadership in their organization and are dedicated to continuous improvement.
This program is possible thanks to the generous support of our 2025 Rising Stars Award sponsor, Dow.
These 41 leaders, representing a wide range of industries, are truly among the best and brightest in safety. Through innovation, determination and collaboration, they’ve helped create safer workplaces and enabled people to live their fullest lives – both on the job and off.
I’m blown away by the accomplishments of this group. Take Rudy Garza, health, safety and environmental director with Evers & Sons. Garza recognized the need for more proactive safety engagement, including near-miss and hazard reporting, at his Texas-based contracting company. To encourage participation, he incorporated individual coaching for employees and supervisors and brought safety training sessions to daily meetings. Through his efforts, hazard reporting increased measurably at the company. Garza is a committed safety leader who encourages safe behaviors both on and off the job.
Kristina Metzler demonstrates a passion for innovation at Vantive, where she serves as safety manager for renal services. Metzler continuously looks for new ways to engage employees, including targeted campaigns to address roadway hazards for company drivers. She spearheaded the implementation of cameras in vehicles, which identified over 7,000 coachable behaviors and led to a 29% reduction in risks. Metzler’s hands-on approach and commitment to employee engagement have helped ensure employees make it home after each trip.
As the safety and environment manager for Schneider Electric, Victoria Rae Enriquez’s attention to data, detail and individuals is unmatched. When Enriquez noticed new hires were experiencing a disproportionate number of incidents, she took action to find the cause of the problem and a solution. By making fitness tests standard for new employees, she was able to decrease their incident rates by 85%.
Read each honoree’s profile to learn more about the NSC Rising Stars of Safety, Class of 2025.
Thank you to each of this year’s honorees. You’re making the world a safer and better place for all.
— Lorraine M. Martin
Rising Stars profilesUse these links to visit Rising Stars profile pages, or browse all profiles as a slideshow using the navigation arrows at the top of each page. |
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View Rising Stars profiles as they appear in the print edition of Safety+Health.
Join the Young Professionals Division
Did you know National Safety Council has a group dedicated to young safety professionals? This affinity group focuses on safety pros who are younger than 45 and in the first half of their safety careers. The Young Professionals Division prioritizes connection, training and resources to improve results in all safety environments. Go to nsc.org/divisions to learn more about NSC Divisions.
Dibash Acharya
Age: 27
Interim Safety Director
C. Overaa & Co.
Richmond, CA
Dibash launched the company’s first Safety by Design program, embedding hazard prevention strategies into project planning and engineering to mitigate risks before construction begins. He led a digital transformation of safety surveys and audits, replacing paper-based methods with a centralized data system to improve accountability and visibility. He also implemented a structured safety training calendar, facilitating 250-plus sessions, and fostered a reward-based safety culture through initiatives such as “Safety Claus” and “Stretch & Flex Master Awards,” driving an increase in employee engagement and proactive safety measures.
Chiara Ajeje
Age: 39
EHS Senior Consultant
Corteva Agriscience
Indianapolis, IN
Chiara led the team that developed and implemented the “First and Second-Party Audit Program.” These policies and standards establish clear requirements and expectations for managing audit programs, addressing improvement opportunities and assessing audit effectiveness. By introducing these structured programs, Corteva enhanced its ability to systematically identify gaps, leveraging audit metrics to pinpoint key areas for improvement. This approach not only strengthened regulatory compliance but also enabled more targeted and effective site support.
Sultan Al Dahmani
Age: 27
Safety Section Manager, Health and Safety Department
Dubai Municipality
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sultan actively promotes well-being by monitoring staff schedules to prevent fatigue and initiating work-from-home options after high-intensity operations or off-hours engagements. He conducts regular field visits and joins operational teams onsite to understand real challenges and model safe behavior. He also leads informal safety talks and peer-to-peer learning circles, where employees share near-miss experiences and propose risk control ideas.
Mohamed Rashed Obaid Alobaid Al Dhanhani
Age: 34
Director, Corporate Risk and Business Continuity
Dubai Municipality
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Mohamed led the establishment of the Command-and-Control Center, an emergency response hub that played a vital role in mitigating the impact of the flooding in April 2024. His leadership in the National Disinfection Program during COVID-19 ensured the sanitization of 1,266 public areas, 835 mosques and all labor accommodations. Additionally, he introduced mandatory lifeguard accreditation and escalator handrail protection regulations, significantly improving public safety.
Jasmine Amini
Senior Accident Investigator
Metrolinx
Toronto, Ontario
Jasmine introduced the CAST methodology (causal analysis based on systems theory) to broaden how safety investigations were conducted. She applied this methodology in one of her investigations. The initiative became a turning point in the internal safety culture. CAST revealed system-level contributors beyond immediate errors, challenging the team to confront uncomfortable but necessary truths. Initially, stakeholders questioned the methodology and its relevance. She stood firm, guiding them through the process and connecting insights to their day-to-day operations.
Ibukun Gabriel Awolusi
Age: 39
Associate Professor
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Upon joining UTSA as a tenure-track professor, Ibukun identified a critical safety need: protecting construction workers in South Texas, especially in San Antonio, from heat-related hazards. Recognizing the risks posed by extreme temperatures, he developed and submitted a training grant proposal to the Department of Labor and OSHA. The initiative received funding for three consecutive years. Through this grant, Ibukun has trained more than 400 construction workers in heat stress prevention and control, improving safety awareness and practices in the region.
Edmara Bloomer
Age: 36
Health, Safety and Environmental Director
Cummins Inc.
Columbus, IN
Edmara has led an ergonomic initiative that surpassed targeted risk reduction index points of 210 with 243 points. Ergonomics was a top three EHS risk within the site. Before 2023, there were no ergonomic assessments performed in more than seven years. Edmara saw a significant risk to employees and took immediate action. She had the EHS team retrained in Human Tech, an ergonomic assessment software package, and launched a cross-functional ergo team. In 2024, CEP surpassed its aggressive RRI goal with 243 points.
Clement Bouloiseau
Age: 31
Occupational Safety Superintendent
U.S. Air Force
Beale Air Force Base, Yuba County, CA
Clement completed a deliberate risk analysis for the ramp design project
and led a 12-person safety and health team on proper posture and execution of F-15E aircraft dispersal operations and threat response. The risk assessment expanded to far more than just flight operations because of the large number of F-15E support operations. His quick and decisive leadership enabled the safe movement of 120 airmen and $64.8 million in assets while incurring zero mishaps.
Dalton Bruil
Age: 30
Senior Branch Safety Engineer
Performance Contracting Inc.
Seattle, WA
Dalton recently sourced, piloted and effectively implemented a cutting-edge artificial
intelligence-driven pre-task planning program to assist the field in improving engagement on the jobsite. This effort has proven to be very effective and has changed the company’s day-to-day operations in the Pacific Northwest. This initiative was pivotal in the reduction of workplace incidents and, under Dalton’s leadership, was one of the few areas in the company to realize a zero recordable/preventable incident rate and zero lost time days for all of 2024.
Tyler Campbell
Age: 31
Senior Human and Organizational Performance Specialist
Tesla
Campbell, CA
Tyler transformed the company’s approach to serious injury and fatality prevention, especially how leaders respond to high-risk events. Notably, he redesigned the response to lockout/tagout violations, replacing blame with learning. He created a tailored training for human resources and operations leaders featuring complex scenarios, shifting leadership mindsets toward curiosity and shared accountability.
Shaun Cohen
Age: 39
Senior Contractor Safety Program Manager, WHS Contractor Safety
Amazon
Bothell, WA
Shaun led the development of a contractor safety audit program at two global companies that shifted the focus from punitive “gotcha” audits to a collaborative, consultative approach. By engaging contractors directly and emphasizing how individual actions affect broader team safety, the program improved communication, accountability and hazard awareness across operations. This approach resulted in measurable outcomes, including a reduction in high-risk incidents, along with fewer repeat audit findings and quicker closure of corrective actions.
Madison Covey
Age: 25
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist
Paragon Force Inc.
Bloomfield, IN
Madison quickly identified the need for change within the safety committee. She recognized its inefficiencies and proactively proposed significant changes. She didn’t just identify problems; she took ownership and implemented solutions. This included establishing new feedback mechanisms, uniformity in training standards and improved bidirectional communication tools. Through communication improvements, Madison created an environment in which all employees feel comfortable voicing safety concerns.
Nicholas Dadig
Age: 37
Corporate Safety Manager
DMI Cos.
Monongahela, PA
Nick was tasked with creating a safety program and culture for a company that now has more than 500 employees in four states. Within a two-year period, he was able to reduce the number of lost workdays by 83% and incurred costs by 77%. He was able to achieve this by engaging the production employees in safety committees, toolbox talks, safety incentive programs and a variety of other means. He involves all levels of management through quarterly safety projects/presentations, safety committees and other approaches.
Victoria Rae Enriquez
Age: 38
Environmental Health and Safety Manager
Schneider Electric
El Paso, TX
Victoria identified that new hires with less than six months of experience were experiencing a disproportionate number of incidents. She recognized that we didn’t test employees’ physical fitness based on the task for the job they were performing. A number of people who didn’t have manufacturing experience were applying and weren’t prepared for the physical demands the job required. Victoria worked with other departments to develop post-offer employment testing for new hires that evaluates their fitness level for a particular job on a pass/fail basis, with the ability to retest in two weeks if they failed. This process has decreased new-hire incident rates by 85%.
Krizia Garabigie
Age: 38
Executive Director, Environmental Health and Safety
Paramount
Los Angeles, CA
Krizia managed constantly changing COVID-19 protocols. She kept abreast of governmental guidance and revised and distributed COVID-19 protocols for all our business units. This was no easy task, as many states (including California) had different protocols and, in Canada, each province had different protocols. Krizia streamlined and tailored COVID-19 protocols for generic use in the United States and more tailored specific locations in California and Canada. This allowed Paramount’s productions to continue operating throughout the pandemic, even when faced with outbreaks in its business or production units.
Rodolfo Garza
Age: 32
Health, Safety and Environmental Director
Evers and Sons Inc.
Caldwell, TX
Rudy implemented the “Risk Observation Card System,” a key initiative aimed at enhancing proactive safety engagement. Identifying a gap in near-miss and hazard reporting, Rudy took a hands-on approach to drive adoption. He developed a structured rollout plan, ensured accessibility by making rapidly available QR codes and digital copies, and incorporated system training into daily safety briefings and tailgate meetings. He also provided one-on-one coaching to supervisors and field employees to ensure consistent use and understanding of the tool. His projects accounted for more than 75% of all submitted safety observations within the program’s first month.
Vincent A. Giglio
Age: 33
Senior HSSE Director
Jones Lang LaSalle
Queens, NY
Vincent performed a global town hall presentation for implementation of new technology to share as a best practice to reduce the incident rate on terminals globally (77 locations). Working closely with developers, he established the foundation for using artificial intelligence technology to enhance safety and security for vendors and visitors across global terminals, leading to the creation and implementation of the innovative system.
Mike Gobbo
Age: 39
Director of Operations – EHS and Security
Mace Group
New York, NY
Mike has successfully integrated technology into the business process by training contractors and CM representatives to actively use a safety tracking system. This system collects data to support both safety leading and lagging indicators, allowing for targeted management engagement. The data enables executive-level management to communicate with regulatory agencies and commission board representatives on the function of safety and health. As a result, communications aren’t exclusively based on lost-time incidences but depict aspects of employee participation, planning and high-hazard evaluations/controls.
Andrea D. Gonzales
Age: 37
Risk Management Safety Advisor
City of Houston
Houston, TX
Andrea has transformed culture via 48 safety committee meetings that annually feature 160 total members with 100% attendance. Safety committees include holidays, water safety, pets, cybersafety, human trafficking, narcotics, robbery, and other preventions with carryovers including severe weather, driving, pedestrian, electricity, ladders and more. Andrea’s 52-plus briefings annually reach more than 375 employees who relay them to over 5,000 family and friends, with 80-plus add-on handouts.
Ryan Hennessy
Age: 29
Occupational Safety Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge
U.S. Air Force
Okinawa, Japan
Hand-selected for an Armed Forces Network radio initiative, Ryan educated 55,000 international community members on a Department of Air Force summer safety campaign. His engaging approach drew 2,000 attendees to a collaborative water safety event in coordination with Marine Corps Installations Pacific Safety, the Japanese Coast Guard, the Okinawa Police, and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. His efforts strengthened community relationships and contributed to a 53% reduction in incidents across 11 bases.
Corey Patrick Holt
Age: 36
Accessories Functional Area Manager
U.S. Air Force
Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier Parish, LA
Corey led the initiative to standardize and codify explosive maintenance safety practices for Air Force ejection-seat maintainers. He garnered general officer support from three lead commands in the Air Force behind the effort and drafted language that was reviewed and accepted by the entire Air Force’s aircraft maintenance community. His efforts resulted in the publication of nine technical documents, which standardized explosive maintenance practices for 5,100 tasks across seven distinct airframes, impacting Air Force operations worldwide.
Emily Huegel
Age: 32
Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety
Enviva
Raleigh, NC
When Emily stepped into her director role, she recognized a gap in hazard identification, especially with teams that weren’t accustomed to this practice in previous roles. She took incident data and transformed it into a proactive initiative target to the highest identified risks. Emily focused on hazard identification during daily work activities, helping her team develop employees’ skills in recognizing hazards, stopping when they felt uncomfortable and reassessing risks if job conditions changed. This approach empowered employees to take ownership of their safety.
Jimmy Hughes
Age: 38
Chief Safety Officer
United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC
Oak Ridge, TN
Jimmy led the safe removal and shipment of more than 500,000 cubic yards (approximately 50,000 truckloads) of contaminated soil. He implemented innovative approaches to protect workers when friable asbestos and mercury were discovered during soil remediation activities. In addition, he provided wearable technologies for employees who work in elevated heat environments, reducing the potential for heat-related illnesses.
Brittany Jones
Age: 34
Senior Program Manager, Safety Learning and Development, Workplace Health and Safety
Amazon
Cornelius, NC
Brittany has successfully engaged business lines across Amazon to evaluate and address safety challenges worldwide. For example, Brittany led a team that built the framework to expand Amazon’s CPR/AED training system to increase the number of trained CPR/AED providers within Amazon by 131% in 2024. Brittany’s commitment to peer engagement both directly and through structured communication channels, stakeholder calls and leadership reviews has elevated the value of safety training within Amazon’s safety culture.
Shawn Johnston
Age: 37
Occupational Safety Manager
U.S. Air Force
Royal Air Force Lakenheath, Suffolk, England
Shawn methodically promotes education for safety professionals, workers and leadership to cultivate the safety mindset. He’s produced several detailed training products covering hazardous materials, confined space, mishap investigation, safety award writing and fall protection to expand knowledge within the field. Reaching into the tech side, his team developed a phone application that allows members of the installation to report real-time hazards or unsafe drivers around the area both on or off duty. The app houses English road laws and local products.
Jason Kunz
Age: 40
Founder and CEO
The Kunz Co.
Minneapolis, MN
Jason’s previous role was the global S&H manager and culture activation leader for 3M Co. He designed safety and health engagement sessions with operations and EHS leaders across the company, focused on building trust and reducing risk. Jason deployed these sessions using a “train the trainer” model so that site leaders could continue creating positive change well after he left. His efforts help to transform EHS for operational leaders across sites around the world.
Matthew Michael Laske
Age: 31
Assistant Professor
University of North Texas
Denton, TX
Matthew revamped our division’s behavioral observation program while working as a division behavioral safety and data specialist at Eastman Chemical. He designed and implemented a measurement system to track observations and actionable items to reduce hazardous conditions. This included the implementation of an adaptive metric, “contact rate,” which was tailored to different department and crew sizes to ensure frequent safety interactions and accountability. Within three quarters of implementation, the division saw significant reduction in recordable injuries.
Kristina Metzler
Age: 34
Manager I, Safety Renal Services
Vantive
Menifee, CA
Kristina lead more than 600 nationwide employees to a 29% risk reduction through the effective implementation and use of our driver and road-facing camera system. The fleet identified over 7,000 coachable behaviors such as poor following distance and inattentiveness. Additionally, she personally conducted 150-plus hours of interactive sessions for the development of program coaches, as well as provided enhanced-level coaching for drivers continuing to require support. Kristina also developed an incentive program that led to additional engagement, ownership and insights into driver risks and best practices.
Mark Mol
Age: 35
Safety Director
Cold Spring Construction Co.
Akron, NY
Mark will literally roll up his sleeves and work alongside workers to understand their safety concerns and issues. I’m not talking about pushing a broom; more like finishing concrete, paving, operating equipment and riding along in traffic-control vehicles to understand localized concerns. During the season, he’s rarely at our office, instead choosing to cycle his time working at the field offices. Any initiative that he proposes, he’s 100% behind and leads by example. He emphasizes to all employees that their voice matters and concerns are going to be addressed.
Joshua Moskowitz
Age: 29
Safety and Occupational Health Specialist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Honolulu, HI
Josh’s efforts were critical to his district’s implementation of the Corps of Engineers’ Safety Management System. Josh worked with the district safety manager to deliver safety training, communication and improved processes. He also spearheaded planning for the organization’s Army SOH Star assessment, which resulted in the district earning the distinction of the fourth organization in the USACE to achieve this recognition. Implementation of CE-SOHMS resulted in an 84% decrease in recordable incidents and a 58% decrease in all incidents among the organization’s contractor population.
Vigneshwaran MP
Age: 35
Manager – HSSE
Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd.
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Vigneshwaran launched a pilot safety measure that uses alcohol detection via the C-BAC access control system to bar entry to intoxicated personnel, as well as alcohol ignition interlock systems in trucks. He also implemented DG-Solar Synchronization that merged diesel generators with solar power, optimizing renewable energy use to ensure reliability while slashing emissions. He further advanced safety by replacing corrosive MS pipes with resilient GI pipes in sprinkler systems, improving fire safety durability and compliance. He also pioneered the use of artificial intelligence-driven video analytics to enable real-time identification of safety violations.
Nicholas J. Norder, PMP
Age: 33
Senior Manager, Risk Management and Operational Excellence
Amazon
Chicago, IL
Nick led a safety initiative to reduce collision risks between pedestrians and operators of rolling carts, which are used in picking and stowing operations. Nick collaborated with internal stakeholders and an external vendor to develop a custom motion-activated collision avoidance system. The solution consisted of programmable sensors installed at aisle ends that provide visual and audible warnings when cart operators or pedestrians approach intersections, effectively improving visibility and safety around corners and leading to a reduction in near misses and incidents.
John Paquin
Age: 36
EHS Manager
Grede – Browntown
Browntown, WI
John focused on increasing the amount and quality of safety training received by all employees. He introduced safety observation and weekly safety audit programs. These programs required both supervisors and managers to be trained and complete audits and observations on a weekly basis. Findings from both programs – good and bad – are documented and discussed each day in the pre-shift meetings at the facility and then reported out to employees. EHS metrics are also posted by John on the EHS internal communication board.
CJ Pasciuto
Age: 30
Regional EHS Specialist
C&W Services
Needham, MA
CJ spearheaded the creation and deployment of an accountwide Technician Lead Safety Committee, empowering frontline technicians to take an active role in shaping safety policies and practices. What began as a single committee in the Boston node, covering 16 sites and 77 technicians, has expanded to over 190 sites with more than 3,200 engaged technicians. Under CJ’s leadership, these committees have driven a proactive safety culture, significantly increasing good-catch submissions to over 27,000, directly contributing to a reduction in total recordable incident rate to 0.67 from 0.87 (a 23% year-over-year improvement).
Alex Rigby
Age: 36
Safety and Security Manager
AlexRenew
Alexandria, VA
A certified safety professional for over nine years, Alex efficiently manages AlexRenew’s security contract, regularly meeting with the security site supervisor to provide direction and feedback while consistently reinforcing critical safety principles that continue to protect our most vital assets – our employees. Alex successfully mentors 11 employees who completed the requirements for the AlexRenew Safety Specialist Program and OSHA Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate Program for General Industry.
Tania Rojas
Age: 38
Project Manager, WW Compliance Assurance
Amazon
Miami, FL
Tania’s work is focused on enhancing employee engagement in workplace safety through Amazon’s Associate Safety Committee (ASC) program. As part of ASC, more than 1,900 worksites worldwide conduct monthly meetings during which Amazon employees engage in discussion with site leadership about ways to enhance safety at their site. Tania transformed ASC reporting through a data validation model, enabling 1,900 sites to monitor policy adherence via a real-time dashboard.
Dana Schultz
Age: 39
Human Resources and Safety Manager
Superior Tube Products
Davenport, IA
Dana launched an electronic near-miss and incident reporting program to drive safety improvements. This initiative enabled employees to report safety concerns in real-time, allowing for immediate corrective actions. Additionally, she integrated artificial intelligence technology into ergonomic risk assessments, which provided a data-driven approach to improving workplace safety. This resulted in a 98% reduction in workers’ compensation costs over three years.
Daniel J Valco
Age: 36
Reactive Chemicals Subject Matter Expert
Corteva Agriscience
Indianapolis, IN
Dan aided in the design and project implementation for a new lab. He installed test instruments to allow sample analysis and trained analysts on proper testing protocols to support data collection in adherence with other internal labs. This critical internal capability now allows for quicker data acquisition and assurance of data quality.
Niketa Watson
Age: 34
Director, Safety and Security
Meow Wolf – Grapevine – The Real Unreal*
Lewisville, TX
Niketa played a pivotal role in developing and launching the Grapevine Arrival Document, a resource for both local and nonlocal travelers working onsite during the pre-operations phase of construction. Niketa ensured the document included critical weather guidance to prepare teams for emergencies. She also took steps to ensure these safety measures were effectively communicated. *Niketa currently is employed by KC Construction Services Inc. in Dallas.
*Niketa currently is employed by KC Construction Services Inc. in Dallas.
Kelly Wegener-Gave
Age: 38
Senior EHS Specialist
Dow
Midland, MI
Kelly led a significant safety culture change project at Dow’s Michigan operations, developing and implementing “PACE+ safety culture,” which emphasizes a cultural mindset that shapes how we interact daily with our teams. Workshops were conducted for over 400 people and cascaded to a site of roughly 1,600 individuals. After successful implementation, the workshops were rolled out globally.
Thomas J. Wiesen
Age: 34
Area Health and Safety Manager
Flatiron Dragados
Raleigh, NC
TJ has taken the lead in developing safety protocols for our mechanics and drivers. By using a gap analysis of our program, TJ helped to develop training for all employees and ensure safety protocols. He recognized the need for our company to become more open to the challenges of mental health with workers and led our team through the Mental Health First Aid program.
