Safety Leadership

VPPPA Members Elects J.A. Rodriguez Chairman of the Board

Sept. 4, 2018

J.A. Rodriguez, Jr. also is part of EHS Today's editorial advisory board.

Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association's (VPPPA) general membership elected a new board of directors at its 34th annual Safety+ Symposium in Nashville.

Leading that board is J.A. Rodriguez, Jr., who will serve as chairman. He replaces Mike Guillory of The Brock Group.

“In the long history of our association, only a few people have been granted the responsibility of Chairperson," Rodriguez Jr. said in a statement. "I am truly honored to serve our members in this regard. Our association is on the verge of breakthrough growth. We will be in a continuous mode of reinvention as a matter of course, and our focus on demonstrating value, growing our strategic partnerships, enhancing our global presence, and being a resource for safety management system excellence is absolute."

The new board consists of Rodriguez; Rob Henson, vice-chair; Terry Schulte, secretary; Chris Adolfson, treasurer; Jack Griffith, director from a site with a collective bargaining agent; Richard McConnell, director from a site without a collective bargaining agent; Jamie Robey, director from a VPP contractor/construction site; Stacy Thursby, director from a DOE-VPP site; and directors-at-Large, Kimberly Watson, Dan Lazorcak, Kristyn Grow, Sean Horne and Alice Tatro.

Elected terms last two years.

For the past seven years, Rodriguez Jr. served on the VPPPA board of directors as a director-at-large. He currently is the global senior leader of environmental, health, safety and sustainability (EHSS) for Raytheon Company in Dulles, Virginia.

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.