The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has bestowed its highest honor 鈥� the Society鈥檚 Fellow distinction 鈥� upon five trailblazing members whose lifelong dedication has profoundly shaped workplace safety and health. Felix Nakpodia, Tim Page-Bottorff, Lawrence Schulze, Leslie Stockel and Christine Sullivan join a distinguished list of only 152 Fellows since ASSP鈥檚 founding in 1911.
鈥淥ur Fellows are an elite group of influential safety leaders who are the architects of safer tomorrows,鈥� said ASSP President Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP. 鈥淭hey are highly respected experts who have broadly improved work environments to save lives while fundamentally advancing the safety and health profession.鈥�
Each of these inspirational leaders brings a unique and powerful legacy to the safety and health field:
鈥� 聽Felix Nakpodia, FISPN, FCILT, FIMS, FIET: Known as 鈥渢he walking encyclopedia of safety,鈥� Nakpodia has more than 50 years of experience that spans government, oil and gas, military, and public transport. He is an environmental health and safety (EHS) consultant manager at Feknak Safety Advisers in Nigeria and a founding member of ASSP鈥檚 Nigeria Chapter. He has recruited over 900 professionals and was instrumental in shaping Nigeria鈥檚 landmark Institute of Safety Professionals Act, which improved working conditions across diverse industries. His pioneering work in road safety methodologies continues to minimize incidents globally.
鈥⒙� Tim Page-Bottorff, M.S., CSP, CIT: A former U.S. Marine, Page-Bottorff is an award-winning speaker and safety trainer regarded as an expert consultant, educator, mentor and author. He is senior director at JLL and a partner with SafeStart. During his career of more than 30 years, Page-Bottorff has designed leading-edge approaches to prevent serious injuries and fatalities. He is a subject matter expert on psychological safety and conducts approximately 100 sessions a year that enhance the skills of safety professionals while empowering them with strategies to solve real-world safety challenges. He was ASSP鈥檚 2018 Safety Professional of the Year.
鈥⒙� Lawrence Schulze, Ph.D., P.E., CPE: The academic innovator is an associate professor and director of the Process Safety Certificate Program at the University of Houston. He brings more than 35 years of experience in worker safety, ergonomics and human factors engineering. His influence extends from space shuttle systems and space station design to critical safety consulting projects involving petrochemical processing, medical equipment, construction, railroad maintenance, food processing, furniture manufacturing and laboratory services. He has guided more than 400 student research projects that have addressed widespread worker safety challenges.
鈥⒙� Leslie Stockel, Ph.D., CSP, SMP: Oklahoma State University鈥檚 associate professor of professional practice is cultivating the next generation of safety leaders. Stockel is faculty advisor for an ASSP student section, recruiting students to pursue safety and health degrees. She speaks at national conferences and writes for peer-reviewed journals. Her 40 years of experience has influenced the safety profession in many ways, including work in the chemical and pulp manufacturing industries. Stockel鈥檚 supervision of undergraduate research, from nuclear power plant incidents to aerospace hazardous materials, broadens her impact on emerging professionals.
鈥⒙� Christine Sullivan, CSP, ARM: Celebrated for championing and mentoring emerging safety and health professionals, Sullivan is executive vice president and head of risk control, North America, at Sompo. With her 35 years of experience in worker safety and health, she built a loss control operation that now has a global footprint. Sullivan鈥檚 influence extends to promoting women in safety and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the EHS community. She speaks at national conferences and has written articles to advance worker safety, such as authoring a book chapter that provided practical guidance on the insurance aspects of total worker health.
The new Fellows will be honored at ASSP鈥檚 Safety 2025 Professional Development Conference and Exposition, held July 22-24 in Orlando. The honor of Fellow recognizes a member鈥檚 lifetime commitment, achievement and leadership in preventing injuries, illnesses and fatalities on the job. Nominees must have a history of major contributions to the profession for at least 15 years.