The conference program will have a more detailed biography for each
speaker.
Willie Piispanen is currently the Senior Director of ES&H for URS in Boise Idaho. He is a
Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Safety Professional, a Certified Ergonomic Associate
and a Charter Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Currently he is
participating as a member of the NIOSH NORA committee on Musculoskeletal Disorders
(MSDs) in construction and also the committee on Safety Management Programs.
Wendy Forgey graduated from Montana Tech in 1999 with a degree in Occupational Safety and
Health. She spent several years on the Bunker Hill Superfund Site, as well as within the Heavy
Highway Construction industry. In 2006, she joined Montana State Fund as a Safety
Management Consultant, and has worked with hundreds of businesses to address safety and
health concerns. She has set up “Champions” style programs for many companies.
Glen Carter serves as the Chief Technical Officer for Justrite Manufacturing Company LLC a
leader in safety products for flammable and combustible liquids and hazardous liquids. Glen
serves on the NFPA 30 Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code Committee and the UL/ANSI
Committees: STP 0030 Portable Flammable Liquid Containers, STP 0032 Solid Waste
Containers, and STP 1275 Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinets. Glen has over 25 years
experience in safety products design development with strict conformance to laws and
standards.
Keith Cron has recent experience dealing with environmental issues specifically related to
asbestos and lead contamination. Keith has conducted LBP assessments and supervised the
performance of LBP abatements. As a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) he has assessed,
designed, and supervised the monitoring and remediation efforts for varying levels of
contaminated properties.
Nic Pisciotta has nearly 13 years experience in the field of public safety, environmental safety,
and safety management. He currently works for CDM Smith as a health and safety coordinator
and works most closely on the EPA’s Libby asbestos superfund project, in Libby, Montana. Nic
received his B.S. in natural resource management from West Virginia University and his M.P.H.
in occupational health and safety management from Tulane University.
Doug Beecroft has over 20 years in the safety and respiratory industry, working with Mining,
Government and Heavy Industrial accounts and distribution.
Phillip Dahl is a Mine Safety and Health Specialist for MSHA. Prior to MSHA, Phillip worked 26
years for Homestake Mining Company in Colorado and South Dakota and at the McLaughlin
Gold Project in Northern California. He is a graduate of the U.S. Mine Academy in West
Virginia, has a BS in Management from Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA and a degree in
Networking Technology from Empire College, Santa Rosa, CA.
Lance Williamson has represented Capital Safety (parent company of DBI-Sala and Protecta)
for 11 years in the Rocky Mountain States, teaching fall protection to companies in several
industries.
Marilyn Cameron has been the Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Montana Tech
for over 13 years. Her job functions include all aspects of safety, industrial hygiene, emergency
management, hazardous waste, workers’ compensation, and radiation safety. She graduated
from Montana Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health and a
Master of Science degree in Industrial Hygiene.
Wendy Samson is the President of FutureSYNC International, a forward-thinking employer
resource, and leadership development consortia. Wendy is a professional in Human Resource
Management certified by the Human Resource Certification Institute. She has spent more than
25 years acquiring skills in a variety of Human Resources, Organizational Assessment &
Effectiveness, Service, and Sales & Management positions.
Jitu C. Patel is a Senior Consultant with over forty five years of experience in Safety, Health &
Environment field with chemicals, oil & gas corporations. For 21 years, Mr. Patel has provided
health & safety professional services to Aramco; a major Oil & Gas producing & processing
corporation in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Patel provided technical training and conducted research for
15 years in the field of fire & explosion, health and environment issues at a heavy chemical
manufacturing company. Mr. Patel is the Chief Consultant to Bill Sims Company, USA, HSE
Director, Dallah Human Skills Development, KSA, Senior Principal Consultant with AcuTech
Consulting Group. Mr. Patel has a BS (Honors) in Chemistry & Physics and an M.Phil in Energy
& Fuel Science from Leeds University, UK. He is a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor
(CPEA) for Health & Safety of the Board of Environmental Professional Certification (BEAC),
USA.
Richard Laufenberg came to the U.S. Department of Labor in September 1984 where he served
as a Metal/Non-Metal Inspector in the Topeka, Kansas, field office. He was promoted January
1993 to Supervisor Mine Safety and Health Inspector in the Denver, Colorado, field office. In
September of 2005 Richard was promoted to the position of Assistant District Manager and in
September of 2007, Richard was promoted to his current position Rocky Mountain District
Manager.
Ivan Pupulidy is the Human Performance Specialist for the US Forest Service, a position earned
through a multi-faceted career path. After receiving a Geology B.S. Degree in 1984, Ivan
worked as a mine geologist and exploration geophysicist. Ivan joined the Coast Guard, where
he was winged as a Naval Aviator in 1987. Following a successful ten year career with the
Coast Guard, Ivan traded water for fire and became a Lead Plane Pilot for the US Forest
Service. Ivan completed a Master’s of Science in Human Factors and Systems Safety at Lund
University, Sweden and is currently a PhD student, studying Fire Safety Engineering and
System Safety.
Jacqueline Michael-Midkiff is the Regional Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS)
Mountain Plains Economic Analysis and Information Office located in Kansas City. She began
her career with BLS more than 15 years ago as an economist collecting and analyzing
compensation data. She then spent several years working with inflation data from the
Consumer Price Index before moving to the office of Economic Analysis and Information.
Jacqueline has a master’s degree in Public Affairs, as well as degrees in Business and
Economics. She is a graduate of William Jewell College and Park University.