Ann Marie Buerkle

Inez Tenenbaum

Society of Product Safety Professionals serves consumer product field

Former CPSC leaders share experiences that led to leadership roles. Scholarship funds available for the 7-webinar series.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA, July 17, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Leaders in the consumer product safety field will share experiences and insights into the impact that crisis management has on the career paths of safety professionals. In a 7-part webinar series starting September 20, "Crisis Management's Role in Professional Development" features leaders from government agencies, global industry leaders, and education specialists who will discuss how they met challenges that led to their growth as professionals.

The webinar series, which concludes on September 29, is being offered by the Society of Product Safety Professionals (SPSP), in cooperation with ADK Information Services. Participants who successfully complete the webinar series will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPSP, which is the primary professional development organization exclusively serving the education interests of industry and retailer product safety professionals. SPSP was formed by industry product safety professionals in 2016 by a group of product safety professionals supporting the concept of university-level product safety management education.

Registration is available at this link.

Each webinar in the series will be maintained in an archive for those students who may have schedule conflicts during the program. The program line up includes:

Webinar #1: Marie-Claude Simard, product safety manager for BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) in Canada, will lead the keynote webinar discussing how professionals can prepare for professional growth and the transition from being a specialist to the more challenge generalist area of leadership and overseeing the management and growth of others. Her panel members include Guillermo Rodriguez, Global Senior Director of Product Safety & Compliance for Harbor Freight Tools, and Kimberly Mason, Senior Director, Compliance, for Five Below. Ms. Simard is a 25-year veteran who has served in Senior Legal Counsel as well as Product Safety Manager roles with BRP. She is recognized as a rigorous professional able to inspire, train and develop multidisciplinary teams.

Webinar #2: Inez Tenenbaum will be interviewed by Don Mays, consultant and Vice President of the Society of Product Safety Professionals. They will discuss Ms. Tenenbaum's immediate challenges upon become Chairman. “I assumed the chairmanship at a time when the CPSC had to implement the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and promulgate a large number of rules required under the Act. Added to this challenge was the investigation and resolution of “Chinese Drywall,” which was closely monitored by Congress, consumers, and the media.” Responding to this pressure helped set the tone for the rest of her term as Chairman.

Webinar #3: Ann Marie Buerkle had experiences in the health care field, and public service as Assistant New York State Attorney General. She went on to win election to Congress representing New York’s 25th Congressional District. She was nominated in 2013 by President Barak Obama to serve as a Republican member on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ms. Buerkle observes: “Consider when you are in a crisis, the need to remain objective as well as to remain faithful to your principles become more difficult. I believe that these crisis situations help us to grow and mature in our leadership roles.” Don Mays will probe other lessons that Ms. Buerkle learned during her rise to government leadership.

Webinar #4: Steve Epner, an entrepreneur and instructor of MBA students in the Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University authored "Simplify Everything," a guide to business management. He believes that ”Success requires knowing one’s own strengths and weaknesses, and how to communicate effectively to a whole range of people within the product safety world.” Steve will lead a team building session that revolves around decision-making and communications. His fast-paced approach to teaching has kept hundreds of business and product safety students engaged and learning from each other.

Webinar #5: Michael del Negro's background combines a Masters Degree in Social Work and a law degree, both from the University of Michigan. His training led him to leadership roles in the practice of law, as well as senior positions in global consumer product companies. He understands the needs of upper management where critical decisions about product safety are made, and the needs of stakeholders throughout the company to understand the requirements for effective compliance. He is Vice President, Product Safety Compliance for Peloton Interactive. He has expertise in conducting evidence-based product safety investigations, and compliance program development and management.

Webinar #6: Timothy Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Global Quality, Compliance, and Sustainability for Spin Master, Ltd. a global leader in children’s toys and entertainment. He has a unique experience and insight to growth on a global basis, including the ability to meet regulatory and operational requirements in foreign markets that are critical to the success of a $2 billion company. His background encompasses the design and growth of well known products including XRC^®, Baby Alive^®, Star Wars^®, Jurassic Park^®, Play-Doh^®, EasyBake^®, Tonka^®, and Nascar^®. He holds a variety of patents in the U.S., Europe, and China.

Webinar #7: Kenneth d’Entremont, Ph.D, Associate Professor (Lecturer), University of Utah, Department of Engineering. Dr. d’Entremont has unique experience that combines an industry background in manufacturing and consulting, with an academic understanding of the role of ethics in business. His new book “Engineering Ethics and Design for Product Safety” provides the product safety world with an important view by a leader who has devoted his professional life to product safety. His book was among those named as 'Best New Product Design Books To Read In 2022' by BookAuthority, as featured on CNN, Forbes and Inc.

Scholarship awards are available for this program. For eligibility please inquire at info@adkprg.com.

Don Kornblet
ADK Information Services LLC
+1 314-497-1797
dkornblet@adksafetyinfo.com