40 Year NJASSP Member &
Past President

This interview features Joann West, CSM. Joann is a 40 year member of the NJ Chapter and was the first female Chapter President (1991-1992). Conducting the interview is Jack Fearing, CPEA, Chapter Community & Youth Outreach Chair. Joann has more than 40 years of experience in all functional areas of occupational safety & health. She is the retired President of JVW Safety and a founding member of the Carlstadt Volunteer Ambulance Corps. She has a BA in Health Science from Jersey City State College and an MPA in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickerson University. Joann has been recognized with numerous safety awards from both ASSP and The National Safety Council. She currently resides Cedar Crest in Pompton Plains, NJ.
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On May 4, 2022 NJ ASSP hosted a webinar sponsored by Crum & Forster. The event was a huge success with over 45 attendees! This webinar incorporated updated information on fall protection safety programs for Construction and other industries, PPE including chin strap hard hats, and resources. We are pleased to offer this link to the presentation by NJ ASSP Past President Robert Sagendorf, CSP, ASP, CHST, CIT, SMS, CRIS, CUSP the Corporate Safety Director at EII, Inc.

After more than two years going through our collective (and respective individual) trials and tribulations, during the COVID19 pandemic, we were able to finally come together at the Stirling Tavern in Morristown, NJ, to celebrate all of our past presidents of our Platinum Level ASSP New Jersey Chapter. It was great to get together to see faces new and familiar. Events like these remind us why we all volunteer to make ASSP the organization it is and help support us all to become better safety, health, and environmental professionals.

It was a very special night where we recognized two of our longest standing members of the NJ Chapter.  We celebrated Joann West, who has volunteered for over 41 years in ASSP who was also our first female president.  Joann is a pioneer, with her calm demeanor, vast wealth of knowledge, and overall grace, she has helped build NJ ASSP into the powerhouse it is today.  It was a pleasure being in her presence and an honor providing a spotlight on her exceptional volunteerism.

We also celebrated Jack Fearing, who has volunteered for more than 40 years in ASSP and is still a very active member today.  Jack has recently hosted events at the Picatinny Arsenal and is the co-founder of the NJ ASSP Podcast Series.  Jack is always available to help and a pleasure to be around. 

We ended the evening’s festivities by going around the room and giving the floor to each past president where the common theme was how a breath of fresh air it is to see everyone again and build on our Chapter’s stellar reputation.

Please join us at our next meeting, scheduled for June 15, 2022, at the Chatham Firehouse in Chatham, NJ. The event starts at 4:00 pm and is hosted by Past President, Robert Sagendorf.

Photos courtesy of Cristiano Godoy (Pictured on the left)

We look forward to seeing you there!

If you missed the Department of Labor’s Workers Memorial Day observance, it is available to watch online. The program includes remarks from labor leaders, members of Congress, and those directly impacted by workplace tragedies.

Secretary

Meghna Dhawan, Environmental Health Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) Manager at Nestle Health Sciences.

Meghna is responsible for the implementation & support of Environmental Health Safety and Sustainability Site Operations strategy for Nestle Health Science.

Meghna started her career with Johnson & Johnson as an EHS Specialist supporting Medical Device manufacturing operations, and AbbVie Biopharmaceutical. Meghna brings to the team experience as an operational production supervisor building strong cross functional relationships with engineering and maintenance teams, experience with implementation and maintained compliance of ISO14001 (Environmental Management), ISO 45001 (Safety Management), & ISO 50001 (Energy Management) as well as experience leading outreach Sustainability efforts to educate employees on waste reduction, energy conservation, and compost recycling programs.

Meghna has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Purdue University as well as a Master of Public Health in Environmental and Occupational Sciences, with a concentration in Industrial Hygiene, from University of Illinois at Chicago.

Thanks for attending New Jersey Chapter ASSP “CIG FEST 2022” and for those who could not make it, hope to see you next year. The event was held at McGoverns Tavern in Newark and was intended to introduce NJ ASSP Chapter members to the various common interest groups (CIGs) within ASSP, with the intention of fostering local level engagement. CIGs represented at the event included Women in Safety Excellence (Laynnea Myles), Blacks in Safety Excellence (Corey Jones/Robyn Covington-Charles), & Hispanic Safety Professionals (Alex Ruiz). In addition, the Rutgers University Student Chapter, led by Osasenaga Iyamu and Yaritza Rodriguez, were intrumental in making the event a success. Also a special thanks to current Chapter President Joe Leuzzi and Past Presidents Frank Gesualdo and Joe Schwed for helping support the event. 

This interview features Joe Del Greco, CSP. Joe is the Chair of the Networking Standing
Committee. Conducting the interview is Jack Fearing, CPEA, Chapter Community & Youth
Outreach Chair. Joe has been a member of the New Jersey Chapter since 1999 and has more than 40 years of experience in environmental, safety, health & risk management. He received his Certified Safety Professional certification in 2001, and the NYC Site Safety Manager License in 2018. He was a Senior Construction Risk Consultant for AIG for 13 years, and currently is a Risk Consultant for SML Capital Advisors, working out of his home.

Listen to the Podcast

You can contact Joe at (201) 321-0744 or Joozep2007@optimum.net.