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Chapter President’s Message

Greetings ASSP Chesapeake Chapter Members,

I am pleased to announce that, for the fourth consecutive year, the ASSP Chesapeake Chapter has achieved Platinum status. This outstanding recognition reflects the continued commitment, leadership, and dedication of our chapter to advancing the safety profession and supporting one another as professionals.

Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this achievement. Reaching Platinum status is no small accomplishment and maintaining that level of excellence year after year speaks volumes about the strength of our chapter and the people who make it successful.

I would especially like to thank the Executive Committee members for their hard work, time, and commitment throughout the year. Your leadership, follow-through, and willingness to serve have been instrumental in helping the chapter meet its goals and continue building on its success.

I also want to express my sincere appreciation to all Chesapeake Chapter members. It has been a true pleasure and honor to serve as your Chapter President since 2024. I am grateful for the support, encouragement, participation, and professionalism each of you has brought to our chapter during that time.

Together, we have continued to strengthen the Chesapeake Chapter’s presence, provide value to our members, and support the mission of ASSP. I am proud of what we have accomplished and excited for the continued success of the chapter in the years ahead.

As we look ahead, I am pleased to share that Matt Koss, CSP, CHST, SMP will take over as Chapter President beginning July 1. Matt has my full support, and I am confident he will do a fantastic job in his new role. I look forward to seeing the chapter continue to grow and succeed under his leadership.

Thank you again for your dedication, service, and continued support. Congratulations to the ASSP Chesapeake Chapter on this well-deserved Platinum status achievement.

Sincerely,

James Woodward Sr.
President, ASSP Chesapeake Chapter

Welcome

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to join us at ASSP Chesapeake Chapter. There are many great reasons to join our chapter such as sharing of technical knowledge, professional development opportunities and networking. These interactions help to provide guidance, techniques and solutions to help OSH professionals prevent injuries, improve work environments and educate management. Another advantage is the free subscription to the professional journal Professional Safety, which offers in depth articles on best practices, leadership, standards, policy and regulation. Membership also helps you tap into a powerful audience with ASSP Media Solutions and other means to develop professionally. Our chapter is 392 members strong and still growing!

The ASSP organization itself is the oldest and largest professional safety organization. With more than 37, 000 members worldwide, it is a global association of occupational safety, health and environmental professionals that advances the interests of its members and the profession.

Please feel free to contact us at membership@chesapeake.assp.org if you have any questions. Thanks again for taking the time to join us and we hope to see you again!

ASSP Chesapeake Chapter Celebrates our 63rd Anniversary

In the late 1950’s, a small group of Safety Professionals, originally, members of the Safety Engineering Club of Baltimore petitioned to bring their group into the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). The group had been rejected by ASSE many times prior because they “could not qualify as a chapter because of the small percentage of qualified people shown on the roster”. After more than two years, The American Society of Safety Engineers granted our (Chesapeake) charter effective April 9, 1963. Since that date “we have conducted ourselves as the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers”.

On May 14, 1963, the Chapter held its charter acceptance meeting at the Sparrows Point Country Club. Below are some of the attendees:

• Mr. Hudson Quarles – President, Baltimore Safety Council
• Mr. L.D. Zweier – Management ’s Representative, Bethlehem Steel Corporation
• Mr. Paul Lucanski – ASSE Chesapeake’s 1^st Treasurer
• Mr. Henry Lamb – Eastern Regional Vice President, ASSE
• Mr. Kenneth Robinson – ASSE Chesapeake’s 1^st Vice President
• Mr. Al Blackman – Managing Director, ASSE
• Mr. Leonard Wozny – ASSE Chesapeake’s 1^st President
• Mr. Arthur Christian – Treasurer, ASSE
• Mr. Joseph Shofstal – ASSE Chesapeake’s 1^st Secretary
• Mr. James Van Namee – Vice President, Eastern Central Region, ASSE
• Mr. Wilbur Agee – ASSE Chesapeake Chapter’s 1^st Chaplain

It’s fitting in the country’s 250^th birthday to reflect on the closing comments of some of the original membership.

“As of this writing, February of 1976, in the year of our country’s two-hundredth birthday, we are alive and healthy. We are in the hands of well qualified leadership, both in the Chapter and at Society level. We are growing. We need to grow to keep up wi