Your Chesapeake Chapter Executive Committee met in July, August, and September to keep chapter programs, communications, and advocacy moving forward. Here are the highlights:

Chapter recognized with third straight Region Six SPY Award. Congratulations to Ashton Alban, CSP, CIH, on receiving the Region Six SPY Award. This is the Chesapeake Chapter’s third consecutive win. Chapter members will be attending the Region Six conference.

Planning underway for the 2027 PDC. The committee is building out construction and safety management tracks for next March’s Professional Development Conference. A call for speaker and keynote proposals is coming soon, so keep an eye on your inbox if you’d like to present.

November quarterly dinner in the works. The committee is exploring a program on the Key Bridge investigation for a November dinner. Details will be shared once the speakers are confirmed.

Book club author wrap-up on October 12. About 20 members are reading along this cycle, and an author Q&A is planned for October 12.

Stronger chapter communications. The committee endorsed a recurring communications calendar that ties together email, LinkedIn, the website, member spotlights, and event promotion. Upcoming events will be posted to the website calendar as save-the-dates, even before all details are final. Our LinkedIn page recently passed 60 followers, so follow us if you haven’t yet!

Member survey coming. A membership satisfaction survey is being prepared to help shape future programs. Watch for it and share your input.

Award nominations due December 1. Nominations for the Chapter SPY, Volunteer One President’s Award, and related recognitions are due December 1. Submission instructions will be sent to the membership.

Advocacy and outreach. Our Government Affairs team continues to engage with state and federal agencies on workplace safety issues and to explore bringing agency speakers to future chapter events.

Chapter finances remain in good standing. Treasurer’s reports and prior meeting minutes were reviewed and approved at each meeting.

Want the full picture? Visit the Files tab to download the complete meeting minutes for July, August, and September.

Dear Chesapeake Chapter Members,

The 2027 Chesapeake AIHA/ASSP/JHU Educational Seminar is looking for speakers, and we would like to encourage our members to consider sharing their knowledge and experience with the safety and health community.

If you have been looking for an opportunity to present, this is a great chance to get involved. We are looking for individuals who:

• Have new insights, ideas, or best practices to share
• Have experience or expertise in an area that would benefit others in our profession
• Have a successful program, initiative, or lesson learned they would like to present
• Simply have an interest in presenting and contributing to the professional community

Whether you are an experienced presenter or this would be your first time speaking at a professional seminar, we encourage you to submit a topic.

The speaker and topic submission link will be available on the Chesapeake Chapter website beginning in October. Please consider submitting your topic and sharing your experience with your colleagues.

This is a great opportunity to get your ideas out to the safety and health community, share what you have learned, and help others in our profession.

We look forward to seeing the great topics and ideas our members have to offer.

Turning Pages. Improving Safety.

We’re excited to announce the launch of our NEW Book Club, kicking off in early September!

INAUGURAL BOOK
Human and Organizational Potential (HOP)
by Ivan Pupulidy and Crista Vesel

WHEN: Beginning of September (exact date TBA)
FORMAT: Virtual meeting
FREQUENCY: Monthly meetings

ABOUT THE BOOK
Human and Organizational Potential (HOP) helps us understand how people tackle risks and create safety in the workplace. It offers a bridge between theory and application to help us work within complex adaptive systems, which, by their very nature, deliver the unexpected. This book helps us understand our systems, our culture, and our people.Illustrated with real-life examples, safety professionals, managers, and leaders at all levels will find practical ideas to help guide them through safety challenges.

STAY TUNED FOR:

• Exact meeting date and time
• Registration link
• Discussion topics

INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?
Email Matt Koss at Matthew.koss2@gmail.com to be added to the discussion.

Not a member yet? Visit ASSP.org to learn more about the benefits of Chapter membership.

Chesapeake Chapter
American Society of Safety Professionals

Chesapeake Chapter Members,

We are thrilled to announce that Ashton Alban-Hatcher has been named the 2026 ASSP Region VI Safety Professional of the Year!

This marks the third year in a row that a Chesapeake Chapter member has earned this honor, following Paul Esposito (2024) and Matt Koss (2025).

Ashton is a Project Manager at EA Engineering, Science, and Technology. Her leadership has strengthened environmental and occupational health and safety programs, including the development of an ISO 45001-informed safety management system.

A few highlights of her impact:

• ASSP Leadership: Chairs the Chesapeake Chapter and Region VI WISE groups, and contributes at the Society level.
• Mentorship: Fosters meaningful growth for emerging and established safety professionals.
• Community Impact: Serves as President of AIHA Chesapeake and helped grow the joint PDC into a 175+ participant event.

Please join us in congratulating Ashton on this well-deserved honor!

– ASSP Chesapeake Chapter

The Chesapeake ASSP Sport Fishing Charter was finalized on July 1, 2026 and we had fourteen participants. Eight members and their six guests enjoyed a morning of fishing fun as we motored up the Bay for fabulous Rock Fishing. Once the Captain settled into a honey hole off the northern CraigHill channel everyone caught their limit very quickly and settled into “catch and return” status. I think everyone caught their limit twice over.

Motoring down the Bay the Captain picked an excellent spot for bottom fishing for bait fish. All anglers were pulling Spot in left and right to fill the barrel and several of us were catching two at a time.

The 1st Mate (Steph) and Captain Brandon were attentive to every need and I heard no complaints about the service, food spread or weather. The Lord smiled upon our trip this time while we were out “Chasin Tail”.