WASHINGTON — On July 9th, Sandy Miller was welcomed as the new president of the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) Board of Directors. Miller works with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services in Mississauga, Ontario, as an Account Manager, Industry & Partner Relations in Agriculture. “It is an honor and privilege to build on momentum and continue the journey and vision of previous leaders, while exploring opportunities to grow international presence and membership. We will strive to ensure sustainability through financial growth and meeting the changing needs of our members while respecting our legacy,” states Miller. “I believe ISASH is unique in our capacity as a supportive network of experts in our field, always at the ready to lend a hand with insights, experience, and encouragement. ISASH has been instrumental in helping members build the right tools to address farmers needs and grow our capacity and capability to deliver them through our respective locations and career paths.”
Assisting Miller with leadership for the board will be the new president-elect, Dr. Michael Pate. Pate is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Sciences, Technology, and Education at Utah State University. “To say that I am fired up about this role is an understatement,” according to Pate. “I am so proud to serve ISASH in this capacity. As we examine our organization, our network has grown. Even in these challenging times, our members have promoted and sustained our community of practice in exciting new ways. In this role, I will continue to challenge every member to keep this momentum going. I look forward to engaging in collaborative efforts, both locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, to support our members serving our stakeholders. My goal is to see our organization at the front lines effectively and creatively translating research findings into practice to meet tomorrow’s challenges today.”
A special thank you goes out to ISASH’s past-president, Scott Heiberger. Heiberger is the Communication Manager for the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, Wisconsin. During his term, Heiberger and the ISASH Board of Directors and Conference Planning Committee worked diligently to overcome challenges surrounding COVID-19, which prevented the annual in-person conference, planned for June 22-25, 2020 in Asheville, North Carolina, from happening. The conference was quickly adapted to a virtual format with special “Days of Learning” offered throughout the month of July. The ISASH team is continuing to plan additional conference opportunities for the remainder of the year and looking forward to resuming an in-person conference next year. Registration to the conference is still open, so do not miss the chance to take part in future “Days of Learning” and view past recordings of engaging panel discussions and presentations on emerging issues facing agricultural safety and health. For more information on how to register to view conference materials or to become a member, go to www.isash.org.
The ISASH board of directors is made up of global leaders in agricultural safety and health industry. In addition to Miller and Pate, board members include: Wendy Bennett (AgSafeBC), James Carrabba (Bassett Healthcare/New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health), Brian Kuhl (Progressive Agriculture Foundation), Amy Rademaker (Carle Foundation Hospital), Athena Ramos (University of Nebraska Medical Center/Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health), Marsha Salzwedel (Marshfield Clinic/National Farm Medicine Center), and Carolyn Sheridan (Ag Health & Safety Alliance).
Carrabba and Kuhl are the newest additions to the leadership team and replace Peter Lundqvist (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Scott Heiberger. Both Lundqvist and Heiberger served as presidents and completed two, consecutive three-year terms on the board.
ISASH is a world leader in the development of agricultural safety and health professionals. ISASH membership brings together countless agricultural leaders throughout the world. Members include engineers, educators, insurers, physicians, nurses, veterinarians, statisticians, communicators, business leaders and others with extensive farm backgrounds. ISASH provides opportunities for sharing research and intervention programs, improving professional skills and knowledge, networking and other supportive activities.
Learn more at www.isash.org, also like ISASH on Facebook www.facebook.com/ISASH/ or follow on Twitter @real_isash.
–International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health
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