Leadership

Ray Ferrara, CFP, BCSP Board of Directors’ Public Director, is Chairman and CEO of ProVise Management Group, LLC, a full-service financial planning firm which is a Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He is involved with many professional and not-for-profit organizations including PMG Marketing Group, American Financial Solutions, and Money Transfer Systems. Mr. Ferrara was previously the Chair of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standard, Inc. and is a Registered Principal with FINRA. Mr. Ferrara has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Maryland.

Tony Militello serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland at College Park as the instructor for ENFP350, a junior level course designed to inform students about the profession of fire protection engineering and the potential career paths they can pursue upon graduation. This course resides within an ABET accredited program, and significantly contributes to two ABET Student Outcomes that are mandatory for the successful accreditation of the fire protection engineering curriculum. Mr. Militello currently serves as the Occupational and Operational Safety and Health Director for the Department of the Navy (DON). In this role, he serves as the subject matter expert and strategic advisor to the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). He has a Master of Public Administration from American University, a Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland.

Daniel T. Lyons, MPH, CSP, CRSP, CMIOSH is the Vice President, Safety and Environment at Armtec, the leading manufacturer and marketer of a comprehensive range of infrastructure products and engineered construction solutions in every region of Canada. Mr. Lyons has been in the safety field for over 30 years. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Board of Certified Safety Professionals and as a Board Trustee for BCSP Foundation. He previously was on the Board of Governors and a Past Chair for the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals. Mr. Lyons was listed in eSafetySource as a “Who’s Who of Safety, Health, and Environmental Professionals”. He has a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences from Tulane University.

Joaquin M. Diaz, CSP, CHST, OHST is Vice President of Safety Support Services at Lawson & Associates, a full-service safety solutions provider. He has over 20 years of occupational safety and health management experience. Mr. Diaz’s work experience includes 15 years in a leadership position for two top 150 ENR contractors, with 11 years for Hawaii’s largest general contractor. He served honorably in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Diaz has overseen the development and implementation of large construction company Health, Safety, and Environmental Management Systems. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in the professional development, mentoring, and training of Safety Professionals in and out of his organization.

In addition to his service as Trustee, Mr. Diaz is an active board member of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. He is also past chair of the Hoisting Machine Operators Advisory Board after being nominated by two separate governors and serving for three governors. Additionally, Mr. Diaz has served as past president of the Hawaii ASSE chapter, past president of the Hawaii AIHA chapter, and an active member of the national AGC Safety and Health committees.

Mr. Diaz has two Bachelor Degree’s from different universities, a Masters in Management (MM), and maintains several certifications, including Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician (OHST) and Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST).

Leslie R. Stockel, MS, CSP, SMS is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology at Oklahoma State University as well as the Program Director for Curriculum and Instruction for the OSU OSHA Education Center. Ms. Stockel has 30 years of experience in the Safety and Health profession, working in education, public and private sector organizations. She is currently a Board Director for Board of Certified Safety Professionals and a Board Trustee for BCSP Foundation. She is a professional member of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), currently known as the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). Ms. Stockel was named Safety Professional of the Year for the ASSE Oklahoma City Chapter, and ASSE Region III Safety Professional of the Year in 2017. She also serves as the ASSE-OSU Student chapter faculty sponsor, and Region III North Area Director. Ms. Stockel has Master of Science in Engineering Technology Management, a Bachelors of Science and Associate of Applied Science in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University.

Travis Kruse is the Senior Director of Safety Strategy and Solutions for W.W. Grainger Incorporated, an American Fortune 500 industrial supply company for industrial-grade supplies and safety products. Dr. Kruse has over 22 years of experience in consulting, general industry and sales leadership roles. He is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Murray State University Occupational Safety and Health (ANSAC/ABET) Advisory Council, Member of Oregon State University Corporate Partners Program, Semiconductor Environmental, Safety & Health Association (SESHA) Board Member, and an authorized instructor for the OSHA Training Institute (OTI). He is also the 2010 recipient of ASSE Doctoral Fellowship, Oregon State University. Dr. Kruse has a PhD in Public Health, Environmental, Health and Safety from Oregon State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Health and Safety from Murray State University.

Robert G. Mayes, Jr. is the Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Southern Education Group, the parent company of Columbia Southern University (CSU) and Waldorf University. Mayes has more than 25 years of experience in the distance learning industry. In this role he provides strategy and leadership support to both institutions which serve over 33,000 students. He served as President of Columbia Southern University from 2005 – 2018.  Safety has been at the core of CSU’s academic focus since the very beginning.  Founded in 1993 to serve the safety industry, CSU’s occupational safety and health degree programs have set the foundation for online safety education.  Mr. Mayes serves on several boards including, the Alabama Association of Private Colleges and Schools, Waldorf University and Columbia Southern University Board of Trustees. He has a Master of Business Administration from Capella University and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University.