Board of Directors - Lab Safety Institute

Tim Barton

Director of Research Safety, University of Tennessee

W. H. (Jack) Breazeale Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Francis Marion University, Florence, SC

Dr. W. H. (Jack) Breazeale was the chair of the chemistry and physics department at Francis Marion University for almost 30 years. At Francis Marion, he made health and safety an integral and important part of science education. On retiring and moving to Charleston, he taught chemistry part-time at the College of Charleston.

Dr. Breazeale is a past chair of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Chemical Health and Safety, and the Board – Council Committee on Chemical Safety. He is a past chair of the ACS National Chemistry Week Committee, a member of the ACS Committee on Committees, and a member of the ACS Insurance Board.

He is also a member of the Laboratory Safety Institute’s (LSI) Board of Directors. He is an excellent presenter/teacher and has been a senior instructor on the institute’s faculty for 16 years.

Lou DiBerardinis

Director, Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) MIT Office

Mr. DiBerardinis received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Hygiene from Harvard University. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional .

Mr. DiBerardinis is the Director, Environment, Health and Safety at MIT. Prior to that he was at Polaroid Corporation and Harvard University .

Mr. DiBerardinis is a visiting lecturer at Harvard University School of Public Health where he currently teaches in several graduate courses and continuing education programs. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Campus in the Department of the Work Environment. He is the author of numerous technical publications and co-authored the text “Guidelines for Laboratory Design: Health and Safety Considerations” and is editor of the “Handbook of Occupational Safety and Health”, both published by John Wiley and Sons. He served as chair of the ANSI Z9.5 subcommittee on Laboratory Ventilation from 1984 to 2006.

Jaclyn Graves

Director of Risk Management, McDaniel College

Barbara Hopkins

Independent Consultant

Consulting services to support organizational leadership, human capital improvements, and STEM advancement.

Jim Kaufman Ph.D.

VP Education, Laboratory Safety Institute

Dr. Kaufman has retired from his position as Professor of Chemistry at Curry College near Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to Curry, he was a research chemist at Dow Chemical. While there, he became increasingly involved in lab safety activities and authored Laboratory Safety Guidelines, which has become the world’s most widely distributed lab safety publication. Dr. Kaufman is regarded as the nation’s foremost authority on safety instruction in academia. He is the author-narrator of the ACS Audio Course on Laboratory Safety and Editor of Waste Disposal in Academic Institutions, Lewis Publishers, as well as the “One-Day Lab Safety Audio Seminar” and “Two-Day Lab Video Short Course.”

Additionally, Dr. Kaufman is a past chair of the International Council for Associations of Science Education (ICASE), Committee on Safety in Science Education.

Demetria Powell

Laboratory Safety Specialist, UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry

Ms. Powell is a board certified safety professional with a diverse background ranging from Chemical Process Safety to Research and Laboratory Safety. Ms. Powell earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from UNC Wilmington and Master of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health from East Carolina University. In addition to her certifications and education, Ms. Powell is a published award-winning author.

Alex Senchak

Vice President, Graham-Pelton

Mr. Senchak earned his bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University, where he majored in Theatre and minored in Business.

In addition to being LSI’s Chairman of the Board, he is the Vice President at Graham-Pelton providing counsel to clients in multiple sectors. Some of his clients include New York Academy of Sciences, Home Health Foundation, New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Regis College, and Roger Williams University.

He has consulted for organizations throughout the United States including the Lincoln Park Community Shelter in Chicago, the New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and the Trinity Church in Boston. Mr. Senchak served as a Theatre Consultant with Shalleck Collaborative Inc., and as Production Coordinator for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Catherine Situma, Ph.D.

Manager, Safety & Health, Auburn University

Ken Smith

Director - Environment, Heath & Safety (EHS), University of California, Office of the President

Ken Smith is the Systemwide Laboratory Safety Manager for the University of California. He currently works in the University of California Office of the President assists all 10 UC campuses in their efforts to improve their laboratory safety programs. Ken has served the UC system for 24 years in the areas of Radiation Safety and Research Safety an alumnus of UC Santa Cruz where he received his degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Mr. Smith holds board certifications in both in Industrial Hygiene and Health Physics.

Nathan Watson

President & CEO, BioRAFT

Nathan Watsonspent twelve years as a research scientist and nine years as a research lab manager overseeing large staffs of research scientists and managing research projects and collaborations. His research focused on the molecular genetics and metabolism of brain tumors. He managed research laboratories at the University of California San Francisco Medical School and Dartmouth Medical School, and conducted clinical cancer research at the Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center. He holds a degree in neuroscience from East Carolina University and has published articles in a number of scientific journals including the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Current Biology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network and was recently selected to join the MindShare Class of 2011. He lives in Loudoun County Virginia with his wife and their two children.

Mr. Watson founded BioRAFT in 2003 as a software development company that delivered individual management solutions to academic research institutions and laboratories. In 2006, he refocused BioRAFT’s efforts on developing a unified web‐based software platform to serve as the core structure on which to continually build and centrally deliver its solutions. Today, BioRAFT offers ten applications delivered as integrated modules on top of its platform. These modules increase lab safety and regulatory compliance, laboratory productivity, and management oversight for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, government labs, and academic research institutions. BioRAFT’s goal is to increase research performance thereby enabling more cost effective and rapid discovery of cures.

Mr. Watson currently serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Laboratory Safety Institute.

Brian Wazlaw Ed.D.

Laboratory Safety Officer, Exeter Region Cooperative School District

Dr. Brian Wazlaw is a retired chemistry and physical science teacher and district science safety coordinator at Exeter High School in Exeter, New Hampshire. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Fitchburg State College, his master’s degree in Biology from University of New Hampshire, and his doctorate in Education from Boston University.

He is the former Department Chair of Science and has extensive experience in science curriculum and NH science frameworks. Dr. Wazlaw has worked with the New Hampshire State Department of Education on state science and science safety issues. Following his retirement from teaching, he has continued as district science safety coordinator. He has presented science safety workshops throughout the state.

He is an active member of several professional organizations: National Science Education Leadership Association, New England Association of Chemistry Teachers, American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education, and both the National and New Hampshire Science Teachers Associations. He has received his certification (NRCC) as a Certified Chemical Hygiene Officer.

Dr. Wazlaw is involved in science safety on a national level through his membership on the NSTA science safety committee. He is the author of the LSI Model Chemical Hygiene Plan.