James Bastin is currently the Assistant Chief of Fire Operations for the Blue Grass Army Depot Fire and Emergency Services Department. Mr. Bastin has an extensive background in all facets in the Fire Protection career field to include all manners of rescue operations, fire ground operations and tactics, and fire prevention. Mr. Bastin gained much of his experience while serving for over 20 years in the United States Air Force and as the Blue Grass Army Depot’s only Fire Inspector for over four years. While building the Blue Grass Army Depot’s Fire Prevention program from the ground up Mr. Bastin was drawn to the Safety side of the service. James is a graduate of EKU’s Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program with a B.S. in Industrial Safety and Risk Management. He has also earned a Master of Science in Safety Security and Emergency Management from EKU. With over 30 years of Fire and Safety experience, Mr. Bastin’s specialties are fire safety and hazardous materials.
Gary Brown is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.A. in Liberal Science from the State University of New York, an M.S. in Environmental and Occupational Health from Hunter College, and a Dr.P.H. in Occupational Safety and Health from the University of Alabama. Dr. Brown is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and has many professional affiliations, including being past president of the Association of environmental health Academic Programs (AEHAP) and current Undergraduate Mentor for AEHAP. He has over 20 years consulting experience in the environmental, industrial hygiene, and safety arenas.
Gary Foltz is a Senior Manager with the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company responsible for Corporate Safety and Industrial Hygiene. Gary graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Environmental Health with a MS in Environmental Health/Industrial Hygiene. He also has a BA in Biology and a MBA from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky. He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Utility Safety Administrator and has worked in the medical, chemical, nuclear, and telecommunications industries. He is a member of the KY-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team responding to disasters nationwide. In addition, Gary has over 35 years of volunteer fire and emergency service experience and is currently an EMT and Assistant Fire Chief with the Crescent Springs/Villa Hills Fire and EMS Department.
William Hicks is an Associate Professor for the Department of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.S. in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology and an M.S. in Loss Prevention and Safety, both from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. Hicks is a consultant to industry in several technical areas including fire protection detection and suppression systems, emergency response, emergency management and preparedness. He is an NAFI and IAAI Certified Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigator, and an NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist.
Ron Hopkins is a retired Associate Professor in the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.S. in Industrial Education and an M.S. in vocational and Technical Education from Murray State University. Mr. Hopkins is a consultant to industry in a number of technical areas including fire protection and OSHA-related areas of hazardous material, confined space, respiratory protection, industrial emergency response and all levels of safety management.
Bryan Makinen is the Director of Environmental Health Safety at Eastern Kentucky University He has a B.S. in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology and an M.P.H. from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr Makinen’s work has been focused in industrial safety, environmental, security, and occupational medicine.
Jonathan Pennington is President of Health and Safety Sciences, LLC. He has a B.S. in Occupational Safety and Health and an M.B.A. in Public Administration from Columbia Southern University. Mr. Pennington’s areas of expertise include lock out/tag out, respiratory protection, confined space, hazardous materials response, and industrial emergency response, among others. He is a Certified Safety Professional, Registered Professional Industrial Hygienist, and Certified Protection Professional (CPP).
Gary L Roberts is the Safety Supervisor for Cherokee Millwright in Morristown Tennessee and has over 30 years of experience in environmental health and safety management. Gary graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachler of Science in management and Master of Business Administration in human resource management. He has served as Vice President of the Knoxville ASSP and the national safety committee of Federated Insurance. Gary is a Vietnam combat veteran. In the past, Gary was an annual presenter at the Tennessee Safety Congress. Gary is listed as a subject mater expert in OSHA standards and training topics.
Randy Shaw has taught at EKU for over 10 years serving as a lead Instructor at the OSHA Training Institute Education Center and adjunct faculty for the College. He has over 35 years of safety experience in the areas of General Industry, Construction, Refining, Mining, and Maritime Industries. Randy has in-depth experience with lockout/tagout, confined space entry, OSHA compliance and regulatory standards, as well as incident investigations. Randy is a Certified Safety Professional and a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager at the senior level. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the American Waterways Organization. Randy holds a B.S. in Industrial Security and Safety from Eastern Kentucky University and an M.S. in Safety Management from Marshall University.
Dr. David H. Stumbo, OHST is an Associate Professor in Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management. He has worked in occupational safety and health for over 20 years, including various positions within the Kentucky OSH Program including Compliance Officer, Industrial Hygiene Consultant, and Safety Program Manager. David is the Principal of Stumbo Safety Solutions, LLC, which specializes in providing onsite safety and health consultation and training services to small-sized employers and start-ups. Dr. Stumbo holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from Murray State University, Master of Science from Kentucky State University in Public Administration, Master of Science from Eastern Kentucky University in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management, Associate degree from Columbia Southern University in Fire Science, and Doctorate degree from Eastern Kentucky University in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. David is also a Board Member of the Kentucky Safety and Health Network, a Certified Occupational Safety and Health Technologist, and has provided training at EKU’s OTEIC since 2004.
Stephen C. Tussey has thirty years of experience in the correctional field and is retired from the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. He has worked closely with numerous federal, state, and local agencies developing interagency agreements and emergency response plans for bio-chemical, fire, and natural disasters. He developed the first training agreement with OSHA, allowing the entire Bureau of Prisons’ safety staff to become certified OSHA instructors. Mr. Tussey continues to work in the correctional field as a Senior Safety Consultant with Creative Corrections, performing quality assurance reviews of correctional facilities throughout the United States.
Gary Yurt has 27 years of experience in the fire protection and emergency response service field as well as in safety and health within the private industry sector in manufacturing, chemical and power generation. Gary has extensive experience in all phases of safety management and is known for enhancing safety by management and employee involvement in the overall safety culture. Additionally, he has expertise in regulatory compliance, corporate EHS auditing, behavior-based safety, and business continuity planning. Mr. Yurt holds a M.S. Degree in Loss Prevention and Safety Administration from Eastern Kentucky University and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association and American Society of Safety Engineers.