| Faculty Bios |
| Karen Gunderson MPH, CIH, CHMM Consulting Industrial Hygienist State Compensation Insurance Fund Karen Gunderson is a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) and Certified Hazardous Material Manager (CHMM) with a Master's of Public Health in Industrial Hygiene degree from UC Berkeley. She currently works as an industrial hygienist for California State Fund. Previously, she was an environmental health and safety manager in academia, an environmental consultant, and an industrial hygienist at JDSU and Medtronic corporations. She returned to California in 2016 after living in Jakarta, Indonesia, for 5 years. In Indonesia, she provided training and support at the OSH program at the University of Indonesia. She also mentored a worker advocacy NGO on projects supporting an asbestos ban in Indonesia | |
| Chris Kirkham MPH, CIH, CSP Principal Safety Engineer Research and Standards Health Unit, Cal OSHA In 1992, Chris completed a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a minor in environmental toxicology. After graduation from UC Davis, Chris worked as a contractor for an environmental agency (Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of the CalEPA) where he supported and conducted chemical risk assessments. In 1998, Chris completed a Master in Public Health degree with a specialization in industrial hygiene. After graduation from UC Berkeley, Chris worked for the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal OSHA) as a compliance officer. There Chris investigated workplace complaints and accidents, issued citations, and defended his work in appeal hearings. Chris served as the Senior Safety Engineer for Health in the Bay Area region for six years as a technical resource and trainer for other OSHA personnel, and he conducted some of the more complex health inspections. During Chris’s time at Cal OSHA he conducted approximately 400 health and safety inspections in a wide variety of workplaces. Currently Chris works in the Research and Standards Health Unit as the Principal Safety Engineer. The Health Unit makes or amends Cal OSHA health regulations and serves as a technical resource for other OSHA personnel. | |
| Lynn McGowan Loss Prevention Engineer State Compensation Insurance Fund Lynn McGowan is a Loss Prevention Engineer at State Compensation Insurance Fund. She has worked with employers from general to construction industry to prevent occupational injuries in the workplace for over ten years. | |
| Christy Moran Loss Prevention Engineer State Fund Christy Moran started at State Fund in September of 2000 as an Underwriter. After 3 years as an underwriter, she became an Auditor and then a Senior Auditor. She has been in Loss Prevention since January 1, 2010. | |
| Michael A. Polkabla CIH, REA Senior Certified Industrial Hygienist, Principal BioMax Environmental As BioMax Environmental’s Senior Certified Industrial Hygienist and Principal, Mr. Polkabla is responsible for the management of BioMax’s many industrial hygiene and environmental consulting capabilities and has been certified in the Comprehensive Practice of Industrial Hygiene by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. Mr. Polkabla also currently serves on the American Industrial Hygiene Association technical working groups assigned to the development of national standards and guidelines associated with the protection of workers and those impacted by both existing and new and developing contaminant hazards. | |
| Pete Rice CIH, CSP Peter Rice has 40 years of experience in developing, implementing, and supervising occupational safety, industrial hygiene and environmental health programs in industrial, construction, manufacturing, government, and military work environments. Pete formerly was the Senior Industrial Hygienist and Safety Engineer at Cal/OSHA Construction and collaborator in the development of Cal/OSHA safety and health standards for respiratory protection, ventilation, hazard communication, lead and asbestos. Pete has been published widely in journals and safety, industrial hygiene and medical textbooks. Pete also is a lecturer in industrial hygiene and safety at UC Berkeley and has lectured at numerous national and local conferences and association meetings. | |
| Mark Scott Electrical Safety Program Manager Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Mark A. Scott, PE, has been the Electrical Safety Program Manager at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2011. He graduated from the US Naval Academy and served as a nuclear submarine officer. After his service, he spent time as an electrical & instrumentation supervisor for Weyerhaeuser pulp and paper mills, implementing his first electrical safety program as a line supervisor. He then became the first global electrical safety program manager for Vestas Wind Systems. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Oregon, an IEEE Senior Member, and is active on the annual IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop. | |
| Rick Seifert Rick Seifert has been involved in construction safety, and environmental and regulatory compliance for more than 40 years. His experience in ensuring safety policies and procedures is paramount to Level 10's success. Rick believes in safety at every level and continually promotes a culture of safety and environmental compliance, and working with outside legal and regulatory staff if needed. He guides the Level 10 project teams to exceed our safety goals year after year. Rick is also a Construction Safety Instructor at UC Berkeley, Chairman of the Safety and Insurance Committee of the Engineering & Utility Contractor's Association, and a member of the Construction Employers Association. | |
| Jonathan Sims BST, CSP Industrial Safety Professional Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Jonathan Sims has spent more than 20 years providing EHS leadership in a variety of diverse industries. He is known to utilize a professional, yet personable, approach to developing self-guided safety behaviors in each employee. A change agent of world-class EHS performance throughout the functional organization, as well as the company culture. | |
