Aon

Loss Control Consultant

Speaker

Andrew Black joined Aon in January 2022, bringing twenty years of experience in and around the marine industry. He graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 2002 as deck officer and then sailed with Military Sealift Command. In 2006 he joined OSG as a Second Mate aboard an internationally trading bulker for two years. In 2008 he came ashore as a surveyor with the National Cargo Bureau (NCB) in Savannah, GA. During his time at NCB Andrew conducted a wide variety of surveys ranging from stowage & segregation of DG, cargo securing, draft surveys, hold cleanliness, etc.

After five years with NCB Andrew started as a loss control consultant at Travelers Insurance in Atlanta, GA. In this role he was dedicated to supporting the Ocean Marine department and performed a wide variety of surveys, concerning Hull, P&I, Cargo, and Marine Liabilities. In addition he was also responsible for the management of third party surveyors conducting surveys regarding vessel condition, valuation, dead ship tows, and various project cargoes.

DOL-OSHA

Area Director

Speaker

Derek Engard: Mr. Engard earned a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Operations from San Jose State University and was then commissioned in the United States Air Force. After the Air Force, he received a Masters of Science in Environmental Health specializing in industrial hygiene from Colorado State University. He began his work with OSHA in 2009 as a safety and health compliance officer at the Denver area office. In 2014 he moved to the OSHA National Office working in the Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Office of Chemical Process Safety and Enforcement Initiatives. In 2016 he began working in the Seattle Regional Office as the Region 10 Voluntary Protection Program Manager and Regional Consultation Program Manager. Mr. Engard is currently the Area Director for the federal OSHA San Diego area office. He has also worked as an Environmental Health and Safety representative for a semiconductor company based in California. Mr. Engard is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional.

Columbia Southern University

Full-Time Instructor, College of Safety and Emergency Services

Speaker

Dr. Jackens holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health Science, a Master of Science in Safety Sciences, and a Doctorate in Safety Sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Certificate in Mining Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He has worked in the field of Environmental Health and Safety for over 15 yrs. in several different roles, in an environmental testing laboratory, as a project manager for a consulting firm, and as a facility health and safety professional in both facilities regulated by OSHA general industry regulations and by MSHA mining regulations. In addition, he has worked with various academic institutions as a course writer and instructor. In his current role, he is a Full-Time Instructor at Columbia Southern University in the College of Safety and Emergency Services.

Sage Adjusting, LLC

Hearing Loss Team Lead

Speaker

Rachel Smith currently serves as the Hearing Loss Team Lead for Sage Adjusting, LLC. She is a former attorney, with extensive experience handling and litigating hearing loss claims, as well as Jones Act, commercial maritime and shipping disputes. With Sage, she is involved in both direct and supervisory handling of claims, and her work centers around partnering with experts and defense counsel to defend and resolve claims on best available terms and developing and initiating ongoing adjuster mentoring and coaching to further enhance the expertise of the Sage Hearing Loss Unit as a whole.