President Joe Biden announces his intent to nominate three individuals to serve as members of the Chemical Safety Hazard Investigation Board: Sylvia Johnson, Steve Owens and Jennifer Sass.
Sylvia E. Johnson, Ph.D. currently works for the National Education Association in the government relations department where she leads their legislative work on the safe reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic with specific emphasis on educating NEA members on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Prior to joining NEA, she was the assistant legislative director of legislative affairs for the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). She worked on the the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and the Affordable Care Act. Prior to working in the legislative department, she worked in the UAW’s health and safety department as an occupational epidemiologist where, in addition to her work on work-related health studies, she conducted hazard assessments and investigated incidents involving the death of workers due to either chemical, biological, or physical exposures.
Steve Owens is an attorney with Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP in Phoenix, Arizona where he focuses on environmental, safety and health issues. From 2009-2011, Steve served as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) assistant administrator for the office of chemical safety and pollution prevention (OCSPP). As the assistant administrator for OCSPP, Steve managed EPA’s regulatory programs on chemicals and pesticides under the TSCA; the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act; and other statutes. Prior to joining EPA, Owens was director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality from 2003-2009 where he made addressing climate change, protecting children’s environmental health and working closely with Arizona’s tribal nations top priorities for the department.
Jennifer Sass is a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental non-profit organization, where she has served since 2001. Since 2008, she has served as part-time faculty at the George Washington University Milken School of Public Health. Much of her work is focused on understanding and explaining the science behind toxic chemical regulation and on advocating for regulations that are consistent with science, health policy and environmental law. She frequently provides testimony and scientific briefings for members of Congress and federal advisory committees and is a lecturer at George Washington University’s department of environmental and occupational health. She has published over four dozen articles in peer-reviewed journals. She was a board member of the NIEHS National Toxicology Program board of scientific counselors (2016-2020).
For the complete list of nominations, visit: www.whitehouse.gov
