Nicole is currently a Risk Control Advisor – Energy Casualty Lead at IMA where she works with and advises over 50 upstream energy clients in providing innovative solutions to complex problems with the goal of helping clients manage their overall total cost of risk. Nicole has a strong occupational safety & health background spanning 15 years, all in the energy industry. Nicole’s professional experience in safety started in a large private utility in the state of Washington where during this time Nicole became knowledgeable in utility industry regulations and implemented safety programs, training and procedures for wind turbines, hydropower dams complete with fisheries, combustion turbine plants, underground gas storage facilities, gas pipelines, and high voltage substation and power distribution. She then worked for an oil and gas operating company in Denver, Colorado where her role there was to build a safety department and program from the ground up as one wasn't in place at the time of her hire. It was there that Nicole gained valuable experience learning about the oil and gas industry, wrote a safe practices manual for the company, implemented a contractor safety management & audit program, and fine-tuned their safety training program.
Nicole earned a master’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Energy Management. She is a Certified Safety Professional, holds an Energy Risk Insurance Specialist designation from the International Risk Management Institute and is an active member of the Oil, Gas, Mining and Mineral Resources Practice Specialty and a Professional Member of ASSP.
As an active member within ASSP and the Oil, Gas, Mining and Mineral Resources Practice Specialty group for several years now, the main issue I see we are presented with is retaining and teaching knowledge. More specifically retaining the knowledge that has been instituted within the industry and practice specialty by those that have served. Preserving the knowledge and expertise of those who have come before us. We also have a duty to mentor, coach and share knowledge to the newer generations who have a passion to be involved. My experience being an active member and participating in ASSP events combined with my professional experience of bringing people with different backgrounds together will be crucial to achieving this goal. I have sat in a unique position of being mentored and being a mentee. I believe we develop the ASSP mentorship program within this practice specialty.
The second important aspect I believe we need to continue to foster and shine light on is ways to provide education and learning to safety professionals within this industry that can in turn directly influence worker safety. This means providing timely, relevant, and rich information to the safety professional population. I envision supporting learning opportunities that cater to mission.
The strengths I bring to this role include organization, communication, balance, and influence. My leadership style is continually developing and strengthening from those around me. I believe in listening and valuing everyone's input. When the team succeeds, the leader succeeds. Being honest is a strength of mine and I have practiced it often throughout managing team members, executing on goals and fighting for what I believe in.