Thomas E. Kramer, P.E., CSP, has 30+ years of experience and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. In 2006, Kramer earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Miami University in Oxford, OH. Kramer is a managing principal for LJB Inc. in Dayton, OH. He has held positions within LJB ranging from individual contributor and project manager to roles on the board of directors and business unit manager. Kramer has been part of the decision-making team as LJB has transformed their capital structure three times over 15 years. An American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) member since 2001, Kramer serves ASSP in numerous roles. Currently, Kramer serves as VP of finance for ASSP with a role on the Board of Directors and ASSP’s Executive Committee. Previously, he served as an at-large director for ASSP, vice president for the Council on Professional Development and chair of the Professional Development Conference planning committee. Kramer serves on four ANSI committees – Z359, Z590.3 and A10 and is ASSP’s primary representative on ANSI/ALI A14 Committee. He is the most recent past chair of the ANSI/ASSP Z359 full committee. Finally, Kramer serves as president of the International Society for Fall Protection (ISFP) and has planned symposiums for ISFP on three different continents since taking office in 2010. Kramer has presented for ASSP chapters around the world and other organizations within the safety profession in twelve different countries. Kramer is supported by his wife Tracey and the families of his two sons, Trevor and Tanner.
Collaboration is a key factor in our personal successes. I have achieved more when I have collaborated with others. In my past American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) roles, I have collaborated with many of you from the chapter level, the regions, common interest groups, practice specialties, standards’ committees, the board and through professional development events. Our collaboration allows us to understand the discourse needed in our profession. Together, through the knowledge we discover and the intellectual property we create, we will better protect people, property and the environment. In this senior vice president role, we need someone who can understand and synergize this collaboration. This will allow us to continually drive the dialogue at the board meetings so we can make the best strategic decisions. My broad education, expertise and experience allow me to do just that. I will utilize my strengths — my background and having engaging conversations — to learn from our members, and to apply this learning to make our society and industry stronger. My vision for ASSP is simple and builds through collaboration, building on the strengths that I believe no other global organization in this industry has. ASSP has developed a strategic focus around these strengths, which are critical areas for a learning organization: member community — the ways we gather to engage in industry discourse; trusted advisor — the creation and refinement of intellectual property when we gather; and workforce development — the dissemination of our intellectual property to members, professionals and so many others. These three areas of strategic focus create an ever-continuing feedback loop, allowing us to simplify and focus our efforts to obtain more and better results in the future. As I’ve told many of you when we’ve met, everything in ASSP starts with the member, and through our members, we create great things. As I reflect on my career, it’s clear that my greatest successes in the past have come from listening to others and synergizing these thoughts with my own experiences and perspectives. I have used this technique during my work with standards committees, other board positions, clients, fellow team members, one-on-one conversations, and even for my sons’ sports teams. I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving you through listening and collaborating with each of you. I am excited about what we will achieve together.