Biography

Denise Riad, CSP, CHMM has over 30 years’ experience in Occupational Health and Safety.  She moved to Austin in 2012 to take the position of Safety Manager for the City of Austin, Public Works department. In 2015, she was promoted to Corporate Safety Officer for the City. Prior to working for the City of Austin, she worked for CBRE, Raytheon Technical Services and Seagate Technology.

Denise had the unique opportunity to serve for six years as a contract Environmental Health and Safety manager for the United States Navy, in Guam and National Science Foundation in Denver and Antarctica. During her tenure, she developed and implemented health and safety programs as well as industrial hygiene monitoring and medical surveillance programs. Denise also assisted with emergency management efforts during natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes.

Denise earned a Master’s degree in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Oklahoma and two Bachelors from University of Central Oklahoma and Langston University, respectively.  She is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM).

She is very excited about the opportunity to be nominated for ASSP Public Sector Practice Specialty Assistant Administrator. She hopes to strengthen the safety culture of the Public Sector by empowering safety and health professionals and developing a platform to brainstorm about health and safety issues that are commonplace in the Public Sector.

When not working, Denise enjoys spending time cooking, travelling and outdoor activities. She has travelled to all seven continents, including the South Pole in Antarctica.

Platform Statement

I am honored to have been nominated for this position and would like to thank everyone for your support and confidence in considering me for the ASSP Public Sector Practice Specialty Assistant Administrator. I have been a long-standing member of ASSP for more than 16 years.

I have a strong interest in occupational safety as it relates to municipalities. In 2018, I established the Texas Municipal Safety Group, a statewide safety group primarily made up of municipal safety and risk personnel. The group is designed to network with fellow municipal managers and address common safety issues that are unique to those municipalities.

I have worked in the public sector for more than eight years. I have worn the “safety hat” of both public and private sector. I understand the challenges, and have witnessed first-hand the difficulties juggling budgetary constraints and finding effective communication strategies to deal with city officials. We are often left to work with less than optimal equipment, but we still manage to provide a superior level of health and safety. As public sector employees, we have a moral obligation to our fellow employees as well as the citizens that we serve.

If elected, I promise to serve the ASSP Public Sector Practice Specialty and its membership with diligence and dedication. I will focus on being an advocate for my fellow Public Sector Safety/Risk management personnel.

Thank you for your consideration.