I congratulate Vanessa Sutherland on her Senate confirmation as the new Chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) and Dr. Kristen Kulinowski on her Senate confirmation as CSB Board Member. I look forward to working closely with them on the important work of the CSB to help prevent chemical incidents. Both bring broad expertise and experience to their new positions. Both were confirmed on August 6.
Since 2011, Ms. Sutherland has served as Chief Counsel for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Prior to PHMSA, Ms. Sutherland spent seven years at a Fortune 25 company managing technology transactions, procurement matters, data security and privacy, competitive intelligence, U.S. Customs issues, state and federal audits, and other issues. Ms. Sutherland holds a J.D. from American University, an M.B.A. from American University, and a B.A. from Drew University.
Dr. Kristen M. Kulinowski currently serves as a Research Staff Member in the Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), a federally-funded research and development center. Prior to joining STPI in 2011, she worked at Rice University as Senior Faculty Fellow in Chemistry, Executive Director for the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology and Director of the International Council on Nanotechnology. Dr. Kulinowski received her doctorate in chemistry from the University of Rochester.
Rick Engler is the Board Member Delegated Interim Executive and Administrative Authority, until the swearing in of the new CSB Chairperson.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical incidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Please visit our website, www.CSB.gov.