Chairperson and CEO Katherine Andrea Lemos, Ph.D.
Watch a message from Chairperson Lemos on CSB priorities, initiatives and objectives HERE.
Katherine A. Lemos, Ph.D., a life-long safety professional, was nominated in June 2019 by President Donald Trump to serve two concurrent, five-year term appointments at the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), as Chairperson and Board Member. The Senate confirmed these appointments in March 2020, and she began her post in April 2020. The Chairperson is the CEO of the Board and exercises the executive and administrative functions of the Board.
Dr. Lemos is committed to the mission of the CSB, to drive chemical safety change. As an expert in accident investigation, human decision-making, and safety management systems, Dr. Lemos is known for her innovative and strategic approaches leveraging advances in analytics and autonomy. She has a documented record of turning new technologies into solutions trusted by operators, overseers, and the public they serve.
Prior to her confirmation, Dr. Lemos served as a Director for Northrop Grumman Corporation's Aerospace Sector, driving performance improvements across the product life cycle and value stream. Previous to this, Dr. Lemos served as a federal career servant. She was a technical leader and program manager in Aircraft Certification and Aviation Safety at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She also worked for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as a Senior Human Performance Investigator in Aviation Safety, as well as as Special Assistant to Vice Chairman of the Board, which provided exposure to investigations across all modes and safety board operations.
In academia, Dr. Lemos focused her research on decision-making in aviation and medical domains, studying the influence of information and technology on beliefs and behaviors to more reliably yield safe outcomes during risky and uncertain conditions. She conducted applied research to balance the strengths of technology and humans for optimal performance. Dr. Lemos earned a B.B.A. from Belmont University, a M.S. from California Lutheran University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, and has served as a professor teaching and mentoring.
Throughout her career, Dr. Lemos has focused on improving safety and efficiency at the level of the individual and the organization. She has contributed individually as a researcher, professor, and technical expert, and also contributed as a leader in managing programs and initiatives, bringing strategic consensus and order to efforts that result in tangible safety and efficiency outcomes.
PDF version