Conference Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote

Steve Hawkins

“Why What You Do Matters”

Steve began his career in occupational safety and health in 1986 as an occupational safety specialist with the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 1999, he was appointed to the Assistant Administrator position. In 2012, he was appointed as the Administrator of the agency.

In his position as Administrator, he managed the day-to-day operations of Tennessee OSHA, supervising eight managers with various program responsibilities. He led both the Compliance and Consultation programs. He also served as the liaison between the state's OSHA program and federal OSHA. He served five terms on the Federal Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health.

In 2020, after serving 16 months as deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Steve left the department to join FDRsafety. Steve leads a team of safety and health professionals who consult with employers and labor organizations on workplace safety and health issues, compliance challenges, safety culture improvement. He frequently serves as an expert witness and presents topics at regional and national conferences.

Steve will opening the conference with an inspiring message around Why What You Do Matters.

CLOSING KEYNOTE

Bob Edwards

Bob Edwards - HOP

Bob Edwards is a Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) practitioner and co-founder of HOP Learning Teams. His work experience includes time as a maintenance man, soldier in the U.S. Army, a design engineer, maintenance and technical support leader, safety leader and assistant plant manager.