Ronald “Chet” Brandon
Lifetime Achievement Award NomineeNominated for: Lifetime Achievement Award
Title: Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs
Company: Hexion Inc.
Years in Profession: 30+
Nominator: Natasha Porter, Chief Customer Officer & Co-Founder Benchmark, Gensuite® - Professional collaborator and partner
Title: Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs
Company: Hexion Inc.
Years in Profession: 30+
Nominator: Natasha Porter, Chief Customer Officer & Co-Founder Benchmark, Gensuite® - Professional collaborator and partner
Provide an overview of the nominee's 20-plus years of professional experience, including previous management positions held, current role, and key accomplishments. (500 words max.)*
Ronald “Chet” Brandon, CSP, CHMM, has built a 30-plus-year career as an EHS&S executive across chemicals, metals, aerospace, glass manufacturing, automotive, industrial services, occupational medicine, and complex global operations. His work has consistently focused on protecting people, strengthening environmental and regulatory performance, improving operational integrity, and building EHS&S systems that produce measurable business results.
Chet currently serves as Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs at Hexion Inc., where he leads enterprise strategy and governance for sustainability, product stewardship, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, transportation safety, and EHS management systems. His role connects external regulatory obligations with operational execution, ensuring that compliance, sustainability, and risk control are managed as core business fundamentals. Before Hexion, Chet served as Corporate Director of Global Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability at GrafTech International, where he led global EHS&S, sustainability reporting, supplier sustainability evaluation, and enterprise decarbonization strategy. At Special Metals Corporation, a Precision Castparts/Berkshire Hathaway company, he served as Global Director of HSE, providing executive-level leadership for occupational health, safety, environmental performance, and lean manufacturing across operations in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Earlier in his career, Chet served as Vice President of Operations & Corporate Safety Officer for ATI Worksite Solutions, where he led a national occupational medicine and injury-prevention service organization supporting more than 300,000 industrial workers. He has also held senior EHS leadership roles at Beechcraft, Owens-Illinois, Hendrickson, Elkem Metals, Honeywell, and other major industrial organizations.
His accomplishments include leading initiatives that reduced injury rates by as much as 75%, reducing recordable injuries by 26% and lost-time injuries by 40% in one major regional operation, driving injury reduction of 50% over five years in a global manufacturing division, and helping organizations achieve OSHA VPP Star and EPA Performance Track recognition. He has also been a national leader in applying artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and digital tools to EHS&S risk management.
Chet currently serves as Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs at Hexion Inc., where he leads enterprise strategy and governance for sustainability, product stewardship, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, transportation safety, and EHS management systems. His role connects external regulatory obligations with operational execution, ensuring that compliance, sustainability, and risk control are managed as core business fundamentals. Before Hexion, Chet served as Corporate Director of Global Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability at GrafTech International, where he led global EHS&S, sustainability reporting, supplier sustainability evaluation, and enterprise decarbonization strategy. At Special Metals Corporation, a Precision Castparts/Berkshire Hathaway company, he served as Global Director of HSE, providing executive-level leadership for occupational health, safety, environmental performance, and lean manufacturing across operations in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Earlier in his career, Chet served as Vice President of Operations & Corporate Safety Officer for ATI Worksite Solutions, where he led a national occupational medicine and injury-prevention service organization supporting more than 300,000 industrial workers. He has also held senior EHS leadership roles at Beechcraft, Owens-Illinois, Hendrickson, Elkem Metals, Honeywell, and other major industrial organizations.
His accomplishments include leading initiatives that reduced injury rates by as much as 75%, reducing recordable injuries by 26% and lost-time injuries by 40% in one major regional operation, driving injury reduction of 50% over five years in a global manufacturing division, and helping organizations achieve OSHA VPP Star and EPA Performance Track recognition. He has also been a national leader in applying artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and digital tools to EHS&S risk management.
Please list a minimum of two examples that demonstrate the nominee's distinguished service and leadership within the fields of environment, health, safety and/or sustainability at the corporate management level. Examples may include: Company or industry-related recognition and awards, board appointments, publications, public speaking engagements, and relevant service or volunteer positions. (500 words max.)*
Example 1: Enterprise EHS&S leadership across global manufacturing organizations.
Chet has repeatedly been selected for senior corporate EHS&S roles in high-risk, high-complexity industries where operational discipline, regulatory integrity, and executive influence are essential. At Hexion, he leads global sustainability, product stewardship, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, transportation safety, and EHS governance systems. His role includes Board-level communication, enterprise risk framing, compliance assurance, and integration of sustainability into operational decision-making.
At GrafTech International, Chet led the global EHS&S function for a publicly traded graphite electrode manufacturer with operations tied directly to the steel and advanced materials value chain. His work included global compliance audits, EHS&S strategy, sustainability reporting, customer and rating-agency disclosures, supplier sustainability evaluation, and decarbonization strategy. This was not a staff advisory role; it was corporate management leadership tied to enterprise risk, investor expectations, and operational performance.
Example 2: Scaling innovative occupational health and injury-prevention services.
As Vice President of Operations & Corporate Safety Officer for ATI Worksite Solutions, Chet led a national occupational medicine, ergonomics, injury-prevention, and EHS consulting organization. Under his leadership, the business grew to approximately $35 million in annual revenue, supporting more than 100 client sites and protecting over 300,000 workers. He led a team of operations directors and hundreds of technical professionals while managing service delivery, client interface, staffing, quality control, technical development, and operational performance.
This work helped advance the use of certified athletic trainers and early-intervention methods in industrial settings, allowing musculoskeletal and other emerging health concerns to be addressed earlier, closer to the work, and before they became more serious injuries. The impact extended beyond one company; it helped shape a practical model for occupational health prevention in industrial environments.
Example 3: Service to the EHS profession.
Chet has also served the profession through ASSP, BCSP, the BCSP Foundation, Marshall University, and National Safety Council (regional level)-related work. His leadership includes ASSP Region VII Vice President, ASSP Government Affairs Committee Chair, BCSP EXAMCore author and presenter, SHIFT Journal editorial advisory work, scholarship and grant judging, and advisory board service supporting future EHS professionals.
Chet has repeatedly been selected for senior corporate EHS&S roles in high-risk, high-complexity industries where operational discipline, regulatory integrity, and executive influence are essential. At Hexion, he leads global sustainability, product stewardship, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, transportation safety, and EHS governance systems. His role includes Board-level communication, enterprise risk framing, compliance assurance, and integration of sustainability into operational decision-making.
At GrafTech International, Chet led the global EHS&S function for a publicly traded graphite electrode manufacturer with operations tied directly to the steel and advanced materials value chain. His work included global compliance audits, EHS&S strategy, sustainability reporting, customer and rating-agency disclosures, supplier sustainability evaluation, and decarbonization strategy. This was not a staff advisory role; it was corporate management leadership tied to enterprise risk, investor expectations, and operational performance.
Example 2: Scaling innovative occupational health and injury-prevention services.
As Vice President of Operations & Corporate Safety Officer for ATI Worksite Solutions, Chet led a national occupational medicine, ergonomics, injury-prevention, and EHS consulting organization. Under his leadership, the business grew to approximately $35 million in annual revenue, supporting more than 100 client sites and protecting over 300,000 workers. He led a team of operations directors and hundreds of technical professionals while managing service delivery, client interface, staffing, quality control, technical development, and operational performance.
This work helped advance the use of certified athletic trainers and early-intervention methods in industrial settings, allowing musculoskeletal and other emerging health concerns to be addressed earlier, closer to the work, and before they became more serious injuries. The impact extended beyond one company; it helped shape a practical model for occupational health prevention in industrial environments.
Example 3: Service to the EHS profession.
Chet has also served the profession through ASSP, BCSP, the BCSP Foundation, Marshall University, and National Safety Council (regional level)-related work. His leadership includes ASSP Region VII Vice President, ASSP Government Affairs Committee Chair, BCSP EXAMCore author and presenter, SHIFT Journal editorial advisory work, scholarship and grant judging, and advisory board service supporting future EHS professionals.
Identify and define the nominee's impact on company performance. Outline pertinent EHS&S initiatives and/or programs. Provide measurement of impact through metrics or KPIs. (500 words max.)*
Chet’s career demonstrates that EHS&S performance is not separate from company performance. His work has improved injury prevention, regulatory control, sustainability reporting, operational reliability, leadership capability, and risk visibility across major industrial organizations.
At Owens-Illinois, Chet led the North American health, safety, environmental, and workers’ compensation function for 20 manufacturing sites, R&D, aircraft operations, and administrative locations supporting approximately 5,000 employees. Under his leadership, the region reduced recordable injuries by 26%, reaching the best rate in the history of the organization, and reduced lost-time injuries by 40%. These improvements reflected stronger management systems, proactive metrics, culture transformation, and human performance improvement.
At Hendrickson, Chet led the creation and implementation of a Safety Excellence management system across a unionized global enterprise. The program supported six manufacturing plants, international warehousing and assembly operations, R&D, and office facilities. Over a five-year period, injuries were reduced by 50%. The system also supported achievement of OSHA VPP Star status and EPA Performance Track recognition across the division, demonstrating both safety and environmental performance maturity. At Elkem Metals, Chet led safety and risk management efforts for high-hazard ferro-alloy operations involving molten metal, hot-metal crane operations, explosive dust, steam and hydroelectric power, rail operations, blasting, and hazardous alloy exposures. His leadership contributed to a 30% injury reduction while strengthening hazard controls for high-energy work.
At GrafTech, Chet expanded EHS&S from a compliance function into a broader enterprise performance function. He led sustainability reporting, customer response processes, supplier sustainability evaluation, and decarbonization strategy. He also led the company’s participation in the United Nations Global Compact as part of a renewed sustainability program.
More recently, Chet has advanced AI-enabled EHS risk management through work with Benchmark Gensuite and related industry efforts. This work applied natural language processing, machine learning, and computer vision to identify risk patterns, analyze narrative safety data, improve leading indicators, and shorten the cycle from risk signal to corrective action. The strategic performance value is clear: better risk visibility, faster decision-making, more targeted corrective actions, and improved prevention of serious injuries and fatalities.
His consistent KPIs include recordable injury rate reduction, lost-time injury reduction, corrective action quality, audit and compliance closure, leading indicator maturity, sustainability reporting completion, decarbonization planning, workforce coverage, and Board-level risk visibility.
At Owens-Illinois, Chet led the North American health, safety, environmental, and workers’ compensation function for 20 manufacturing sites, R&D, aircraft operations, and administrative locations supporting approximately 5,000 employees. Under his leadership, the region reduced recordable injuries by 26%, reaching the best rate in the history of the organization, and reduced lost-time injuries by 40%. These improvements reflected stronger management systems, proactive metrics, culture transformation, and human performance improvement.
At Hendrickson, Chet led the creation and implementation of a Safety Excellence management system across a unionized global enterprise. The program supported six manufacturing plants, international warehousing and assembly operations, R&D, and office facilities. Over a five-year period, injuries were reduced by 50%. The system also supported achievement of OSHA VPP Star status and EPA Performance Track recognition across the division, demonstrating both safety and environmental performance maturity. At Elkem Metals, Chet led safety and risk management efforts for high-hazard ferro-alloy operations involving molten metal, hot-metal crane operations, explosive dust, steam and hydroelectric power, rail operations, blasting, and hazardous alloy exposures. His leadership contributed to a 30% injury reduction while strengthening hazard controls for high-energy work.
At GrafTech, Chet expanded EHS&S from a compliance function into a broader enterprise performance function. He led sustainability reporting, customer response processes, supplier sustainability evaluation, and decarbonization strategy. He also led the company’s participation in the United Nations Global Compact as part of a renewed sustainability program.
More recently, Chet has advanced AI-enabled EHS risk management through work with Benchmark Gensuite and related industry efforts. This work applied natural language processing, machine learning, and computer vision to identify risk patterns, analyze narrative safety data, improve leading indicators, and shorten the cycle from risk signal to corrective action. The strategic performance value is clear: better risk visibility, faster decision-making, more targeted corrective actions, and improved prevention of serious injuries and fatalities.
His consistent KPIs include recordable injury rate reduction, lost-time injury reduction, corrective action quality, audit and compliance closure, leading indicator maturity, sustainability reporting completion, decarbonization planning, workforce coverage, and Board-level risk visibility.
Describe the nominee's leadership style and provide examples of his/her commitment to advancing professionals within the EHS&S fields. (500 words max.)*
Chet’s leadership style is direct, practical, data-driven, and people-focused. He believes safety, sustainability, compliance, and regulatory integrity are business fundamentals—not side programs. He is known for translating strategy into execution, connecting technical EHS&S work to business outcomes, and building leaders who understand both the field reality and the executive expectation.
His leadership approach starts with operational credibility. He has spent his career in plants, shops, labs, and high-hazard industrial operations, working with leaders and employees who face real risk every day. He emphasizes timely action, clear expectations, field engagement, and practical corrective actions. His philosophy is that culture follows leadership consistency: people believe safety matters when leaders act on concerns, close gaps, and remove barriers in a timely way.
Chet also expands the influence of EHS&S professionals by helping them speak the language of business. In corporate roles, he has regularly prepared and delivered information for executive leadership and Boards of Directors. He frames EHS&S performance in terms of operational integrity, risk exposure, enterprise value, license to operate, compliance assurance, and sustainable growth. This has helped move EHS&S beyond traditional compliance reporting into strategic business leadership.
His commitment to professional influence is also visible in his long service to ASSP. He has held numerous chapter, regional, and national roles, including Region VII Vice President, Government Affairs Committee Chair, Council on Professional Affairs participation, and service on the Nominations and Elections Committee. As Region VII Vice President, he led 21 chapters across seven states and approximately 2,500 members. His volunteer work has supported governance, advocacy, professional development, and leadership succession.
Chet has also supported the Board of Certified Safety Professionals as an EXAMCore presenter and content author, helped the BCSP Foundation through scholarship and research grant judging, and served on the editorial advisory team for the SHIFT Journal of OSH Research. Through Marshall University advisory board service, he helps align academic preparation with the future needs of the EHS&S profession.
His impact is grounded in a simple but powerful leadership principle: EHS&S professionals must be technically strong, operationally realistic, business literate, and prepared to lead at the table where strategic decisions are made.
His leadership approach starts with operational credibility. He has spent his career in plants, shops, labs, and high-hazard industrial operations, working with leaders and employees who face real risk every day. He emphasizes timely action, clear expectations, field engagement, and practical corrective actions. His philosophy is that culture follows leadership consistency: people believe safety matters when leaders act on concerns, close gaps, and remove barriers in a timely way.
Chet also expands the influence of EHS&S professionals by helping them speak the language of business. In corporate roles, he has regularly prepared and delivered information for executive leadership and Boards of Directors. He frames EHS&S performance in terms of operational integrity, risk exposure, enterprise value, license to operate, compliance assurance, and sustainable growth. This has helped move EHS&S beyond traditional compliance reporting into strategic business leadership.
His commitment to professional influence is also visible in his long service to ASSP. He has held numerous chapter, regional, and national roles, including Region VII Vice President, Government Affairs Committee Chair, Council on Professional Affairs participation, and service on the Nominations and Elections Committee. As Region VII Vice President, he led 21 chapters across seven states and approximately 2,500 members. His volunteer work has supported governance, advocacy, professional development, and leadership succession.
Chet has also supported the Board of Certified Safety Professionals as an EXAMCore presenter and content author, helped the BCSP Foundation through scholarship and research grant judging, and served on the editorial advisory team for the SHIFT Journal of OSH Research. Through Marshall University advisory board service, he helps align academic preparation with the future needs of the EHS&S profession.
His impact is grounded in a simple but powerful leadership principle: EHS&S professionals must be technically strong, operationally realistic, business literate, and prepared to lead at the table where strategic decisions are made.
Provide two examples of nominee's commitment to industry advancements and lifelong learning. Examples may include: Continuing education, corporate or university teaching, patents, strategic initiatives, breakthrough program development, and other definable actions. (500 words max.)*
Example 1: Advancing AI, predictive analytics, and digital transformation in EHS&S.
Chet has been an early and active leader in applying artificial intelligence to EHS&S risk management. Beginning in 2019, he partnered with Benchmark Gensuite to identify, advise, and pilot AI applications in EHS management systems. This work supported the integration of machine learning, natural language processing, neural network models, and computer vision into commercially available EHS tools. The practical goal was not technology for its own sake; it was to help EHS professionals find weak signals, identify trends in large volumes of data, strengthen leading indicators, and improve the speed and quality of preventive action. Chet’s leadership in this area has continued through industry thought leadership, speaking, and professional service. In 2025, he was honored with the ASSP President’s Award for pioneering work advancing the application of AI in occupational safety. He has also written and spoken on AI, digital transformation, and the need to keep human judgment, ethics, and operational governance at the center of technology deployment.
Example 2: Sustained professional service, teaching, and academic engagement.
Chet has demonstrated lifelong learning through continuous education, certification, teaching, mentoring, and service to the profession. He holds a BBA in Economics, an MS in Safety Technology, and an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Marshall University. He also holds the Certified Safety Professional and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager designations. His learning has never been limited to personal credentials. He has converted that knowledge into service for others. He has supported BCSP’s EXAMCore certification preparation program as both author and video presenter, helped judge BCSP Foundation student scholarships and research grants, and contributed to the SHIFT Journal of OSH Research. He serves on the Marshall University advisory board for safety and engineering-related programs, mentoring students and helping academic leaders understand the future needs of the profession.
Chet has also been a frequent presenter and author, including ASSP technical sessions, Marshall University keynote work, National Safety Council speaking, and published thought leadership on LeadingEHS.com and other platforms. His commitment is not only to remain current, but to help the profession adapt. That is the mark of lifetime achievement: sustained practice, measurable results, and an ongoing investment in the people who will lead next.
Chet has been an early and active leader in applying artificial intelligence to EHS&S risk management. Beginning in 2019, he partnered with Benchmark Gensuite to identify, advise, and pilot AI applications in EHS management systems. This work supported the integration of machine learning, natural language processing, neural network models, and computer vision into commercially available EHS tools. The practical goal was not technology for its own sake; it was to help EHS professionals find weak signals, identify trends in large volumes of data, strengthen leading indicators, and improve the speed and quality of preventive action. Chet’s leadership in this area has continued through industry thought leadership, speaking, and professional service. In 2025, he was honored with the ASSP President’s Award for pioneering work advancing the application of AI in occupational safety. He has also written and spoken on AI, digital transformation, and the need to keep human judgment, ethics, and operational governance at the center of technology deployment.
Example 2: Sustained professional service, teaching, and academic engagement.
Chet has demonstrated lifelong learning through continuous education, certification, teaching, mentoring, and service to the profession. He holds a BBA in Economics, an MS in Safety Technology, and an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Marshall University. He also holds the Certified Safety Professional and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager designations. His learning has never been limited to personal credentials. He has converted that knowledge into service for others. He has supported BCSP’s EXAMCore certification preparation program as both author and video presenter, helped judge BCSP Foundation student scholarships and research grants, and contributed to the SHIFT Journal of OSH Research. He serves on the Marshall University advisory board for safety and engineering-related programs, mentoring students and helping academic leaders understand the future needs of the profession.
Chet has also been a frequent presenter and author, including ASSP technical sessions, Marshall University keynote work, National Safety Council speaking, and published thought leadership on LeadingEHS.com and other platforms. His commitment is not only to remain current, but to help the profession adapt. That is the mark of lifetime achievement: sustained practice, measurable results, and an ongoing investment in the people who will lead next.