With a new year approaching, many in the EHS industry are wondering what’s ahead in 2025 and beyond. According to Monique Parker, the future of safety professionals is “extremely bright.”
Parker currently serves as the senior vice president of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), meaning she is in line to become president-elect of the organization next year and ultimately president of its more than 35,000 members for the 2026-27 term.
In addition to her role at ASSP, Parker is the senior vice president of safety, environment, and health at North Carolina-based Piedmont Lithium. Her main duties at the lithium mining firm include building environmental and safety management systems, leading permitting efforts for company-owned projects, establishing sustainability strategies, and collaborating with joint venture partners on safety and environmental matters.
Parker has been in the EHS industry for two decades, and she held several leadership positions before joining Piedmont Lithium three years ago. She has earned her CSP designation and won the ASSP Blacks in Safety Excellence – Safety Professional of the Year award.
To learn more about Parker and her take on industry issues, please read the Faces of EHS interview below:
Q: How did you get your start in the field?
While preparing to graduate from Tennessee Technological University with a chemical engineering degree, I desired an environmental role. When that role did not manifest itself, I went to work in the textile industry as a process engineer. Working in a manufacturing environment, I was able to learn more about the role of safety and environmental professionals in operations and I was more interested in making that shift. After three years in an engineering position, I was given the opportunity to take an EHS role even though I had no work experience in this area. I was surrounded by wonderful mentors who made my transition seamless, and I have not looked back since.
I have always said that EHS is the best fit for me because I get to exercise my technical muscles from engineering by doing environmental work and fuel my need to support and help people by doing safety.
Q: Who has been your biggest influence in the industry?
Early in my career, I was heavily influenced by Don Cross and Dave Rubin. Both are phenomenal professionals who helped me learn how to do safety in a way that fit my style. They challenged and encouraged me to be the professional I am today.
Q: What’s your best mistake, and what did you learn from it?
My biggest mistake actually happened before I joined the EHS field. As a process engineer in my first job, I was responsible for this very large textile production process that made mile-long fabric. I saw a defect and thought it was best to stop the line although very experienced operators told me differently. I was persistent that we needed to stop the line, so they did and I learned the problem was best fixed while the equipment was running.
This taught me a lesson that has stayed with me the last 23 years—the people who do the work know so much more than anyone who thinks they know the process. I have used this learning in everything when it comes to safety. I may be able to observe a process and see how someone does it and think I know how to make it safer, but because of my engineering experience, I have always asked for feedback from the frontline employees and leaders. Every time, we have found a solution that is much better than I would have come up with alone.
Q: What’s your favorite and least favorite part about working in the industry? Would you change anything?
My favorite part of working in the industry is finding a solution to a repetitive safety problem and receiving an environmental permit that is challenging to figure out.
My least favorite part of working in the industry is not identifying a hazard before someone is harmed. These are hard times when you audit and evaluate but somehow something wasn’t caught or the risk wasn’t perceived to be high enough to cause an injury.
Q: What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of being respected by my fellow safety professionals and being elected to be the senior vice president of ASSP, which will allow me to transition to lead the 35,000+ members in the future.
Q: As someone poised to become the 2026-27 president of ASSP, what’s your outlook for safety professionals?
The future of safety professionals is extremely bright. As we continue to develop and mentor the emerging professionals (whether fresh out of school, job transitions, role transitions, etc.), the diverse backgrounds that are finding the safety profession is refreshing. I am further encouraged by the respect that safety professionals are seeing from leaders within organizations. We are transitioning from being a support function to having a seat at the table and providing guidance. The safety profession of today is not the same profession I started in over 20 years ago, and this is what continues to motivate me.
Q: What are your thoughts on safety culture? How can company leaders make safety a value within their organization?
Any company or location’s safety culture is validated by leadership. EHS professionals can create the right programs and systems to build a sufficient culture, but without accountability that is established by leadership, the culture will not be sustainable. Company leaders must not only speak about how important safety is, but their actions must also represent the expectation and culture being established.
Q: What safety concerns or issues do you think need more prioritization in EHS programs?
I think EHS programs need to be better tailored to the diverse workforce that we see today. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach to EHS programs in their development and delivery is hindering the effectiveness of how front-line employees and leaders are able to support and engage. Our work environments are so unique today with the number of generations working, diversity in education, background, and experiences. To me, understanding where our employees are in their safety journey or knowledge is what is currently lacking and needs to be better prioritized.
Q: What will be the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles on the EHS industry?
The impact ESG will have on the EHS industry is going to be very much company dependent. There is a direct correlation between the E’s of ESG and EHS. The S of ESG is broader than the S of EHS, but there is a connection that will require further collaboration with a broader group within the organization. Governance is something that all areas within any organization must have in place and ensure there is proper accountability.
It is my belief that the EHS industry is best suited to lead these efforts not only because EHS professionals are normally responsible for the majority of the information, programs, and metrics, but also because of the role the industry plays in having to be engaged in almost every aspect of what an organization does.
Q: How will new safety technologies influence the work being done by EHS professionals?
The various types of new safety technology will help EHS professionals stay on the cutting edge of leading and connecting with the diverse workforce we have. It comes down to making communication easier, finding new ways to engage with employees, and discovering more efficient ways to learn. I see future technology enhancing how professionals work.
In our profession, we always have to be connected to those we are hired to protect. Technology can’t change that, but it can break down barriers that sometimes may exist.
Q: Do you have any advice for people entering the EHS profession?
The EHS profession can be very rewarding. There will be challenges, but there is no profession that doesn’t come with challenges. It is important to be in the field for the right reason to be able to draw from all of the positives, when the hard times come. Create a supportive network that you can lean on when you need some new ideas or advice, and never be afraid to say you don’t know (but then go find the answer) or to ask more questions to fully understand.
Are you or a colleague an EHS professional interested in being profiled for the Faces of EHS series? Please contact Joe Bebon at JBebon@BLR.com.