OSHA Instructors

Bill Abney is a retired Assistant Professor in the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.S. in Industrial Technology and an M.S. in Industrial Technology, both from Eastern Kentucky University. With over 30 years in safety education, Mr. Abney specializes in safety management and research; fire, arson, and explosives investigation; OSHA compliance; ergonomics; and hazardous materials.

Jim Beck has thirty-six years of experience in the industrial and residential construction industry, with primary emphasis on safety and training. Mr. Beck has been teaching adult safety education since 1983. During his career, he has been employed by various companies with duties ranging from laborer to project superintendent. Mr. Beck has developed and presented adult education program with heavy emphasis on safety training for the construction industry as well as contract training for representatives of DOD, DOE and the EPA. As the Director of Safety and Health for a group of construction companies, Mr. Beck was responsible for OSHA, DOT and EPA compliance.

Gary Brown is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.A. in Liberal Science from the State University of New York, an M.S. in Environmental and Occupational Health from Hunter College, and a Dr.P.H. in Occupational Safety and Health from the University of Alabama.

Beverly Hart is a Professor in the Department of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing at Eastern Kentucky University. She has a B.S. in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University, an M.S. in Nursing from Bellarmine University, and a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Hart has seventeen years’ experience in nursing education, as well as many years of emergency department nursing experience and legal consulting experience.

Carolyn Harvey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health at Eastern Kentucky University. She has a B.S. in Microbiology from East Tennessee State University, an M.S. in Environmental Management from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in Occupational/Environmental Health from the University of Texas. Dr. Harvey is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager as well as a Certified Industrial Hygienist. She has many professional affiliations, including being past president of the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs.

William Hicks is the Laboratory Coordinator for the Department of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.S. in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology and an M.S. in Loss Prevention and Safety, both from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. Hicks is a consultant to industry in several technical areas including fire protection detection and suppression systems, emergency response, emergency management and preparedness. He is an NAFI and IAAI Certified Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigator, and an NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist.

Ron Hopkins is a retired Associate Professor in the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.S. in Industrial Education and an M.S. in vocational and Technical Education from Murray State University. Mr. Hopkins is a consultant to industry in a number of technical areas including fi re protection and OSHA-related areas of hazardous material, confi ned space, respiratory protection, industrial emergency response and all levels of safety management.

Michael Shane LaCount is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program at Eastern Kentucky University. He has an M.S. in Loss Prevention and Safety from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. LaCount is a certified Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigation Instructor and Investigator as well as co-chair of the EKU Annual Rescue School.

Bryan Makinen is the Director of the Instant Care Center and Occupational Medicine Center in Richmond, Kentucky. He has a B.S. in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology and an M.P.H. from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr Makinen’s work has been focused in industrial safety, environmental, security, and occupational medicine.

Tommy Norris has over 30 years experience in Corrections including 25 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Mr. Norris retired as the Accreditation Manager in 1999 and joined EKU as the Director of Correctional Training in the College of Justice & Safety. He also serves as Executive Director of the Correctional Security Network. Mr. Norris was instrumental in designing the EKU Correctional Safety Officer Certificate Program.

Jonathan Pennington is the Chief Operating Officer/Senior Safety Engineer at McCulley Eastham and Associates, Inc. He has a B.S. in Occupational Safety and Health and an M.B.A. in Public Administration from Columbia Southern University. Mr. Pennington’s areas of expertise include lock out/tag out, respiratory protection, confined space, hazardous materials response, and industrial emergency response, among others. He is a Certified Safety Professional, Registered Professional Industrial Hygienist, and Chief Fire Officer Designate.

James Pharr is an Assistant Professor in the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology Program at Eastern Kentucky University. He has a B.S. in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology from the University of Cincinnati.

Dwayne Towles is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Safety and Health, LLC based in Louisville, Kentucky. He has a B.S. in Fire Prevention and Control from Eastern Kentucky University and an M.S. in Occupational Safety Management from Indiana State University. He has over 28 years experience in occupational safety management and fire protection. With Advanced Safety and Health, Mr. Towles has worked with hundreds of clients in multiple aspects of injury prevention programs, occupational safety, regulatory compliance, and insurance loss control services. He has also served as an Adjunct Instructor for the Indiana University Occupational Safety undergraduate program.