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. Dr. Brown is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and has many professional affiliations, including being past president of the Association of environmental health Academic Programs (AEHAP) and current Undergraduate Mentor for AEHAP. He has over 20 years consulting experience in the environmental, industrial hygiene, and safety arenas.

Randy Gray is President of Grayhawk Safety and Health Consulting Company, working with employers to identify risk and assisting them with compliance-related issues. Prior to his retirement in 2008, Mr. Gray worked for the Kentucky Occupational Safety & Health Program as a Safety & Health Compliance Officer for more than 25 years, during which time he conducted numerous compliance audits of workplaces including general scheduled inspections, employee complaints, referrals, follow-up and fatal and non-fatal accidents. He has also served as the past President of the Audubon Chapter and Purchase Area Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). Mr. Gray graduated from Murray State University, Occupational Safety & Health with his B.S. in 1983 and completed his M.S. degree in Occupational Safety & Health in 1995.

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 an Associate Professor 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 a certified Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigator as well as Investigation Instructor. He currently serves as online faculty for the Eastern Kentucky University College of Justice and Safety and is Assistant Fire Chief in charge of training and safety for the City of Mooresville, North Carolina.

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 Managing Principal and Chief Operating Officer 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 and an M.S. in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University. Mr. Pharr is a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators (Kentucky and North Carolina Chapters) and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

Dwayne Towles is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Safety & 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 & 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.

Stephen C. Tussey has thirty years of experience in the correctional field and is retired from the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. He has worked closely with numerous federal, state, and local agencies developing interagency agreements and emergency response plans for bio-chemical, fire, and natural disasters. He developed the first training agreement with OSHA, allowing the entire Bureau of Prisons’ safety staff to become certified OSHA instructors. Mr. Tussey continues to work in the correctional field as a Senior Safety Consultant with Creative Corrections, performing quality assurance reviews of correctional facilities throughout the United States.