Keynote Speakers

Tuesday, March 19

Janet Froetscher
President & CEO
National Safety Council 

Janet Froetscher is president and chief executive officer of the National Safety Council. The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Under Froetscher’s leadership, NSC has focused on key safety initiatives, grounded in science, to advance its mission. These initiatives include the creation of the Journey to Safety Excellence approach to workplace safety that promotes continuous improvement of leadership and employee engagement, safety management systems, risk reduction and performance measurement.

Froetscher has also led NSC in taking a leadership role on the issues of distracted and teen driving. NSC was the first organization to call for a national ban on cell phone use while driving, has driven 34 states to pass texting laws, and has encouraged corporations to adopt corporate cell phone bans. NSC has also been successful in advocating for better graduated driver’s license requirements for teen drivers and in promoting education for parents of teen drivers. Froetscher has spoken widely about critical safety concerns at many national and international gatherings of public and private sector safety leaders. Prior to joining NSC, Froetscher served as CEO of the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago and chief operating officer of the Aspen Institute. Her corporate experience includes leadership roles within the Commercial Club of Chicago and Bankers Trust Co.

Froetscher holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a board member of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange and Chicago Chamber of Commerce, and she is a member of the Chicago Network and Commercial Club of Chicago. Froetscher is also a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.
 

Wednesday, March 20

Peter Budnick
CEO
ErgoWeb® 

Peter Budnick, Ph.D., C.P.E., has dedicated much of his nearly 30-year career to growing the reach and influence of ergonomics. He's well-known and respected for his role as the CEO of ErgoWeb® and its popular community hosted on Ergoweb.com, but he also applies an entrepreneurial spirit and acumen to the business side of ergonomics through his involvement with ErgoWeb®, ErgoAdvocate® and ErgoBuyer®. Together, these closely linked companies provide training and consulting services and deliver product and equipment solutions to multiple industries, creating a trusted one-stop source for ergonomics.

Budnick holds a B.S. in engineering from Michigan Technological University; an M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Michigan; and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah. He has published extensively and presented at many industry conferences, and he is a committed volunteer for several professional organizations. Budnick has served as a director and president for the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE), and he has chaired the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES) Media Relations Committee and the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) Certification Subcommittee. He also was a senior editor for Ergonomics in Design and is a recipient of the HFES Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award. Budnick currently serves as director for the Foundation for Professional Ergonomics (FPE), where he's been instrumental in launching Ergonomists without Borders.