Archives: Speakers

Passionate. Proven. Purpose-Driven.

With 16+ years of impactful leadership in Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) management, I bring a hands-on, strategic approach across heavy civil, transportation, general industry, and environmental sectors. As an authorized OSHA Outreach Trainer and certified professional across Construction, General Industry, and Maritime, I blend field expertise with academic strength—holding an Executive MBA, a Master’s in Integrated Management Systems, and ISO/OHSAS certifications.

Currently an adjunct professor at Florida International University, I mentor future safety leaders through the Susan Harwood Training Grant. I’m also a certified Envision Sustainability Professional, committed to driving initiatives that create real, lasting value beyond compliance.

Guided by values of Empathy, Selflessness, Authenticity, Decisiveness, and Accountability, I lead with purpose—building safe, high-performing teams and sustainable workplace cultures. Let’s shape a safer future, together.

I am a highly analytical and self-motivated professional with a track record of successfully overseeing all facets of environmental, health and safety processes. My employee engagement helps to build better businesses and improve safety cultures.

My professional experience in environmental, health and safety management, regulatory compliance, auditing, lean methodologies, compliance reporting, team leadership and employee training, coupled with my adaptability and determination, certainly make me a valuable asset. I am eager to demonstrate my ability to perform and coordinate safety functions in an efficient and productive manner, while maintaining exemplary standards of efficiency, accuracy and attention to detail.

During my career, I have successfully worked with senior management to effectively prioritize activities, increase engagement, achieve defined objectives and translate EHS requirements. I have also demonstrated ability to improve processes, increase efficiency, develop operational solutions, motivate teams and attain major compliance goals.

Vanessa Galvin is a bilingual, bicultural safety professional and servant leader with over two decades of hands-on experience spanning food and industrial manufacturing, agriculture, warehousing, construction, refrigeration, retail, and port operations. Far from a desk-only leader, Vanessa is known for immersing herself fully in the environments she supports—operating forklifts, tractors, scissor lifts, refrigeration systems, and more—to truly understand the daily realities of frontline workers before implementing change. Her mission is to transform individuals into risk-competent decision makers and empower every employee to become a catalyst for positive change.

Driven by a passion for continuous improvement and technology integration, Vanessa has successfully led the development and execution of safety management systems across North and Latin America. She specializes in leveraging data, behavioral insights, and leading indicators to tell a story that drives measurable, lasting impact. As the Administrator of ASSP’s Hispanic Safety Professionals Common Interest Group, she champions mentorship and visibility for Hispanic EHS professionals worldwide. Vanessa is deeply committed to helping safety leaders see themselves not just as compliance enforcers, but as transformational agents of systemic and sustainable change.