Each year, The Synergist asks candidates for the AIHA Board of Directors to participate in a candidates’ forum. This year’s candidates were asked to respond to the following question:
AIHA began 2025 with an updated strategic plan for 2025–2027. This plan provides our mission statement (“Empowering professionals to protect all workers and their communities from occupational and environmental hazards through the application of scientific knowledge”) and our vision statement (“A world where all workers and their communities are healthy and safe”). There are five domains: pursuit of knowledge, advancing the profession, member and volunteer engagement, impact and awareness, and organizational excellence (managed internally by AIHA staff). This plan is a living document, where goals (success statements) and objectives are revised as necessary by the Board of Directors and AIHA staff. Which domain and goal do you feel is the most critical? Why? How can the Board of Directors ensure success while balancing member needs with staff resources?
The candidates’ responses to this question appear on the following pages. The domains and goals in AIHA’s 2025–2027 strategic plan are accessible via the AIHA website.
This year’s ballot includes two candidates for vice president, two for treasurer-elect, and four for director. Instructions on how to vote in the election were emailed to members in January. For more information, please contact Thursa Pecoraro.
VICE PRESIDENT
Cheri Marcham, PhD, CIH, CSP, CHMM, FAIHA
Associate Professor and Program Chair, Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide
Each domain within AIHA’s strategic plan—pursuit of knowledge, advancing the profession, member and volunteer engagement, impact and awareness, and organizational excellence—plays a vital role in fulfilling our mission and vision. However, the pursuit of scientific knowledge stands out as the foundation upon which all else is built. Knowledge is the catalyst of meaningful progress, grounding our actions in science and aligning us with our mission to mitigate occupational and environmental hazards.
Through our commitment to scientific knowledge, we establish credibility, drive innovation, and foster trust within and beyond our professional community. By championing this, AIHA empowers OEHS professionals with cutting-edge educational and informational resources, addressing their evolving needs and equipping them to stay ahead of new risks and emerging challenges. This commitment supports informed decisions that advance the profession, engage members, and increase awareness of the profession’s value and impact.
AIHA’s success relies on balancing this core focus with member needs and staff resources. Achieving this balance requires clear, science-driven priorities aligned with realistic, achievable goals. By actively listening to member feedback and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, AIHA ensures that each domain builds on our shared knowledge, maximizing our impact and ensuring we remain responsive, resilient, and dedicated to a future where workers and communities thrive in safe, healthy environments.
VICE PRESIDENT
Bryan Seal, PhD, CIH, CSP, CHMM, REHS/RS
Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering Department
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
I am IH and we are AIHA, its members and its staff. Since 1939, AIHA continues to be the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and safety in the workplace and community. This means we protect all people, in all places, and at all times (or at least as close to this as possible). The Board of Directors guides the association forward in our ever-changing world; therefore, while supporting the strategic plan, there is no one domain most critical, but they constitute the whole. AIHA is a solid and engaged community, as evidenced by the more than 40 volunteer groups, the 30-plus alliances with other organizations, and the various initiatives such as Defining the Science, IEQ, and Standards of Care, to name just a few. Like a family, when there are multiple kids, no one child is more important, but at any given time, one may need more attention than the others, requiring parents to employ different skills depending on the need. The Board must actively solicit feedback from the volunteers and staff to ensure the nurturing of necessary skills to support all domains and provide resources and training when needed, so the association moves forward. This nurturing requires transparency and commitment to check in with staff and volunteers.
