Society of Product Safety Professionals Names New Officers and Board Members

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Organization adds 3 new officer positions in response to 

continued growth in programs and membership

"John has been a strong leader of SPSP and has overseen the introduction and growth of the Professional Certification program leading to the designation of “Certified Product Safety Professional™" 

Shelia Gottschalk, SPSP President

The Society of Product Safety Professionals (SPSP) has elected new Officers and Board Members consistent with the group’s By-Laws. SPSP was founded in 2017 to meet the needs of consumer product safety professionals in the area of career development, training programs, and networking opportunities. SPSP is a non-profit organization whose membership includes consumer product safety and product integrity managers, engineers, and related positions with small, medium and global industry and retail organizations, and consulting experts.

The new president, Shelia Gottschalk, is product integrity manager for Hallmark Cards. Sheila replaces John Barrera, Senior Director of Product Quality for Best Choice Products.

“John has been a strong leader of SPSP and has overseen the introduction and growth of the Professional Certification program leading to the designation of “Certified Product Safety Professional™,” said Shelia, who earned her CPSP™ designation in 2019. “He has laid the foundation for a very successful launching of SPSP over the past 5 years, and we will continue to benefit from his leadership for years to come.”

“Having the opportunity to serve as President of SPSP has been a professional highlight in my more than 30 years as a product safety professional,” John said. “Shelia is an outstanding leader, known for her commitment to the development of her teams at Hallmark. She is a true role model for anyone trying to understand what professional development in career planning is all about.”

Other Board Officers include:

Don Mays, elected to the new position of Vice President of the SPSP Board. He is the Founder of Product Safety Insights LLC, and was prior to that Chief Safety and Quality Officer at Samsung Electronics America.
Kristin Cordz, CPSP™, Vice President of MarketActives, was elected as Treasurer, replacing Larry Bell, Director of Product Safety for Bosch Home Appliances.
Laurel Roney, Director of QA and Compliance with JMW Sales, Inc. assumes the new position of Assistant Treasurer.
Kenneth d’Entremont, Ph.D., P.E., Associate Professor (Lecturer) of University of Utah School of Engineering, replaces Sherri Cain, Hobby Lobby as SPSP Secretary.
Lisa Trofe, CAE, Managing Director of Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association assumes the new position of Assistant Secretary.

Remaining Board members filling out their terms in office include, Kenneth Ross, Regulatory Attorney with Bowman and Brooke, and Ik-Whan Kwon, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Supply Chain at Saint Louis University.

Individuals wanting to learn more about SPSP membership can go to this link and sign up. .

Submitted by Allan Saadus, CPSP™ Membership Services Manager for SPSP: allan.saadus@sony.com

Allan Saadus, CPSP™
Society of Product Safety Professionals
858-829-3642
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