Courageous Conversations and Vulnerabilities in the Workplace Around Process Safety

Join the Community of Process Engineers (CPE) and Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) at the 2025 AIChE Spring Meeting and 21st Global Congress on Process Safety for an insightful session on psychological safety, leadership, and professional growth in process safety.

Dr. Fred Henselwood (Nova Chemicals) and Michael D. Snyder (Dekra Services, Inc.) will examine the critical link between psychological safety and organizational reliability, highlighting how open conversations can prevent catastrophic process safety incidents. Attendees will gain strategies for fostering a culture where employees feel empowered to speak up, mitigating risks before they escalate. Following the keynote presentations, Dr. Jill Craven (Intel Corporation) will lead an interactive workshop on Empathy in Manufacturing.

This session will provide:

• A practical understanding of psychological safety's role in process safety performance.
• The five core disciplines that transform organizations into high-reliability leaders.
• Actionable strategies for fostering open discussions and encouraging employees to speak up.
• Case studies demonstrating how psychological safety improves risk mitigation and safety performance.

Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Time: 1:30 – 3:00 PM CT

Location: Hilton Anatole, Peridot Room

Session Title: Courageous Conversations and Vulnerabilities in the Workplace Around Process Safety

Co-Chairs:

• Dr. David Dixon, Robert L. Sandvig Professor, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT)
• Dr. Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, WIC Spring Programming Chair and session Co-Chair

Keynote Speakers (1:30 – 2:00 PM CT)

• Dr. Fred Henselwood, Process Safety Manager for Process Safety and Risk Services, Nova Chemicals
• Michael D. Snyder, P.E., CSP, CFPS, CFEI; Vice President of Operational Risk Management, Dekra Services, Inc.

Workshop (2:00 – 3:00 PM CT): Empathy in Manufacturing

• Dr. Jill Craven, Process Equipment Installation Engineer, Intel Corporation; Managing Board Member, Community of Process Engineers (CPE)

Session Details & Registration:

Click here for more information

*Note: Registrants must first register for the Spring Meeting, then add this session to their schedule for the day.

We look forward to seeing you there!