The National Safety Council (the “NSC”) has appointed Lorraine M. Martin as president and chief executive officer of the 107-year-old nonprofit organization, which is focused on eliminating preventable deaths at work, on the road, and at home.
Ms. Martin, who is co-founder and currently serving as president of the nonprofit Pegasus Springs Foundation, will be joining the NSC on June 3 at its headquarters in Itasca, Illinois, in suburban Chicago.
“Lorraine has more than 30 years' experience leading and developing successful global and international businesses,” said the NSC's chairperson, Mark Vergnano. “She has a successful track record of working in both civic and corporate roles, which makes her a natural fit for the Council – an organization that offers a suite of products, training services, and advocacy resources with the mission of eliminating preventable deaths.”
As co-founder of the Pegasus Springs Foundation, Ms. Martin has focused on providing opportunities for educators, students, and community members to collaborate on learning models. She is an advocate for school, community, and national resource engagement. Ms. Martin is involved with and dedicated to social impact and global change endeavors promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality.
Previously, Ms. Martin was executive vice president and deputy of rotary and mission systems (“RMS”) at Lockheed Martin. She led a team of 34,000 global employees in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Australia with operations in more than 75 worldwide facilities.
Over her career she has led global aircraft and complex system development and manufacturing, always with a focus on safety for the employees and for those who used the products, often in high consequence environments. Among her top achievements, Ms. Martin led the largest defense program, F-35 Lightning II, a stealth fighter aircraft. She also led the operational and cultural integration of Sikorsky, a global leader in helicopters.
Ms. Martin was an officer in the U.S. Air Force, where she held various leadership positions for software-intensive technology and development programs. She earned an M.S. in computer science from Boston University and a B.A. in computational mathematics from DePauw University.
Ms. Martin recently was named among STEMConnector's 100 Corporate Women Leaders.
“Saving lives and preventing needless injuries is a noble mission and one I was drawn to immediately,” Ms. Martin said. “I am deeply passionate and committed to keeping people safe wherever they are, and I will bring that commitment to NSC as we work to eliminate all preventable deaths.”
The NSC Board partnered with Koya Leadership Partners, the executive recruiting firm that specializes in mission-driven searches, on the search that resulted in Ms. Martin's recruitment.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].