Subject Matter Experts

Blake leads the Ergonomics Research group to incorporate the latest technical and scientific data into VelocityEHS Ergonomics solutions. He also consults with academia to transfer current research knowledge into the company’s approach, systems, assessment methods, and guidelines.
Blake received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology (Biomechanics and Neurophysiology) and a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology (Human Neuromechanics) from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. Blake has achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE). He is a member of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Musculoskeletal Health Cross-sector Council, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Physical Agents Committee, and Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). Blake has been with the company for over 20 years.

Sami, in addition to being a seasoned nurse with experience in geriatric care, acute illnesses, discharge planning and alternative medicine, has over a decade of experience in developing an managing end-to-end, healthcare technology product development (software as a service, physical devices and hospital management), including stints as chief administrator, general manager, and vice president for healthcare companies in India, the United Kingdom and Canada. She has a B.S. in Nursing from Rajiv Gandhi University of health Sciences, attended post grad nursing programs from the University of Bedfordshire and University of West London, and an MBA from the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management.

Brad is an Environmental, Health & Safety Engineer with a proven track record of managing numerous global Environmental, Health & Safety Management Information Systems (EHS-MIS) implementations within the Airline, Aerospace, Oil & Gas, and other industries. He has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University, and a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. His P.E. is issued by the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions.

Alex Apostolou, Principal Solutions Strategist, Risk Management at VelocityEHS, works with EHS leaders to address the challenges they face when embedding active, efficient, and auditable risk and control management processes throughout their organizations. Prior to his current role, Alex was CEO at Meercat for 16 years, creating Meercat RiskView and driving its adoption into the chemicals, mining, and energy markets across the Asia-Pacific. For the 18 years prior, Alex was CTO of Risk Management Technologies, where he led the development of the Chem Alert and First Priority products. Alex began his career with Honeywell Industrial Control Systems in Australia and Papua New Guinea. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Cultural Studies and Creative Writing from Curtin University, Western Australia.

Rick Barker, Principal Solutions Strategist, Ergonomics for VelocityEHS, facilitates skill and knowledge-building activities for customers and internal staff relating to safety management systems, industrial ergonomics, human performance, and human factors. He assists clients in developing, implementing, evaluating, and improving their ergonomics and safety processes. Rick also supports the development of software products that empower users to improve their safety and ergonomics performance. Since first joining VelocityEHS in 1991, Rick has accumulated years of ergonomics and human factors consulting experience including a variety of positions with Hill-Rom. He also worked as an ergonomics engineer in product development at Unisys. Rick holds a Master of Arts degree in Human Factors from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. He served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Safe Patient Handling Professionals and led the professional certification process for that organization. He has achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) and Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

Kristi is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional with over 15+ years of experience in global industrial hygiene and ergonomics program management for a Fortune 500 company. As the Industrial Hygiene Program Manager for Ashland, Inc, her responsibilities included the development, implementation, and monitoring of health and safety programs for workplace hazards ranging from manufacturing facilities to office environments. Actively working with H&S management to identify hazards and develop control strategies for future regulatory concerns. Kristi has a B.S. from Ohio University where she continues to serve as member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Health Sciences and Professions.

Throughout her career, Julia has worked on a diverse range of machine learning and data science projects. She
brings to VelocityEHS expertise in risk assessments, failure prediction, anomaly detection, long-term and short-term forecasting with proper uncertainty estimations, root cause diagnostics, and optimizations. Julia comes to VelocityEHS from BC Hydro, one of Canada’s largest energy suppliers where she worked as a Lead Senior Research Scientist. Julia earned her PhD in Application of Machine Learning in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia.

Jennie oversees large-scale ergonomics initiatives in the manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive industries and helps organizations build internal ergonomics expertise using software solutions. Prior to joining VelocityEHS, Jennie worked as an assistant ergonomics program coordinator for Colorado State University, where she conducted ergonomics evaluations, performed workers’ compensation claim investigations, and redesigned workspaces. In addition, Jennie worked with the university’s Department of Transportation program, where she managed program development initiatives and the driver’s training program, and maintained the driver qualification file management system. She also helped manage the respiratory protection and hearing conservation programs, and taught CPR, automated external defibrillator, and First Aid training courses to faculty, staff, and students. Jennie received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Occupational and Environmental Health, specializing in Ergonomics, from Colorado State University. She has achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) and Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

Frank oversees the VelocityEHS suite of compliance tools that help our clients ensure alignment with environmental, health and safety regulations impacting their businesses. This includes solutions to build compliance calendars, maintain legal registers, manage permits, and manage compliance actions. He also manages our partnerships with regulatory support service providers to ensure our clients have access to best-in-class tools and information to support their compliance programs. Prior to joining VelocityEHS, Frank served as a Senior Regulatory Analyst, and Environmental Regulatory Consultant for EHS service providers. Frank has a J.D. from Vermont Law School and a B.A. from Wabash College. His volunteer activities include serving as a Water Policy volunteer for the Alliance for the Great Lakes and a Watershed Stewardship volunteer for Cleveland Metroparks.