National Safety Education Center Instructors

The National Safety Education Center features an instructional staff comprised of experienced and knowledgeable safety professionals who possess excellent credentials relevant to a variety of safety areas.

Amando “Dino” Arias

Dino is a bilingual Safety and Training Professional with over 40 years of experience in all aspects of the Oil Refining Industry and the Fire service. He has authored and taught numerous Task and Job Specific Safety Training courses including LOTO, CSE, Scaffolding, Cranes and Rigging hot work, PPE, and Respiratory Programs.

His extensive background includes OSHA PSM compliance training, compliance audits, accident investigation, contractor safety, behavior based safety, and site-specific training programs.

During his career, Dino served on numerous corporate initiatives in Health, Safety, Security and Environmental and was also the Safety Manager for the CITGO Savannah, Georgia Refinery, which included serving on the Chatham County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Dino held positions in the incident management of hurricane recovery, oil spill mitigation, and numerous process unit fires. Dino is a past member of ASSE Three Rivers Chapter, with educational background in Fire Safety, Facility Security, Emergency Response, NIMS, and Environmental Control Technology. Dino served 6 years in the US Army and 20 years as a Nationally Registered Paramedic and firefighter Read full bio.

Don Bartalone

Don Bartalone has been involved in the transportation and warehousing industries for over 35 years and served on the safety team and committee for 20 of those years. Don spent five years as a facility manager / safety coordinator for an oil refinery. He is an OSHA-authorized General Industry and Construction Outreach Trainer who conducts 10- and 30-hour hazard recognition safety training. Don is the lead instructor at the National Safety Education Center as well as he instructs the National Safety Council certificates in Fork Lift Truck Operator Training, Incident Investigation, Safety Inspections and Advanced Safety. More recently, Don has broadened his teaching horizons to the international level – traveling to Saudi Arabia to assist in a safety development program for the world’s largest oil company. Read full bio.

Brent Bryden

Brent Bryden brings 32 years of manufacturing safety and environmental health experience. He is able to facilitate training for small, medium and large employers with a wide range of needs. His passion is to educate the basics to form strong safety foundations within an organization through training and education. Brent strives to effectively manage the elements of those safety programs for its employees and the companies they represent. Continuous improvement in safety training is his vision and maintaining a level of service to providing quality products, practices and services driven to achieve positive results is his goal Read full bio.

Wendy Coles

Wendy Coles is a dedicated Workforce Education Instructor at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, where she has been shaping the future of workforce safety and compliance training since January 2019. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Wendy specializes in the development and delivery of comprehensive OSHA, MSHA, and EPA compliance courses. Her expertise spans a wide range of critical topics, including Fall Protection, Confined Space, LockOut/TagOut, Respiratory Protection, and more. She has produced custom safety training videos and created OSHA-compliant programs tailored to specific client needs.

Before joining IECC, Wendy worked as a training consultant and co-owned Target Mine Training, where she developed mining-related online training products and managed compliance training programs across the U.S. Her earlier roles included Assistant Director of Mining at Vincennes University and Safety Coordinator at Vigo Coal Company, where she coordinated safety training for miners and contractors and handled extensive regulatory reporting. Read full bio.

Kent Crytzer, CSP

Kent Crytzer serves as Director of Safety and leads the Construction Employers Association's safety programming, as well as the Construction Safety Council of Northeast Ohio. He is one of 12,000 professionals to actively hold the CSP designation in the United States. Prior to CEA, Kent worked at The Ruhlin Company, where he was a safety specialist. Kent graduated with a degree in safety and environmental management from Slippery Rock University in 2002 and obtained his Certified Safety Professional designation in April of 2009 Read full bio.

Sheri DeBose

Sheri DeBose is a safety and training professional with more than 30 years experience in the manufacturing and utility industries. She is an OSHA General Industry outreach trainer experienced in conducting 10-hour, 30-hour and annual OSHA training requirements. Sheri also instructs OSHA 511, 501 and 503 classes for the National Safety Education Center. She holds a Master's Degree in business administration from the University of Illinois. She is an independent consultant with hands-on experience conducting site audits, forklift training, ergonomic assessments, accident analysis and observation based training. Sheri is also an adjunct professor at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois, teaching occupational safety and health. Read full bio.

Mark England

Mark England is a Safety and Health Specialist with Nicolet College in Rhinelander, WI with 30 years of experience in manufacturing and education related to safety, health, and emergency response. Mark is an Authorized OSHA General Industry and Construction Outreach Trainer experienced in conducting 10-hour, 30-hour courses and annual OSHA training requirements throughout the state of Wisconsin. Mark also instructs OSHA classes through Nicolet College as a host site for the National Safety Education Center. His instructor credentials include the State of Wisconsin Technical College School System- Instructor of Industrial Safety and Industrial Equipment Mechanic, OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI), and The Community and College Consortium for Health and Safety Training (CCCHST) Read full bio.

Terry Larson, GSP

Terry Larson, GSP, obtained his bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety from Waldorf University. Prior to coming to the Minnesota Safety Council, Terry worked in the general industry field as well as the Minnesota Army National Guard. In these roles he helped to reduce the risk of injury and illness for workers. Terry’s passion lies in collaborating across boundaries to find common ground in delivering safety education and training programs to create the safest possible work area Read full bio.

Matt Lind 

Matt has experience in the creation and implementation of company policies and procedures that meet government regulations and codes to include initial creation, updating, re-evaluating, pre-visit planning, post-visit-action planning, and follow up. Matt offers a background in the areas of Chemical/Hazardous Material as well as Department of Transportation regulations for drivers and vehicles Read full bio.

Nick Madson

Nick Madson is a safety professional with experience in both construction and general industry. Through divisional, on-site and Plant Safety Management, Nick has made a career out of his passion for working industry and Safety. Nick actively holds a CHST designation. Nick’s holds a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety, with and Emphasis in Construction Safety from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Nick is an OSHA 500 Outreach Trainer, as well as an authorized MSHA Instructor for Nicolet College in Rhinelander, WI. Other specialties include Fall Protection, First Aid/CPR/AED, Excavations, and Silica in Construction, Confined Space Entry, Combustible Dusts and Accident Investigation. Read full bio.

Ted Marshall

With over 50 years dedicated to workplace safety, Ted has committed his career to building safer environments across a wide range of industries. His journey in safety began as the Safety Committee Chair for a Fortune 500 warehousing operation, where he successfully led the team in earning the OSHA VPP STAR status, a testament to their strong commitment to exceeding compliance standards.

Ted has also served as a Warehouse, Safety, and Logistics Manager for a smaller company, where he reduced incident rates significantly and guided the team to achieve 439 days without a recordable incident—a noteworthy accomplishment that underscored the power of team-centered safety practices.

Later, he served as Operations and Safety Director for a nationally recognized commercial plastic scrap company, overseeing safety protocols across two facilities in Illinois and Indiana and strengthening risk management for the auto parts sector.

In 2016, Ted became an OSHA Outreach Instructor, delivering OSHA 10 and 30 courses, conducting safety assessments, and providing customized training programs nationwide. Known for his expertise in creating tailored safety policies, he also specializes in training on forklift operations and other essential safety skills.

Currently, he works with the Business and Industry Department at a local college district, supporting businesses and municipalities of all sizes in Southern Illinois with safety consulting, assessments, safety policy writing and customized training.

As a first responder with over 35 years of service in his local fire department and a certified Emergency Medical Responder, he also provides OSHA safety training for the fire district. Ted’s career is defined by an unwavering commitment to fostering safety-first workplaces that prioritize employee well-being and operational excellence. Read full bio.

John Newquist

John Newquist is an independent safety trainer, author and consultant. From 2005-12, John was Region V’s Assistant Regional Administrator for Cooperative and State Programs, where he managed the region’s training programs, Susan Harwood Grants, state plans and consultation grants, and voluntary protection programs. He has a BS in fire protection and safety engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master's of Science in industrial management from Northern Illinois University. A Certified Safety Professional, he was a founding member of the ANSI Z359 Standards Committee (Safety Requirements for Fall Arrest Systems). He created and taught the first OSHA Training Institute fall arrest and process safety management classes. He has taught hundreds of safety seminars across the country, including the National VPPPA, Construction Safety Conference, American Society of Safety Engineers and National Fire Protection Association. He worked for OSHA from 1983-2012, including a stint as the Area Director of the Peoria Area Office Read full bio.

Barry Schwalbe, CHMM

Barry Schwalbe has over 20 years of experience in environmental chemistry and safety. He is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) through the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management. Barry is a training coordinator at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois. Barry is an OSHA authorized trainer for both General Industry and Construction and a Training Center Coordinator for the American Heart Association. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Eastern Illinois University and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Springfield. In addition to training center coordination, Barry teaches OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour classes, emergency response, hazardous materials, and first aid/CPR Read full bio.

Richard Stangl, Jr

Rich has over 16 years of occupational safety and fire/emergency service experience. He spent nearly four years as the safety director at Global Finishing Solutions in Osseo, where he worked extensively within both the general (29 CFR 1910) and construction industry (29 CFR 1926) regulations. He worked within the Army Corps of Engineering EM-385 regulations on various U.S. Defense sites, and managed fleet safety and diver qualification as applicable to the Department of Transportation Regulations (49 CFR). He also coordinated all environmental activities as applicable to the Wisconsin DNR and EPA Regulations Read full bio.

Larry Te Stroete, CSP

Larry Te Stroete has been an OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer and safety instructor for over 28 years. Among his areas of expertise are construction/general industry safety, forklift training, hazardous materials handling, environmental health and safety and emergency management. His instructor credentials include the Wisconsin Technical School System, OSHA Training Institute Education Centers and the National Association of Safety Professionals. Larry is an enthusiastic instructor with knowledge and experience to share with his students. He brings OSHA safety standards to life by sharing exciting, current real-life examples Read full bio.

Tom Waydick

Waydick has been a fire service instructor at Nicolet College in Rhinelander, WI for over 18 years specializing in Confined Space, Trench Rescue, and Hazardous Materials Response Training. He has been an OSHA Trainer for 15 years covering General Industry and Construction Industry. He is the Assistant Fire Chief of the Rhinelander Fire Department and the Assistant Chief of the Oneida County Hazmat Team. He has been active in public safety for over 26 years. Tom specializes in the construction industry as the local building inspector credentialed in residential construction, HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing, and commercial construction and HVAC Read full bio.

Ben Wood, J.D., M.S., CSP

Ben has been a safety and health professional since 1994, where he practiced in private industry until he began his state service as a senior safety investigator with MN OSHA, and later a safety consultant principal with the MN Workplace Safety Consultation Unit, within the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Ben assisted hundreds of establishments and worksites in both the construction and general industries, and served thousands of workers, by providing regulatory, consultative, training and outreach services throughout Minnesota. Ben was subsequently promoted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as the department’s senior safety and risk manager until his advancement to the Minnesota Safety Council. Ben received his graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – stout in risk control and his juris doctorate degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Ben is a former adjunct professor, and a current member of the Advisory Committee, for the Risk Control Program at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. Ben is also an OSHA 30-hour authorized trainer for both construction and general industry, and an instructor for the Scaffold Training Institute. Ben and his family have been lifelong Minnesotans and currently reside in Lakeville, MN. Read Wood's full bio.