MELISSA PRESTON
Moorestown,NJ
Summary
Senior environmental health and safety leader with 15+ years of experience in developing and executing EHS strategies across various industries. Expertise in collaborating with senior management and stakeholders to strengthen safety culture and ensure regulatory compliance. Proven track record in implementing data-driven incident prevention programs that enhance accountability and operational excellence.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
AREA EHS MANAGER
Grainger
Bordentown, NJ
02.2024 - Current
- Lead EHS strategy, compliance execution, and risk reduction across a large-scale Northeast distribution environment and supported branch network.
- Partner with senior operations, HR, facilities, corporate EHS, claims partners, and site leadership to strengthen safety culture, reduce exposure, improve incident response, and sustain regulatory readiness.
- Owned EHS KPIs, incident reporting, corrective action follow-through, emergency preparedness, training compliance, and leadership coaching, embedding safety into daily operations.
- Advised senior leaders on injury trends, operational risks, regulatory obligations, and corrective action priorities, supporting proactive decision-making and accountability.
- Led incident investigations, root cause analyses, near-miss follow-ups, and GEMS reporting, ensuring timely documentation and sustainable prevention measures.
- Develop and facilitate leadership-facing EHS training, new hire safety orientation, powered industrial equipment safety reinforcement, emergency response drills, and targeted coaching workshops.
- Collaborate with workers’ compensation partners and internal stakeholders to support claims management, transitional duty alignment, and loss mitigation.
SAFETY COMPLIANCE MANAGER
Oldcastle Building Envelope
Moorestown, NJ
02.2023 - 01.2024
- Directed multi-facility safety compliance activities, overseeing risk assessment, executing corrective actions, delivering regulatory training, and engaging operational leaders to enhance safety standards.
- Partnered cross-functionally to identify risk matrix deficiencies, close compliance gaps, and reinforce consistent safety expectations across work groups.
- Drove corrective action ownership from identification to closure, escalating risk and compliance gaps to leadership to ensure timely resolution.
- Supported workers’ compensation and litigation processes by providing precise incident documentation, compliance context, and actionable risk-based recommendations.
SAFETY & TRAINING MANAGER
Sage V Foods, LLC
Little Rock Port Authority, AR
06.2020 - 02.2021
- Rebuilt and standardized the safety program to improve compliance, emergency preparedness, incident reporting, and employee training.
- Developed and implemented new incentivized forklift and safety training programs to enhance employee engagement and compliance.
- Updated Lockout/Tagout, HAZWOPER, emergency response, and safety reporting processes while supporting operational continuity and virtual training needs.
- Monitored incidents and established prevention measures to reduce recurrence of safety events.
- Collaborated with insurance companies to report and finalize incidents, manage workman's compensation claims, and maintain OSHA 300 logs.
- Partnered with HR to complete staff performance reviews and implement improvement plans.
- Oversee and support a team of 225-230 employees through safety initiatives, training, and development.
ACADEMIC INSTRUCTOR/COORDINATOR
Department Of Defense Education Activity
Ramstein AB, Europe
11.2016 - 12.2018
- Motivated students to achieve academic goals through tailored support services that fostered self-confidence and alleviated anxiety.
- Initiated new learning methods to ensure total student comprehension while curbing learning time.
- Evaluated and documented student progress and behavior, recommending targeted strategies to enhance tutoring effectiveness.
- Optimized classroom transitions, reinforcing student instruction while coordinating with administration leaders to enhance overall learning environment.
REGIONAL EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT DIRECTOR
Cornerstone Recruitment Group
Virtual
08.2012 - 12.2016
- Increased customer base by 200% through implementation of effective marketing strategies.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to define KPIs and designed development lifecycle stages from inception to production.
- Negotiated agreements among employees to clarify directions and resolve conflicts impacting performance.
- Facilitated community workshops to educate public on services available.
SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ENGINEER
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
Camden, AR
11.2008 - 08.2012
- Provided senior-level ESH support for Greenfield development, regulatory coordination, facility readiness, and operational risk management for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 facility.
- Ensured compliance with OSHA, NFPA, RCRA, and EPA requirements while supporting expanded facility capability and operational readiness.
- Collaborated with local, state, and federal agencies to secure documentation, clearances, certificates, and approvals, applying qualitative and quantitative analysis to enhance logistics and compliance.
- Delivered safety training to 600 staff across manufacturing, support, and personnel facilities, fostering a culture of safety and compliance.
- Conducted quality assurance, internal audits, onsite evaluations, and customer surveys to validate performance and pinpoint improvement opportunities.
GROUND SAFETY MANAGER
USAF Reserves
Colorado Springs, CO
09.2000 - 09.2006
- Conducted safety inspections, surveys, assessments, and evaluations for 302nd Airlift Wing, ensuring compliance with safety standards.
- Assigned risk assessment codes and recommended corrective actions, mitigating safety risks.
- Negotiated agreements to clarify directions and resolve conflicts, enhancing operational performance.
AIRCRAFT LOADMASTER
United States Air Force
McGuire AFB, NJ
09.1996 - 09.2000
- Conducted pre-flight and post-flight inspections of aircraft and systems to ensure operational readiness.
- Analyzed cargo and passenger load briefings, ensuring documentation accuracy to facilitate safe and efficient loading.
- Adhered to preferred work methods and safety policies per company guidelines, promptly reporting unsafe conditions to maintain a secure work environment.
- Used both manual and electronic methods to compute aircraft weight and balance.
- Provided detailed training and mentoring for each new team member, including safety protocol workshops, to optimize performance and productivity of all crew members.
Education
MASTER OF SCIENCE - HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PABACHELOR OF SCIENCE - PROFESSIONAL AERONAUTICS
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Daytona Beach, FLSkills
- ehs strategy and compliance
- senior leadership
- cross-functional collaboration
- regulatory training
- emergency preparedness
- risk assessment
- compliance execution
- EHS strategy
- safety culture reinforcement
- employee training
- problem solving
- data analysis
- Accident prevention
- leadership coaching
- Hazard identification
- Occupational health management
- First aid administration
- Incident investigation
- Machine guarding
- Confined space entry
- Personal protective equipment
- Safety training development
- Contractor safety management
- Occupational health
- regulatory compliance expertise
- osha, epa, dot, nfpa, rcra knowledge
- risk assessment and mitigation
- incident management and analysis
- workers' compensation collaboration
- safety culture transformation
- kpi ownership
- effective emergency preparedness
- training program development
- safety committee leadership
- corrective action management
- audit readiness and improvement
- continuous improvement initiatives
- cross-functional influence and leadership
Timeline
AREA EHS MANAGER
Grainger
02.2024 - Current
SAFETY COMPLIANCE MANAGER
Oldcastle Building Envelope
02.2023 - 01.2024
SAFETY & TRAINING MANAGER
Sage V Foods, LLC
06.2020 - 02.2021
ACADEMIC INSTRUCTOR/COORDINATOR
Department Of Defense Education Activity
11.2016 - 12.2018
REGIONAL EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT DIRECTOR
Cornerstone Recruitment Group
08.2012 - 12.2016
SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ENGINEER
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
11.2008 - 08.2012
GROUND SAFETY MANAGER
USAF Reserves
09.2000 - 09.2006
AIRCRAFT LOADMASTER
United States Air Force
09.1996 - 09.2000
MASTER OF SCIENCE - HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
Drexel University
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - PROFESSIONAL AERONAUTICS
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University