ITASCA, Ill. — The National Safety Council announced earlier this month the appointment of Lorraine M. Martin as president and CEO of the 107-year-old nonprofit organization. NSC works to eliminate preventable deaths at work, on the road and at home.
Martin, who is co-founder and currently serving as president of the nonprofit Pegasus Springs Foundation, will be joining NSC on June 3 at its headquarters in Itasca, Ill., in suburban Chicago.
“Lorraine has more than 30 years’ experience leading and developing successful global and international businesses,” said Mark Vergnano, chairman of the National Safety Council. “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, Martin has focused on providing opportunities for educators, students and community members to collaborate on learning models. She is an enthusiastic advocate for schools, communities and national resource engagement.
Martin is actively involved and passionately dedicated to social impact and global change endeavors promoting diversity, inclusion and equality. As a champion for advancing women and girls in STEM, Martin was recently named among STEM Connector’s 100 Corporate Women Leaders, and she frequently lectures on core issues related to that issue.
Previously, Martin was executive vice president and deputy of Rotary and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin. She led a team of 34,000 global employees in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, UK, 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, Martin led the largest defense program, F-35 Lightning II, a stealth fighter aircraft. She also spearheaded the successful operational and cultural integration of Sikorsky, a global leader in helicopters.
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.
“Saving lives and preventing needless injuries is a noble mission, and one I was drawn to immediately,” 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 comprehensive national search that resulted in Martin’s recruitment.
About the National Safety Council
Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, the National Safety Council, www.nsc.org, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy. NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas that can make the most impact—distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety, prescription drug overdoses and Safe Communities. http://www.nsc.org
