Join us for a virtual chapter meeting on Friday May 15, 2026 at 11:00am Central Time – Including Chapter Elections.  The meeting will be presented via Microsoft Teams, registration is not required, but please register for the meeting and you can place the meeting on your calendar with the meeting credentials listed below.  Please log in at least 5 minutes early to reduce the number of distractions at the beginning of the meeting.  You will be able to log in as early as 10:45am Central to keep distractions to a minimum and to make sure that your technology connection is working.  Please mute your audio when you join the meeting unless you are speaking to the group.

When: Friday May 15, 2026 at 11:00am Central Time (Please log in at least 5 minutes early and mute your microphone to reduce distractions)

What: Heat Stress – Including information on OSHA’s proposed standard and information that our speaker learned from participating in the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) Panel for the proposed Heat Stress Standard.  Jim provided multiple comments and testimony during the informal hearings.

Who: Jim Nelson, ASSP Region V RVP

Jim Nelson is currently the Safety and Environmental Manager for LBT, Inc. He has over 25 years of health, safety, and environmental experience across a range of industries.

Jim has been a member of ASSP since 2001 and AIHA since 1997. He is a Professional Member of ASSP and currently serves as Area Director 2 for Region 5. Previously he served as Deputry Regional Vice President (2020-2022). James has served on the Great Plains Chapter Board (2005-2011, 2018 to 2022) in a variety of roles including Delegate, Secretary, Vice President, and President. He has served on the Douglas County LEPC (2007-2012) and was an ex-Officio Member-Board of Directors National Safety Council- Greater Omaha Chapter (2007-2009). In 2023, Jim served as a Small Industry Representative for the SBREFA review of the OSHA Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Standard.

In 2009 James received the Safety Professional of the Year award from the Great Plains Chapter.

Jim received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in 1992. He earned his CSP in 2003. He is an Industrial 1 Wastewater Treatment Operator in the State of Nebraska. James is an OSHA Outreach Trainer for General Industry.

Jim is a Level II Climbing Instructor with the Mid-America Council of BSA. He serves on the ROPES committee which oversees the safety and operation of high and low challenge courses and one climbing tower in the Council. In addition, he has provided HSE support to several Eagle Projects.

How: Microsoft Teams Meeting Credentials (Please log in at least 5 minutes early to avoid distractions and please place your audio device on mute upon entering the meeting room.)  You may enter the meeting as early as 10:45am Central.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/240950714539090?p=AvlzTtoDhx33G0O3jI

Meeting ID: 240 950 714 539 090

Passcode: GD3p7EL3

Need help? | System reference

Dial in by phone

+1 347-379-1643,,20203752# United States, New York City

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 202 037 52#

We will also be holding our Chapter Elections as previously published.

CIL ASSP 2026-2027 Chapter Elections Notice!!

The following slate of officers has been presented and approved by the nominating committee for the 2026-2027 Elections. The election was planned to be held at our PDC Event on April 14, 2026 at the ISU Alumni Center in Normal, IL. We did not have a quorum of members at the PDC so we are holding the elections during the May 15, 2026 virtual chapter meeting.  

This slate of officers is being presented to the membership at least 30 days prior to the election, as required by our Bylaws.

2025-2026 Nominations
President – Ryan Crossland
President Elect – Justin Bay
Treasurer – Steve Meyer
Secretary – Rob Irwin
Student Affairs – Amy Timmerman
Member at Large – Jim McNiff
Member at Large – Patrick Costello
Member at Large – Audra Sargeant
Advisory Group Member – Mark Briggs

Chapter Members may submit a signed petition nominating one or more individuals for elective office. The petition will require 10 signatures to be valid. The petition shall be accompanied by a written acceptance by the nominee(s) and shall be submitted to the Chairperson (Matt Kubsch) of the Nominations and Elections Committee 15 days in advance of the election. The names and qualifications of such nominees shall be published and distributed to the membership at least 7 days prior to the election.

– The Nominations Committee and Chairperson may be contacted by using the contact us page on cil.assp.org.

Visit the events page at https://cil.assp.org/event/ for more information and to register for this meeting.

Registration will remain open, however a meal and certificate of attendance cannot be guaranteed if you register after 9am April 13, 2026… please contact Stig Ruxlow at updates@cil.assp.org or 309-431-5436 voice/text if you have any questions regarding registration after 9am April 13, 2026. 

Tuesday April 14, 2026

What:

The Central Illinois Chapter and Student Section are jointly hosting a Professional Development Conference (PDC) for members and guests!

Where:

The Illinois State University Alumni Center

1101 N. Main St. Normal, IL

When:

Tuesday April 14, 2026

7:45am – 4:00pm Central Time

7:45am – 8:10am Arrivals!! We will start promptly at 8:15am!

8:15am – 9:15am

Session 1 – Shae Birkey – Caterpillar, Inc.

My Brain Made Me Do It: Psychological drivers of employee behavior

9:15am – 9:25am Break

9:25am – 10:25am

Session 2 – Brian MacKenzie – JULIE 1 Call

JULIE 101, Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators program overview and resources

10:25am – 10:35am Break

10:35am – 11:35am

Session 3 –  Brad Malone – Black & Co.

New trends and technology in PPE

11:35am – 12:20pm Lunch and Networking (Jason’s Deli Sandwich Tray Catering)

12:20pm – 1:20pm

Session 4 –  Ed Marshall – Peoria Area OSHA Director

OSHA Update

1:20pm – 1:30pm Break

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Session 5 –  Stig Ruxlow – Central Illinois Chapter President

The Value of ASSP, Getting Involved in ASSP Leadership and Central Illinois Chapter Elections

2:30pm – 2:40pm Break

2:40pm – 3:40pm

Session 6 – Mark Briggs – Safety Management Resources

Wild, Wacky, and Highly Effective Training v.6.2

3:40pm – 3:50pm Closing Remarks (PDC Committee)

We will have coffee in the morning.

Bottled water and iced tea will be available all day.

The Peoria OSHA Office will have a Compliance Officer in attendance with a display table at the conference, in addition to the presentation by the Area Director.

The Illinois On-Site Consultation program will have a representative in attendance with a display table at the conference.

Registration for members and guests is $150 each. 

Gold Level Sponsorships are available for $250

Gold Level Sponsorships include the registration of 1 attendee at the PDC.  Gold Level Sponsorship also includes a table at the PDC for you to place information about your organization along the sidewalls of the meeting room, verbal announcement of all Gold Level Sponsor organization names at all breaks and the lunch, inclusion of your organization name and/or logo on the digital binder materials, and a listing as a Gold Level Sponsor on the cil.assp.org website for 10 months.  We are currently limited to about 5 Gold Level Sponsorship opportunities due to available space in the meeting room.   

Choose the Gold Level ticket option to register as a sponsor.

At this time, we can only accept online payments through our registration system.  PayPal is our online payment processor, you will be able to use your credit card to pay for your registration.  You shouldn’t need a PayPal account to make a regular credit card payment through the system.

Each attendee or sponsor attendee must register and pay separately.

Registration will remain open, however a meal and certificate of attendance cannot be guaranteed if you register after 9am April 13, 2026… please contact Stig Ruxlow at updates@cil.assp.org or 309-431-5436 voice/text if you have any questions regarding registration after 9am April 13, 2026. 

Register Now on the Events Page! https://cil.assp.org/event/ The registration process seems to work best using the Chrome Browser.

Our March 20, 2026 chapter meeting will be a plant tour at the ADM Flour Mill in Mendota, IL.  This chapter meeting tour is limited to 20 participants!  Registration is required in advance for a specific headcount. Sandwiches and water will be provided at the meeting. Please bring a soft drink of your choice if you prefer something other than water.  Due to the remote nature of the location and coordination of the meeting, we won’t be able to provide dietary restricted meals.  Please feel free to bring your own meal of choice if you have dietary restrictions.

Where:
3004 E 12^th St, Mendota IL 61342 (Sometimes the best address for GPS is 581 N 43^rd Rd, Mendota IL 61342). The plant is located just East of I-39 exit 72 on US Route 34.  Please meet at the Commercial Office.  There is additional parking in the lot south of the office; please see the attached map.

This is a Google Maps location link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oasBxYyeJ5nwEyoi6

When: 11:00am Central March 20, 2026
Please plan on arriving 10-15 minutes early, so we can start the meeting and tour on time!

Sandwiches and water will be provided at the meeting. Please bring a soft drink of your choice if you prefer something other than water.  Due to the remote nature of the location and coordination of the meeting, we won’t be able to provide dietary restricted meals.  Please feel free to bring your own meal of choice if you have dietary restrictions.

Who: ADM Milling Company – Tim Maisch / Steve Gaskins

What: Flour mill with a 30,000 cwt capacity shipped out via bags, bulk truck, and rail; opened in 2019.

This tour is limited to 20 participants and registration is required!

Wear pants and closed toed shoes. PPE: gloves, safety glasses, hard hat, safety toe footwear, hi-vis garments, hearing protection, hairnets, and beard nets (the site will have PPE available to lend out during the tour).

If you register and are later unable to attend, please let us know through the ‘Contact Us’ webmail form, so we can register other attendees on the waitlist.

Registration is available on the Events Page. https://cil.assp.org/event/