Our Team

Sharon Drescher is a Corporate Regional HSE Manager with Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC in Greensboro, NC. Sharon has over 35 years of experience in the areas of Health, Safety, Environment, and Security. Sharon has been with Syngenta for 21 years and other legacy companies prior to Syngenta supporting several business units within the company. Sharon has RMP and PSM experience and really enjoys the R&D portion of the business. Sharon is a certified Star Special Team Member and is currently serving as President on the Board.

Sharon is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in Chemistry.
Outside of work, Sharon spends time with her husband Steve, who is retired, and Tyler dog and visiting the children and grandchildren whom all live far away. She enjoys swimming, playing handbells and singing in the church choir.

Rich Gerber AKA “Gerb” has been employed with Mt. Olive Pickle Co.  Mt. Olive, North Carolina for the last 25+ years serving roles in CMMS, Safety, and Public Relations.  Rich is a native Jersey boy but has chosen North Carolina as home and where he plans to someday retire.

Rich is a past President of the Carolina Star Safety Conference Board of Directors, currently having responsibilities in Registration.

Rich along with his wife Lisa enjoy Dancing, Halloween, anything scary, shoes (anything fashion related), and most outdoor activities.  Together they have three children, two dogs, a cat, and an extended family of close friends who they love spending time with.

Jennifer Byerly is employed with Pentair Water, Pool and Spa in Sanford, NC.  Jennifer has been with Pentair for 7 years serving as the Human Resources Manager for the Sanford and Apopka, FL facility.  Jennifer is a certified Star Special Team Member and is currently the Treasurer with the Carolina Star Board.  Jennifer and her family live in Broadway, NC.

Jennifer is very active in her church and in her spare time enjoys going to the lake, paddle boarding and reading. 

Donna Daniel is employed with Clean Harbors Reidsville which is a Hazardous Waste Transfer, Storage, Disposal Facility. Donna has been employed with Clean Harbors for over 20 years and has had the opportunity to work in various positions within the Reidsville plant. Currently, Donna is a Facility Operations Supervisor with Clean Harbors.

Donna is a Certified Star Special Team member and enjoys working on evaluations with NCDOL. Donna lives in Northwest Greensboro and has one grown daughter. Donna also has a four legged grand baby named Lily Grace.

In her spare time Donna enjoys reading, camping and spending time with family and friends.

John works as the Safety Director for Choate Construction in Charlotte, NC. John has been in Construction his whole life and started as a Carpenter and worked his way up through the Superintendent ranks. John has now spent approx. the last 16 years in Safety. John was hurt once himself and was out of work for 2 1/2 years which is what really drives his passion. He also enjoys presenting on that topic for all who will listen, The Ripple Effect.

Outside of work John is married and has five children. He enjoys all types of outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, camping, and tinkering with old cars.

Alex Ramos, CHST, C-MESH is an EHS Manager for the Southeast Region at Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc and has been with them since 2017. Alex is a certified Star Special Team Member and has also served as the co-chair and chairman for the SE Region Safety Sharks in the past. Alex is originally from Maryland but now resides in Leland NC with his wife Eunice and his daughter Mia, his son Lucca, and their dog, Goose.

Brian Houser has been employed with Milliken and Company Golden Valley plant for 34 years. Brian started out as an operator and worked his way up to Production Supervisor. Brian is Chair of the plant Safety committee and a Special Star Team Member for the NCDOL.

Brian and his wife Kristy have two grown daughters Chelsea and Kaitie.

In his spare time Brian enjoys working for the church, tinkering, and working on almost anything.

Doug Wilkinson is a Corporate EH&S Manager for Cambrex, a contact Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing company. Doug has worked at the Cambrex Durham site for the past 17 years where he worked as a senior research chemist for the first 11 years and as Corp EH&S Manager the last 6 years. Doug has over 30 years of experience as a laboratory chemist during which time he has been actively involved with laboratory and site safety programs. He received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Central Florida and his MS in Chemistry from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Doug was an avid surfer for much of his life but is now content to just relax on the beach when he can get there and maybe do a little fishing.  He has lived in Wake Forest for the past 17 years with his wife Cathy, son Cody and daughter Sierra.

Mark Logue is the Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager for Kellogg’s in Cary, NC.  He has been with Kellogg’s since 2018 and practicing in the EHS field for over 20 years.  He earned his BS in Biology and Masters in Environmental Management from Florida Atlantic University.  He as been an SSTM member since 2019. 

Mark currently resides in Holly Springs, NC with his wife and three children.  He is looking forward to his two oldest to start heading off to college and excited to see what they can achieve.  He plans to enjoy spending more time with his youngest before she starts high school next year.  In his free time he likes to enjoy being on the lake with his family.  He also enjoys fishing, diving, and just about anything to do around the water. 

Shirley Williford is employed with International Paper Company Fiber Supply in Riegelwood, NC @ Cape Fear Woodyard. Shirley has been with International Paper for 20 years. Shirley began her career with International Paper Company in 1998 as a Temporary Administrative Specialist Employee, where she split her time with the Bolton, Burgaw and Riegelwood Fiber Supply Office’s. Shirley was hired on permanently with IP Fiber Supply, at the Burgaw Office on October 1, 2000. After a year at the Burgaw Office under Land Management, Shirley was transferred to wood Procurement at Riegelwood, now known as Fiber Supply. After Chadbourn Woodyard was moved to Riegelwood know now as Cape Fear Woodyard, Shirley’s moved to Cape Fear Woodyard Site. Shirley has various roles with Fiber Supply, such as working with the Rail Chip Cars, Accounts Payable, insuring that Safety files are posted to the training tracker, ordering safety supplies as well as ISN and TAPPI Safe Coordinator for Cape Fear Woodyard. Shirley is a certified Star Special Team Member. Shirley and her husband live in Wilmington and have 5 grown children and 5 grandchildren (3 granddaughters and 2 grandsons), which Shirley completely spoils. In her spare time Shirley enjoys church where she is involved with children’s ministry, cooking and spending time with her family.

LaMont D. Smith is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. He is a graduate of Mississippi Valley State University where he was awarded a full football scholarship and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with a minor Chemistry. Subsequently, LaMont received a Master of Science Degree in Public Health from the University of Kentucky. LaMont is a Program Manager for the North Carolina Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Division (NCDOL OSH). He oversees one of the nation’s most prolific OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs which known as the Carolina Star Program. Currently, the Carolina Star Program, ranks number two in the nation, number one in Region IV, and number one among all State Plans in terms of the number of designated Star worksite locations. In addition, LaMont oversees one of the most recognized safety awards programs in the state of North Carolina. Under his management, the program has grown by almost 60% in terms of award recipients, while banquet attendance and participation has grown to more than 4,300 attendees. LaMont has been employed with the North Carolina Department of Labor since 1993, and he has several years of professional experience in both the public and private sector. During his tenure with the NCDOL he has served in a management/supervisory role since 2001. In addition, LaMont has served as an advisory board member for the Carolina Star Safety Conference, Inc. since 2003. His leadership efforts have been recognized and appreciated on a national, state, local, and departmental level. In 2006, LaMont was highly recommended for participation in the North Carolina Certified Public Managers Program. LaMont completed and earned his public manager certification in 2008. His employment with the NCDOL OSH Division has included stints in multiple bureaus, therefore, providing him with a wide array of knowledge and understanding of the OSH Division in its entirety. LaMont’s efforts to train and partner with employers and employees throughout is appreciated by various North Carolina industries. He has developed and implemented a multitude of programs that has aided in the agency’s success toward ensuring the safety and health of all the workers in North Carolina. LaMont enjoys volunteer work as he volunteers his time through projects, with his fraternal organization, such as Adopt A Highway and youth mentoring. Other volunteer efforts include serving on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Family Council, nonprofit organizations such as the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Salvation Army (Bell Ringer), church related activities, and several years of experience as a youth sports coach. Finally, LaMont and his wife are the proud parents of a grown son and daughter.

Carlene Harris is a Safety/Star Program Consultant for the Carolina Star Program. She has been employed with the NCDOL since 2013 and was previously employed as a Safety Compliance Officer for almost 20 years with the USDOL – Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Virginia and Rhode Island. She is an Advisory Board Member on the Carolina Star Board that oversees the annual Carolina Star Conference. She is a native of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Communications. She currently resides in the Raleigh area with her husband and enjoys traveling.

Michelle is a Safety/Star Program Consultant for the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL), OSH Division and has been employed with the NCDOL since 2012. Michelle was a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO I and CSHO II) for four years, before transferring to a Star Program Consultant. Michelle lead and assisted her previous employer to reach Carolina Star and Rising Star status at two NC locations. These past years have been full of experiences that included adventures, personal growth and accomplishments. Being able to get back involved in the Carolina Star Program has been challenging and rewarding. As quoted by Joseph Joubert “We must respect the past, and mistrust the present, if we wish to provide for the safety of the future.”(APA Style Citation Joseph Joubert. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved March 24, 2017, from BrainyQuote.com

Morgan is an Industrial Hygiene Star Program Consultant with the North Carolina Department of Labor. She is a native of Ramseur, North Carolina. Morgan graduated from East Carolina University in May 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health Science and again in December 2017 with a master’s degree in Occupational Safety. May 2019, Morgan was awarded the Certified Safety Professional certification from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Morgan holds a Part 107 certificate from the FAA and serves as a drone pilot for the NCDOL drone team. Morgan currently resides in Asheboro with her cats – Zoey and Cheddar Beau, and Yorkie – Delilah. Morgan is passionate about helping people and guiding workplaces to build a stronger safety culture.

Tim Hogan is a NCDOL Star Program Consultant. Tim has worked as a Star Program Consultant since 2015. Prior to working with Star participants, Tim worked as an OSHA Compliance Officer for 24 years conducting fatality/accident and employee complaint investigations, as well as, general schedule inspections. Tim is an Industrial Hygienist with years of experience in both general industry and construction.

Tyrone Taylor is a Star Program Safety Consultant. He spent 22 years with the MN OSHA Compliance Program, beginning as a Safety Investigator in 1999. Tyrone was promoted to Supervisor in 2005 and then to his most recent position of Director with the MN OSHA Consultation Program in 2015. Tyrone received his B.S. in Industrial Technology from Iowa State University in 1997 and earned his M.B.A. from the University of MN’s Carlson School of Management in 2009. Tyrone also served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve as an artillery gunner from 1990 until receiving his honorable discharge at the rank of Corporal in 1998.