BCPE Presents: Pathways to Professional Certification in Human Factors and Ergonomics: A Panel Discussion

Panel Presentation lead by BCPE Board of Directors and Board Certified Professionals

• What is board-certification
• What is the value of board-certification
• What is the process to become board-certified
• What defines a competent HFE professional
• What are the core competencies of HFE defined by BCPE
• Who is BCPE
• What is the difference between board-certification and certificate

The format will be:

1) Brief introductions from panelists

2) Brief introduction of BCPE’s certification process, its purpose and value in professional and career development

3) Guided Q&A discussion

Presenting Speakers

Tom is a Certified Professional Ergonomist with 35+ years of industrial experience.  He started in ergonomics at IBM in Austin, TX where he was responsible for ergonomics program development and implementation for the site of over 10,000 employees (15 buildings, 235 acres, and 2.1 Million Sqr-Ft of building space).  He has years of experience with workplace evaluation and analysis, injury investigation, design review, equipment inspection, ergonomics and safety auditing, medical staff interface to reduce injury severity and worker’s compensation costs, and ergonomics training.  He spent seven years as manufacturing operations manager for an OEM company that makes sanitary filters for the food and beverage industry.  He is a member of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society and the Applied Ergonomics Society (IISE).  He holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and is registered with the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE, #727).  Since 2014 he has been a consulting ergonomist in his own practice providing services to small, medium, and large clients throughout the United States.  From 2020 to present Tom has been involved with planning of the annual IISE/Applied Ergonomics Conference (2024-2026 Keynote committee co-chair).  In 2021 Tom was tapped to become liaison between HFES and AES to help facilitate and grow the connection between the societies resulting from the society’s MOU.  In 2022 Tom was elected to a position within HFES in the Occupational Ergonomics Technical Group (HFES Aspire: 2024 OETG Program Chair).  In 2024 Tom was elected to the board of directors for the BCPE (Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomassrowell/
https://www.tr-ergo.com/

Dr. Rose Figueroa is a leading expert in human factors/ergonomics, safety, and biomechanics, with a strong safety and risk mitigation background. She is a Board-Certified Human Factors Professional with extensive experience analyzing complex safety issues and optimizing human performance in various industries, including amusement parks, sports, industrial workplaces, and hospitality.

She is a Practice Leader at Rimkus, Founder & CEO of belongIN, and an Adjunct Professor at Clemson University. She also holds leadership positions as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE) and Secretary/Treasurer for the Executive Council of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). Additionally, she is an active member of ASTM committees. As a consultant and expert, Dr. Figueroa has led over 500+ projects, managing teams to execute complex analyses, including accident, site, and/or product inspections. Dr. Figueroa has been featured in major media outlets such as NPR and NBC Latino. She has published and presented her research at human factors, biomechanics, and safety conferences and journals. Frequently invited as a guest speaker, she delivers keynote speeches and technical talks tailored to a wide range of audiences, including experts, college students, attorneys, and industry professionals. Beyond her professional work, Dr. Figueroa is dedicated to philanthropic efforts. For example, she led large-scale disaster relief initiatives, including coordinating logistics for 50 tons of aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and mobilizing hundreds of volunteers in statewide efforts.

Dr. James D. Rethaber, Ph.D., CPE, LSSMBB is the Vice President – Technical Operations at Fit For Work and has been at Fit For Work since 2007. Dr. Rethaber has the following degrees: BESS in Exercise Science (Sports Medicine), MS Exercise Physiology, MS Industrial Engineering, MS Applied Psychology, and Ph.D. Human Performance Technology. Dr. Rethaber is a Board-Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), as well as a former BCPE Board of Director member, and is a Lean Design for Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSSMBB). Dr. Rethaber has been in the field of ergonomics/injury prevention for over 20 years and has completed over 10,000 ergonomics-related assessments/projects in nearly all industries.

Blake McGowan, Solution Executive at VelocityEHS, is responsible for defining and executing the Industrial Ergonomics solution’s vision, strategy, and performance.

Blake has over 25 years of experience helping global manufacturing organizations deploy and sustain formalized ergonomics processes and achieve best-in-class performance.

Blake received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology (Biomechanics and Neurophysiology) and a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology (Human Neuromechanics) from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. He is a candidate for a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Extension Studies, Management Field, from Harvard University.

Blake has achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE). He is a member of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Musculoskeletal Health Cross-sector Council, the National Safety Congress (NSC) Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Solution Lab, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), and Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).