ASSP Names 2024 Outstanding Safety Educator

Leslie Rex Stockel, a widely respected educator in the occupational safety and health field and member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) for 35 years, is the Society’s 2024 William E. Tarrants Outstanding Safety Educator.

Stockel, Ph.D., CSP, SMS, is an associate professor of professional practice at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. She also is faculty advisor for the university’s student section of ASSP’s Oklahoma City Chapter, actively recruiting students to pursue degrees in occupational safety and health.

Stockel’s teaching philosophy models a professional career environment, holding students to high standards. She uses her vast network to enhance the learning experience through guest lectures and field trips to industrial operations such as power plants, manufacturing facilities and construction sites. As a result, her students develop critical understanding and competencies that are fundamental to a successful safety and health career.

Nominated for the ASSP honor by her students, Stockel is an esteemed faculty member with student evaluations rating her above both college and university averages. Students have described her as a passionate instructor who clearly knows the material and is dedicated to making her classes fun and informative.

After a lengthy and successful career in industry, Stockel joined the university faculty in 2016 in the Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology program. She has made significant contributions to its continued growth and development while keeping her courses aligned with industry trends. She guides efforts to plan and execute career events where prospective employers meet with students about summer internships and permanent employment. She also encourages students to collaborate on campus and community service projects.

Stockel is a presenter at local, regional and national safety education conferences. Several of her articles have appeared in peer-reviewed publications such as ASSP’s Professional Safety journal. She was co-project initiator when the U.S. Department of Labor selected Oklahoma State as an authorized OSHA Education Center in 2017.

Stockel will be honored at ASSP’s Safety 2024 Professional Development Conference and Exposition, held Aug. 7-9 in Denver.

For more information, visit https://www.assp.org.