Building Capacity in Your Organization to Lead Safety Differently

Lisa Jordan, Ph.D., President, Stop to Lead

Description:

In today’s rapidly evolving work environments, traditional safety frameworks often fall short of addressing the complex realities faced by frontline teams and leadership. This workshop invites Nexus HSE partner organizations to explore a transformative approach to safety—one that emphasizes adaptive leadership, capacity-building, learning, and shared accountability.

This session is designed for leaders, safety professionals, and change agents who are ready to move beyond compliance and toward a culture of learning, resilience, and proactive engagement. Through facilitated dialogue, interactive exercises, and case studies, participants will:

• Be introduced to the core ideas of Safety Differently
• Better understand their personal leadership style, and how to more effectively engage with and develop others.
• Develop strategies to foster psychological safety, trust, and open communication across the organization.
• Learn strategies to embed safety leadership into everyday operations, decision-making, and team dynamics.

Led by experienced facilitators and grounded in real-world examples from Nexus HSE Principals, Jim Frederick and Lisa Brooks, this workshop will equip participants with the mindset and methods to lead safety as a dynamic, people-centered practice.

Whether you're just beginning your Safety Differently journey or looking to deepen your impact, this session will provide the insights and tools to build lasting capacity for safer, smarter work.

Bio:

Lisa Jordan is a nationally recognized educator, labor economist, and leadership development strategist whose career spans over three decades of transformative work in labor relations, organizational development, and equity-centered leadership. Formerly the Director of Education and Membership Development at the United Steelworkers (USW), Lisa led a team that delivered leadership and staff training across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the U.K. Her tenure at USW was marked by innovative curriculum design, international collaboration, and applied research on mentoring, labor market dynamics, and legislative impacts on wage structures. 

In addition to her work at the USW, Lisa served as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, Industrial Relations Program and the University of Illinois Labor Education Service, and was the Chair of the Sustainable Business Program at Brevard College.

Lisa’s academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Labor Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where her dissertation explored the intersection of gender and contingent employment. She also holds degrees in Business, Economics, and Sociology from Emory & Henry College. She has been honored with a number of Distinguished Achievement Awards for her lifelong commitment to Leadership Education, social justice, and economic equity. 

In 2024, Lisa launched her own consultancy, Stop to Lead, a leadership development firm dedicated to embedding leadership and bench strength into the cultural fabric of organizations. Through Stop to Lead, she partners with companies, schools, and nonprofits to deliver tailored programs that combine 360-degree assessments, executive coaching, and team facilitation. Her work is grounded in the belief that leadership is not a title but a practice—one that must be cultivated intentionally and inclusively. 

Lisa’s recent engagements include designing certificate-based leadership education programs for Nexus HSE, facilitating collaborative workshops between labor and management, and coaching administrative teams in sectors ranging from healthcare to education. Her programs are known for their rigor, relevance, and ability to foster shared understanding and strategic alignment across diverse stakeholder groups. 

A frequent presenter at academic and professional conferences, Lisa continues to contribute to the field through research, writing, and advisory roles, including her service on the board of the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Lisa Jordan’s work exemplifies the power of thoughtful leadership development to transform not just individuals, but entire organizations.