Vanessa Allen Sutherland

Vanessa Lorraine Allen Sutherland is a corporate lawyer and former chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

Vanessa Allen Sutherland
Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
In office
August 2015 – June 2018
PresidentBarack Obama (2015–2016)
Donald Trump (2016–2018)
Preceded byRafael Moure-Eraso
Succeeded byKristen Kulinowski (acting)[1]
Personal details
BornSibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, D.C.
CitizenshipUnited States
ParentsAudrey Allen (mother)[2]
RelativesSterling Sutherland (brother)[3]
Sydney Sutherland (daughter)[2]
Alma materDrew University(B.A., 1992)
American University(J.D., 1996; M.B.A, 1997)

Early life

Sutherland was born at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. She lived in Tantallon, Maryland, where she attended Queen Anne School.[4] She graduated from high school at the age of 16 and enrolled at Drew University, where she received a B.A. in political science and art history, and later attended American University, where she received a J.D. and M.B.A.[5] After graduating from college, she moved to Fort Washington, Maryland.[4]

Career

After graduating from Drew, Sutherland worked at the office of the Inspector General of the Department of Energy prior to attending law school. While attending American University, she served as an associate at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and a clerk at Fulbright & Jaworski.[5]

After graduating from law school, she worked as a corporate attorney at the telecommunications company MCI Inc. At this company, she became vice president and deputy general counsel of Digex, a subsidiary. She later worked as a counsel for the tobacco product producer Altria (formerly Philip Morris Companies, Inc.).[6]

In 2011, Sutherland began government service as chief counsel for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.[7][8]

Chemical Safety Board

Sutherland was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board in March 2015 after the resignation of Rafael Moure-Eraso over allegations of mismanagement. She was confirmed by the Senate in August 2015.[9]

In 2017, Sutherland was chairperson of the agency when the Trump administration attempted to defund the CSB for the 2018 United States federal budget.[10] In March 2018, the Office of Management and Budget informed Sutherland that the Trump administration had again proposed to shut down the agency as part of the 2019 United States federal budget. This caused Sutherland to resign despite having two years left in her five-year term.[3] After leaving the CSB, Sutherland joined Norfolk Southern Railway as a vice president.[11]

The agency was ultimately not defunded after the House Appropriations Committee opposed the Trump administration's proposal and proposed a $1 million increase in the agency's 2019 budget.[12] Kristen Kulinowski became the interim executive after Sutherland's departure until Katherine Lemos was confirmed as chair in March 2020.[13][14][15]

CSB says it closed thirteen incident investigations under Sutherland.[12]

References
  1. "Board Members - About the CSB". CSB. U.S. Chemical Safety Board. Archived from the original on 2020-01-25. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  2. "Hearing on the nomination of Vanessa Sutherland to be a member and chairperson of the Chemical Safety Board". www.govinfo.gov. U.S. Government Publishing Office. April 22, 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  3. Novak, Bridgett (2019-02-25). "Vanessa Allen Sutherland Reimagines Rail at Norfolk Southern". Profile. Guerrero LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  4. Cardin, Benjamin L. (April 22, 2015). "Hearing on the nomination of Vanessa Sutherland to be a member and chairperson of the Chemical Safety Board". www.govinfo.gov. U.S. Government Publishing Office. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2020-03-06. I would like to welcome our nominee here before this committee. Vanessa Sutherland was born at Sibley Memorial Hospital here in Washington, DC and after several days came home to Ft. Washington, MD where she lived in Tantallon until college. She attended a Queen Anne School, in Upper Marlboro from seventh grade through high school. She now lives in Ft. Washington, as do her parents and many of her siblings.
  5. Straehley, Steve; Wallechinsky, David (May 30, 2018). "Chair of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Resigns: Who Was Vanessa Allen Sutherland?". AllGov. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  6. "Vanessa Allen Sutherland". AIChE. American Institute of Chemical Engineers. 2017-04-27. Archived from the original on 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  7. Sutherland, Vanessa (August 24, 2015). "Statement from Presidentially Appointed and Senate Confirmed Chemical Safety Board Chairperson Vanessa Sutherland". CSB. Chemical Safety Board. Archived from the original on 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  8. Clarck, Charles S. (May 22, 2018). "Chemical Safety Board Chair Resigns Unexpectedly". Government Executive. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  9. "PN278 - Nomination of Vanessa Lorraine Allen Sutherland for Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 114th Congress (2015-2016)". www.congress.gov. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  10. Zornick, George (2017-03-23). "Why Does Trump Want to Stop Investigating Chemical Accidents?". The Nation. The Nation Company, L.P. ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  11. "Norfolk Southern names Vanessa L. Allen Sutherland vice president law". Norfolk Southern. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  12. "Chemical Safety Board Chair Vanessa Sutherland announces resignation". Safety+Health. National Safety Council. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  13. "Dr. Kristen Kulinowski Now Serving as Interim Executive Authority - Investigations - News | CSB". www.csb.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  14. "CSB nominee Katherine Lemos sails through confirmation hearing". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  15. "Statement from Board Member Dr. Kristen Kulinowski as Senate Confirms Dr. Katherine Lemos to Chair of the Chemical Safety Board - General News - News | CSB". www.csb.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
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