Jesse Decker and Joel Malak have been named Interim Co-Executive Directors of FP&M’s Environment, Health & Safety department, following the retirement of Assistant Vice Chancellor Chris Strang. They will begin their new roles Aug. 24. Both Decker and Malak currently hold leadership roles in EH&S.
As Associate Director of Employee and Facility Safety, Decker leads People and Building Safety, Fire and Life Safety, and the Hazardous Building Materials program. Before that, he served as the College of Engineering’s Director of Safety. In addition to his UW roles, Decker was a radiation safety officer and researcher in the biotech industry, as well as the risk management officer for UW-Platteville. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from UW-Parkside, and a master’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University. He also recently completed three years of service as the treasurer of the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association Board of Trustees.
Malak, UW’s Occupational Health Officer, leads the Environmental Health, Industrial Hygiene, and Occupational Medicine units. His background includes an additional nine years with UW as an Occupational Medicine Program Manager, as well as serving as Director of Clinical Services in the private sector. Malak holds bachelor’s degrees in business administration and nursing from UW-Oshkosh, a master’s of public health from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a doctor of nursing degree at UW-Madison. He is a member of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN), the Wisconsin Occupational Surveillance Advisory Group (OSAG) and UW’s Institutional Biosafety Committee.
“Both Jesse and Joel bring the right blend of technical expertise and UW experience to capably lead EH&S,” said Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Management, Cindy Torstveit. “Chris Strang leaves big shoes to fill, but I am confident in Joel and Jesse’s abilities to provide stability while building on Chris’s accomplishments.”
Strang, who has served as Assistant Vice Chancellor of EH&S, retires after six years at UW.
“Chris has been pivotal to FP&M supporting safety as a value across campus,” Torstveit said. “From his earliest days responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris has excelled at leading teams to not just keep campus safe, but to scale up operations, improve service, and to elevate safety as a strategic priority across UW-Madison.”
In addition to their current roles, Decker and Malak will share responsibility for legal and regulatory compliance for UW-Madison, while continuing to work with the department and key campus stakeholders to support safety as a value. During this time of transition, the Office of Biological Safety will report to Malak, while the Offices of Radiation Safety and Chemical Safety will temporarily report to Decker.
Having worked closely as department heads, Malak and Decker are eager to bring that same collaborative spirit to their new roles as co-executive directors.
“I’m very grateful that this transition is being approached collaboratively,” Malak said. “Working alongside Jesse and the rest of the EH&S leadership team gives us an opportunity to bring different areas of expertise and perspectives to the table.”
Decker looks forward to not only providing consistent leadership but also making progress on EH&S priorities with Joel, the EH&S team, and the UW community.
“Transition does not mean holding still,” said Decker. “There are strategic goals that Joel and I will continue to move forward within EH&S, and there are major projects and significant research endeavors with our campus partners that EH&S will continue to help guide. We will be discussing priorities and looking at ways to support UW’s increasing need for EH&S services.”