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Business Excellence Consortium

Safety Facilitator Biographies

James J. Lehrke

James J. Lehrke

As founder of Safety Connections, Jim brings a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of safety. With more than 35 years of experience in the field, including seven years as president of Sheboygan County's Safety Council, he is expertly qualified to work with any organization.

Jim lead a Fortune 200 company's safety program with his work resulting in an 87% reduction in lost time and claims paid which amounted to over $500,000 in savings in a single fiscal year.

Jim currently serves on the National Business Advisory Council, is President of the Sheboygan Area Safety Council and is Chairman of the board at Lakeshore Technical College.

He was president of a UAW plant, has served on the Police and Fire Commission of Sheboygan Falls, was elected to the USSSA Hall of Fame for the State of Wisconsin, and was inducted into the Sheboygan Softball Association (SSA) Hall of Fame as coach. In addition, Jim has organized, implemented, and taught numerous safety-related seminars and training programs.

He has and continues to be a speaker with the Wisconsin Council of Safety. Even further, he has been involved as a Sunday School Teacher, Church Consistory, Selected to Aurora Health Care EAP Committee, Mental Health Association Executive Board, AFMA Human Resources Executive Board, and received the Leadership Award from Richardson Industries.


Phyllis Felsinger

Phyllis is the Vice President of Safety Connections and has over 25 years experience in safety, workers’ compensation, training/development, and human resource management. Her knowledge and passion for safety has successfully led private and public sector corporations toward safety compliance and injury prevention. Under her guidance, companies have benefited with safer work environments, reducing injury rates by 60%, lowered lost workday cases 80%, and decreased injury costs over 50%.

Phyllis is a member of the Sheboygan Area Safety Council and past Board member. She is a practicing Human Resource Generalist and certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Managers (S.H.R.M.), and has served on the Board of Directors for the Sheboygan Literacy Council. She was awarded Lakeshore Technical College’s Educational Leadership Award, and is a recipient of Thomas Industries’ President’s Award.

Certified by Canada’s Industrial Accident Prevention Association in Canadian Occupational Safety and Health Administration, she also has experience with the European Union Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, and Mexico’s Health and Safety Standards.


Dawn Koch

As a safety specialist for 10 years, Dawn helped to ensure health and safety compliance for a large producer of plastic products and components. Dawn mainly focuses on program development/training, loss prevention, and statistical injury analysis.

Dawn is an alumnus of UW-Sheboygan and Lakeland College, graduating summa cum laude. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Computer Science and Business Management. She also has experience in computer programming, scheduling and web page design. Dawn is involved with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is a past board member for People to People, and is currently seeking A.P.I.C.S. certification.


Tina Reiss

Tina works diligently to achieve and maintain OSHA compliance and raise safety awareness in the workplace. She brings six years of safety experience to the job with an emphasis on compliance.

Tina has worked in several fields such as Customer Service, factory worker, Librarian, Manager and Safety Coordinator. Through these job experiences, she has obtained an understanding of safety and the importance of working together as a team to reach the goal of safety for all in the workplace.

She is a graduate of Nicolet College in Northern Wisconsin and is a member of the Wisconsin Safety Council and the Sheboygan Home Builders Association. In the past, Tina has served as member of the United States Air Force’s Family Service and has received several awards from them in regards to her Community Service.