The BCSP Foundation and Kyle B. Dotson, CSP, CIH, BCEE, founder of Dotson Group, LLC, an EHS Safety Services organization, are pleased to announce the 2024 recipient of the Dotson Emerging Professionals Award.
Nicholas Sexton, MPH, ARM, CIH, CPCU, CSP, is a dedicated safety professional with more than 12 years in the industry. He currently serves as the Regional Manager of Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Risk Control Consulting Center. In this role, Sexton leads a group of safety and risk management professionals who provide virtual consulting to Liberty Mutual’s commercial clients across eight countries. He was chosen to receive this award based on his current contributions to the profession, his dedication to volunteering, and his capacity to advance the profession through his research efforts.
“This grant will bring my research across the finish line,” said Sexton. “It is my hope that my professional achievements in the last 12 years, as well as my volunteer services to the profession, resonate with others.”
Sexton is a dedicated and distinguished volunteer with organizations that include the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). He joined ASSP in 2017 and began volunteering with the Arizona Chapter on their Professional Development Conference (PDC) Committee. “I help secure sponsors, vendors, and speakers to provide networking and continuing education units for an average of 250 professionals per year,” said Sexton.
In 2023, he chaired the PDC committee and hosted the largest PDC since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. His efforts were instrumental in raising $30,000 for health and safety scholarships and an additional $2,500 for a local charity that provides funding to Kids’ Chance, a non-profit focusing on children with parents who have experienced a disabling or fatal workplace incident.
“The profession of health and safety stands for more than protecting people, property, and the environment. It is also about how we act when the worst happens and reach out a hand to those in need,” said Sexton. “As a son of Appalachia, I watched my family lose life and limb to the mines. Giving back through volunteer service and partnering with non-profits like Kids’ Chance is how I honor my family and our profession.”
In addition to his volunteer efforts, Sexton has received several industry awards and accolades, including the Safety Professional of the Year Award in 2024 from the Arizona Chapter of ASSP. He also received the Emerging Leader Award from Eastern Kentucky University in 2022 and the Rising Star of Safety from the National Safety Council in 2020.
Sexton has spoken at several industry conferences, covering topics that include sanitation and its impact on autoimmune diseases, insurance and risk management, telematics data management, and airborne respirable crystalline silica for operators in mining and construction.
Sexton holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and psychology and a master’s in environmental health from Eastern Kentucky University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Safety Sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has a 4.0 GPA and has begun his dissertation research on topics that include diacetyl exposures and respiratory illness experienced by coffee shop employees and how dry county legislation in Arkansas and Kentucky has impacted health and safety outcomes in the workplace.
“My research interests impact areas of our workforce that have not been studied,” said Sexton. “The outcomes will greatly add to our body of knowledge.”
In addition to receiving the monetary award, Sexton will be recognized at the biennial BCSP Research & Innovation Summit in 2025 and at the 2025 BCSP Awards of Excellence Ceremony. Additionally, Sexton will be featured on the BCSP Foundation’s website and social media accounts and be invited to join BCSP’s Mentor Connect program.
The Dotson Award was created in honor of the appreciation for the mentorship and financial assistance that aided Kyle Dotson in his career journey. The award is a monetary grant that seeks to recognize and encourage early career professionals who have displayed excellence and leadership in the profession.