The road to the top is never easy. For Kathy Trahan, president and CEO of the Safety Council — a nonprofit organization offering safety guides and training for business, industry and individuals — that road was made all the more difficult because she had few guides to point the way.

“I have always leaned toward nontraditional roles in industries where same-sex mentors were hard to find,” she said.

To that end, Trahan gives much credit to her parents, as well as her own personal makeup.

“My parents instilled a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility in me,” she said. “I also have a passion for learning and a high threshold for overcoming adversity.”

Some of that adversity included growing up with seven siblings and having to secure gainful employment while still in middle school. It also involved one of the first positions she accepted after a stint at Louisiana State University and relocating to Lake Charles, La.

“I opted to work for others so I could be more available to my children,” she said. “But after realizing that long hours and low wages made me less available, I decided to return to college.”

It was that decision that began Trahan’s career in industry.

Armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering technology from McNeese State University, she started working for PPG Industries, first as a process operator and then as an instrument specialist. She even worked overtime as a relief analyst at PPG’s silica plant and taught night classes to would-be operators at McNeese to scrape enough money together to fund her daughter’s education.

Realizing that a degree in chemical engineering would be required if she were to advance any further in a supervisory position, Trahan “sought a different path.” The work at PPG allowed her the opportunity to help in the creation of a process technology (PTEC) curriculum, placing her in a prime position to build alliances between education and industry groups across the country.

“This experience was invaluable, as it provided me with insight into the respective operating environments of education and industry — both political and logistical,” she said.

Trahan brought these experiences with her when she assumed the role of president/CEO of the Safety Council in 2004.

“By advocating for and applying what I’ve learned, I knew I could give something back to industry,” she said. “There were so many issues creating heartburn for so many great companies and their great employees. I felt uniquely qualified to help. It was a leap of faith, and I knew it was the right thing to do.”

While overseeing an association that touches more than 70,000 individuals has its challenges, Trahan always has her priorities in order.

“I approach every workday with the following question: ‘How can we keep our members safe, minimize their time away from work and continually improve service?’” she said.

“I want our organization to be the most highly effective, efficient and innovative association serving industry,” she said. “This mission is critical if we are to remain relevant.”

Doing so requires Trahan to wear many hats on a daily basis. She serves as a liaison between the organization’s staff and its board of directors. She also develops basic objectives, policies and operating plans to ensure that all organizational guidelines are properly implemented and understood. Trahan’s duties also require her to keep a keen eye on the future, as she continually seeks opportunities to form strategic alliances, keeps up to date with related organizations and even performs environmental scans to stay aware of the issues affecting association members.

One of the issues Trahan is most concerned with relates to standardizing the skills required of employees working in industry.

“With people changing jobs so frequently, our membership cannot stay competitive if it has to continually train and retrain,” she said. “If we could facilitate the standardization of employability skills and assist with standardizing industry requirements, we could facilitate savings to industry in the tens of millions of dollars over the next decade.”

To learn more, visit www.safetylca.org or call (225) 766-0955.