Karla Fitzgerald - President

Karla Fitzgerald is a dynamic force in the EHS world, known for redefining workplace safety across corporate and community landscapes. With a proven track record at Fortune 500 companies like Aramark, Stryker and Goodwill Southern California, Karla has led large-scale risk reduction efforts, engineered cutting-edge compliance systems, and championed employee engagement at every level, across global teams. She is known for building and leading high-performing teams, elevating safety programs through frontline engagement, and delivering cost-effective strategies that save organizations millions.

As Vice President of Safety and Risk for North American Operations at Aramark, she revolutionized safety across 350 facilities—reducing workers’ compensation costs by millions and elevating compliance to A+ nationwide. Her innovative tools—from automated field reporting to scalable training programs—empowered 20,000+ employees serving over 300,000 customers daily.

Rooted in Los Angeles and backed by a Master’s in Environmental Management from Kean University, and a B.S. from Rutgers University, Karla brings both strategic vision and hands-on experience. At Tailgate Safety Group, she merges regulatory rigor with bold innovation—driving safer, smarter workplaces from the inside out. Karla continues to focus on leading and advancing community-centered technology strategies that drive positive change globally.

Dian Cucchisi, Phd- Safety Engineering

Dian Cucchisi is a senior Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) professional with over 30 years of experience supporting complex regulatory and operational environments. She is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Certified Dangerous Goods Professional (CDGP), and Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA), and holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Safety Engineering. Ms. Cucchisi provides technical leadership in environmental and safety management systems, including regulatory compliance audits, industrial hygiene exposure assessments, hazard analyses, and program gap assessments. She supports clients nationwide and is highly experienced in federal, state, and local EHS regulatory frameworks.

Ms. Cucchisi has led EHS programs for construction, hazardous waste remediation, utilities, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences, and chemical production and storage operations. Her work includes development and implementation of Site-Specific Health and Safety Plans, Job Hazard Analyses, Management of Change, Process Safety Management, SPCC/DPCC, RCRA compliance, emergency response planning, and ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 systems. She also conducts third-party compliance assessments for public and private sector clients, including the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense, and brings extensive experience overseeing high-risk projects, including marine and Superfund remediation environments.

Ty Ward - Chief Technology Officer

Ty Ward brings over a decade of experience in the tech industry, with impactful tenures at both Google and META, where he led global marketing and operations teams supporting Fortune 500 clients. With a B.S. in Marketing, Ty is known for developing innovative, data-driven strategies and designing scalable digital solutions that enhance user experience and engagement.

At Google, Ty played a key role in building networks across cross-functional teams and led the creation of a global leadership training platform. His work reflects a unique blend of creativity, technical insight, and strategic thinking—qualities that now support Tailgate Safety Group’s mission to integrate technology into compliance and workforce safety programs. Based in Los Angeles, Ty is focused on supporting communities and small businesses throughout the greater Los Angeles area, advancing community-centered technology strategies that drive meaningful and sustainable change.

Keith Dart - Operational Safety Systems

Keith Dart brings nearly three decades of experience supporting manufacturing products, precast, and infrastructure sectors. He holds a degree in Marketing and Business Management from the University of Arkansas and began his career in 1996 with Turmac, Inc., a designer and supplier of concrete batch plants. Over a ten-year tenure, he advanced to Vice President of Sales Engineering and Marketing and played a direct role in CAD-based plant design, developing deep technical insight into production systems, facility layouts, operational efficiency, and safety considerations. Following Turmac’s acquisition by Columbia Machine, Inc., he continued supporting manufacturers across North America.

Keith applies this operational expertise to support environmental, health, and safety–driven improvements for industrial and manufacturing clients. His work focuses on evaluating facility conditions, production processes, and equipment integration through a risk-based safety lens to support safer operations and informed capital planning. He has supported more than 140 facilities nationwide through prior roles with Mel C. Marshall Industrial Consultants, Jensen Precast, and Oldcastle Infrastructure. His experience includes facility assessments, production optimization, CapEx planning, equipment integration, and collaboration with executive leadership, engineering, production, and safety teams. He is also active in industry education through organizations such as the National Precast Concrete Association and the American Concrete Pipe Association, with expertise in manufacturing systems, workforce development, and concrete durability.

Hazardous Materials & Remediation

With over 25 years of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) expertise, our team at Tailgate Safety Group brings unmatched technical depth and regulatory insight. Our leadership includes professionals holding advanced credentials such as Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Certified Dangerous Goods Professional (CDGP), and Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA), alongside graduate-level degrees in Environmental and Safety Engineering. Our experience spans utility, transportation, pharmaceutical, life sciences, and manufacturing sectors. Core specialties include environmental management systems (EMS), hazardous materials handling, compliance audits, and support with OSHA, EPA, RCRA, PSM, SPCC/DPCC, TCPA, and ISO frameworks.

We’ve led complex remediation and construction efforts, including marine Superfund sites, and supported third-party safety assessments for federal agencies such as the Department of Defense (DoD) and the General Services Administration (GSA). With a practical, solutions-driven approach, our experts exemplify Tailgate Safety Group’s mission to drive compliance through innovation, precision, and workforce engagement.

Regulatory & Quality Systems

Tailgate Safety Group is proud to have quality systems expertise backed by over 15 years of hands-on experience in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing. Our team specializes in project management, data analysis, quality control, and integrated systems management—ensuring continuous improvement across cGMP-regulated environments.

With credentials including ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, our professionals have led global regulatory audit preparations, EQMS streamlining, and cross-functional process enhancements. We bring deep knowledge of FDA regulations, ISO 13485 standards, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, along with extensive experience using enterprise platforms such as TrackWise and MasterControl.

At Tailgate Safety Group, we deliver audit-ready, data-driven solutions that empower organizations to elevate their quality systems and embed a sustainable culture of compliance and operational excellence.