| Jannine Allen ’97 is passionate about safety. She sees it as a value and says, “Values don’t change, priorities change, but values don’t.”
Allen’s passion for safety along with her expertise and varied industry background is why in January she was selected as the new director of safety and risk management for S&N Communications, a provider of wired and wireless infrastructure construction, electric and gas construction, professional services, site development and underground utility locating.
Likening herself to a cheerleader and quarterback for company safety, Allen stands on two guiding principles – engagement and accountability. For the four months that she has been on the job she has not only emphasized those ideologies, she has exemplified them. By her second week she was fully engaged and working in the field.
“Part of getting people to feel empowered and engaging them in the work we do is just showing up. This is not a job that can be done behind a desk. Every opportunity that I get I’m out in the field looking at what they do and how they do it, working with my team to make sure that everybody is on the same page and going in the same direction,” said Allen. “I tell my team, ‘we want to come to work, we want to do our job, we want to do it safely and we want to go home the same way that we came.’ We may be a bit more tired, but we’ll be all in one piece.”
Allen says she seeks 200 percent accountability from employees “You have to be 100 percent accountable for yourself and 100 percent for your co-worker.” While she sets a high standard, she does her part to make it attainable.
“Safety professionals are more like coaches,” she said. “We don’t focus on all the bad things that may have happened in a day. Rather we focus on all the good things and coach employees on where we need to coach them.”
Her ability to lead the company in the areas of safety, risk management and workers compensation is underscored by her diverse work experience which includes the mining, boating, plastic, construction and nuclear industries as well as the education she received at North Carolina A&T State University. One mention of the university and Allen is more than eager to share how it changed her life.
"Coming to A&T was an eye opener for me. I was always a shy person. A&T showed me that African American men and women can be at the forefront of education and can lead in a way that I had never seen," she said.
With degrees in occupational safety and health from N.C. A&T and East Carolina University, Allen has dedicated her life to her profession.
“When you prepare to become a doctor you get your education, hone your craft, and then for the most part you are a doctor for your entire life,” said Allen. “That’s exactly what I have done. I got my degree and then moved into the workplace in different fields to hone my skills. Education and experience have set me up to where I am today. I’m grateful for the opportunity that S&N has given me.”
A certified safety professional, Allen's goal is to integrate safety into the fabric and culture of her work environment. It fulfills what she understands to be the duties and fulfillment of her job, but more importantly she says, "Employees go home safely to their families."
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