The Columbia Willamette Chapter is holding a Special Election to fill the role of President-Elect for the next chapter year.
Voting will take place in-person at the May 14th CWC Membership Meeting. An electronic ballot will not be sent for this special election.
Register for the meeting here: ASSP CWC May 2026 Membership Meeting – ASSP Columbia Willamette Chapter
Nominees
Carmen Julia Castellon Mercado, ASP
Carmen is a senior Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) leader with over 15 years of experience advancing safety culture, regulatory compliance, and risk management across manufacturing, utilities, government, consulting, and service operations. She is recognized for building scalable EHS management systems, strengthening compliance frameworks, and partnering with executive and operational leaders to reduce risk and drive continuous improvement.
Carmen holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where she was born and raised. She is an Associate Safety Professional (ASP), certified by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. She brings deep expertise in OSHA standards, ISO 14001, workers’ compensation programs, environmental compliance, and enterprise safety management systems. A bilingual English/Spanish professional, she is also an accomplished facilitator known for delivering engaging in-person and virtual training to diverse workforces.
An active leader within the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), Carmen has
served in executive, advisory, and governance roles, including Past President of the Greater
Chicago Chapter. She has contributed to leadership development at the national level through nominations, conference planning, and scholarship review. She is also committed to advancing inclusion and professional growth through her involvement with Hispanic Safety Professionals (HSP) and mentoring in the Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) community.
She lived in Chicago, Illinois for over two decades before relocating to Oregon in 2025. Outside of her professional work, Carmen enjoys spending time in nature and hiking, which inspires her passion for safety and provides space for reflection and clarity.
Jill Jones, CHST, CRIS
Jill Jones is a dedicated safety professional and long-time member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, having first joined as a student member in 1999. She is a candidate for the President-Elect position and brings extensive leadership experience within the chapter, including serving as Past President (2010–2011), Treasurer/Elect multiple times, Secretary, House Delegate, and Delegate at Large.
Jill has over a decade of diverse experience in the safety profession, including her current role with Hoffman Construction at Portland International Airport, as well as previous work in insurance risk control with BITCO and safety positions with Harder Mechanical and Cherry City Electric. She has also provided third-party safety consulting services at Intel. She earned her CHST certification in 2014.
Known for her strong leadership, industry connections, and natural mentoring abilities, Jill is deeply committed to advancing the safety profession. She is well-prepared to fulfill the responsibilities of President-Elect and to continue supporting the growth and impact of the chapter.