“Safety is about people; about emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors – in addition to technical expertise and engineering and systems controls. Visual literacy is part of the people side of safety. At Owens Corning I would hear time and again in incident reviews and site visits discussing the most recent incident that ‘We just didn’t see the hazard.’ I asked myself, ‘Why don’t we see something that can hurt us? It is so obvious after the fact that there must be a reason.”
Doug Pontsler
Chairman & Managing Director
Doug Pontsler is Chairman and Managing Director for COVE, the Center of Visual Expertise. Launched in 2018 by the Toledo Museum of Art, COVE is dedicated to the application of visual literacy for industrial and service applications with an emphasis on safety. In this leadership role he is responsible for all aspects of the enterprise including thought leadership, product development and client satisfaction.
Prior to his current role, Doug was the former vice president of operations sustainability and EHS for Owens Corning (retired). He joined Owens Corning in 2002 and held leadership positions including director of corporate services and vice president of global sourcing. Prior to joining Owens Corning, Doug spent 23 years with Eaton Corporation. While at Eaton, he held various roles of increasing responsibilities in accounting, finance, production and inventory control management, factory management, and sourcing.
Doug is a highly respected figure in the safety industry. He served on the National Safety Council (NSC) Board of Directors and chaired the Campbell Institute at the NSC. His significant contributions to safety were recognized with the NSC’s 2019 Distinguished Service to Safety Award.
Doug is actively involved in his community. He has served as the Chairman of the Regional Growth Partnership and is currently an Executive Board Member promoting economic development. He has also been an Executive Committee Member of the Marathon Classic LPGA Tournament and a Cabinet Member of the United Way Campaign Committee for the Greater Toledo Area.
Doug also currently serves as member of the Independent Review Committee for JobsOhio supporting economic growth in the state. He received a bachelor of science in business administration from Miami University with a major in accounting.
