On behalf of the NYCOSH Board of Directors, we are writing to let you know that, after more than a decade of leading the organization, Executive Director Charlene Obernauer will be stepping down to pursue other opportunities. She will continue to support the organization through the transition in the upcoming months.

Charlene’s departure comes at a high point for our organization. With her at the helm, NYCOSH has flourished: Charlene doubled and diversified NYCOSH’s funding, expanded its training programs to reach more workers than ever, and built an advocacy platform at the city and state level that have led to greater awareness of occupational hazards and stronger health and safety protections for workers in various industries.

Under Charlene’s leadership, NYCOSH has spearheaded many innovative campaigns. To mention a few:

• Co-founded the New York Healthy Nail Salons Coalition in 2015 with Adhikaar to address wage theft and unhealthy working conditions in nail salons. The Coalition transformed the industry; NYCOSH helped to craft the Nail Salon Workers’ Bill of Rights, established legislation to build salon ventilation standards, and created a non-profit manicurist school to educate workers.
• Expanded NYCOSH’s work in the field of construction site safety and highlighted the disproportionate risk of death among immigrant construction workers by issuing an annual report on construction worker fatalities. The report was first published in 2014 and received national recognition, including articles in The New York Times, Crain’s New York Business, and the Commercial Observer. The report served as the basis for a New York City advocacy campaign that succeeded in mandating training hours on NYC construction sites, a construction fatality registry at the New York State Department Of Labor, and legislation increasing penalties against criminally negligent construction employers.
• Founded the TEMP Coalition to support an extreme temperature standard for workers impacted by warmer weather caused by climate change. The Coalition introduced legislation that has passed the New York State Senate and Assembly Labor Committees and will hopefully be adopted by the Legislature in 2025.
• Responded to the COVID pandemic by gathering the resources to enable NYCOSH’s training for workers when most of the world was in lockdown. From daily briefings on the virus to addressing mental health concerns among frontline workers, NYCOSH led the charge and delivered for workers not just in New York, but around the country.

Charlene shared: “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as executive director through our impactful campaigns and programs, and I hope that my transition out of the organization is seen as an opportunity to contribute to the growth of new leaders. Workers rely on NYCOSH and I have the utmost faith that the current staff and leadership will continue to build this organization to new heights.”

From Jessica Garcia, NYCOSH Board Chair: “On behalf of myself and the entire Board of NYCOSH, we are deeply appreciative of Charlene’s work at NYCOSH and her decision to remain with the organization as we begin our search for a new Executive Director. It has been a privilege having Charlene lead the organization for the past decade, and we know that in her next adventure, whatever it may be, she will remain a fighter for justice. We are excited for her and wish her the best in all of her future endeavors.”