Gary Couture

I retired from the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority as a Construction Safety Program Manager, overseeing the safety of all construction projects at the San Diego International Airport. I served in this position since the beginning of 2007 until March 2020. I served for 24 years in the US Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer (E9). I specialized in welding, ship repair, damage control and fire fighting. I also focused on quality assurance and safety. Towards the end of my Navy career I wrote and taught a course on ship repair management, which I continued to teach after I retired, as a civilian contractor. I went back to school and in 2003 received a BS in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix, but I have never really worked in that field. After leaving the job teaching for the Navy, I was hired by Ryland Homes to be a contracts administrator for "off-site" civil land development contracts, as well as their Division Safety Manager. In 2006 Ryland closed the San Diego division due to the housing market bust, which lead me to my current position at the San Diego International Airport. I am also an adjunct instructor at Cuyamaca Community College teaching Construction Safety Standards, Introduction to Environmental, Health and Safety Technology and Occupational, and Environmental Exposure to Hazardous Materials (aka Introduction to Toxicology). Newsletter Editor and Past-President for the San Diego chapter of American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). I completed my Master's Degree in Occupational Safety and Health at Columbia Southern University in September, 2015; graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA. Specialties: Safety Health and Environmental Management and Training/Education