Peña receives Regents Fellow Service Award

COLLEGE STATION – Jorge Peña of TEEX’s Infrastructure Training & Safety Institute has been awarded the prestigious Regents Fellow Service Award by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The annual award is the highest honor given by the Board of Regents and recognizes employees who have made exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people of Texas.

Peña was recognized for his hard work, dedication and commitment to ensuring the safety of Texas workers. He conducts safety-related training in both English and Spanish for TEEX’s OSHA Training Institute Education Center, which serves citizens in Texas and four other states.

“Jorge is a true ambassador for workplace safety,” said TEEX Deputy Director Sue Shahan. “His personal and professional goal is to reduce the number of workplace fatalities to zero.”

For more than a decade, his thoughtful leadership, commitment to service and unique passion for workforce education and safety have had a profound impact on TEEX’s ability to serve the citizens of Texas and beyond, she added. He has also led safety training for the Department of Defense, most recently at Fort Hood, Texas.

Students praise his enthusiasm for safety and his skill at making safety lessons memorable. He often sets up training scenarios in his class or takes students on field trips to enhance the safety message.

Not only is Peña passionate about teaching, but as a bilingual training specialist, he is also dedicated to bringing safety education to traditionally under-educated and underserved audiences in order to prevent accidents and injuries. He volunteers for the OSHA 10-Hour Marathon, a program that allows workers to earn their OSHA card in a single day. Through this program alone, he has aided in training more than 5,200 workers.

To further safety awareness across the state, Peña has recorded several public service announcements in both English and Spanish to highlight various workplace risks, with the theme of “Work Safety So You Can Keep On Working.”

Pena and the other recipients of the Regents Service Award will be recognized during a special ceremony today (Jan. 29) in Galveston.