Tonya Ford

Family Liaison for Occupational Safety and Health

For 14 years, Tonya Ford has taken her first-hand knowledge and understanding to assist families that have been directly affected by an occupational incident, illness, or disease. After the loss of her uncle in 2009, she immediately began to volunteer for the nonprofit organization United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities connecting with families across the United States offering them support, guidance, and resources in their time of need.

Ms. Ford held positions on USMWF's board from 2010 to 2023, including president, vice president and secretary. She served as executive director from 2019 to 2023.

Ms. Ford earned with honors her Associate of Business Administration and Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Communications) from American InterContinental University.

Throughout her career, Ms. Ford has testified at OSHA Listens and congressional hearings, such as Whistleblower and Victim's Rights Provision of H.R. 2067, The Protecting America's Workers Act, before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protection. She hosted the first free Workers Safety Awareness Expo in Nebraska, and the longstanding Workers Memorial Day Ceremony in Lincoln, Neb., honoring and remembering our nation's fallen workers.

In 2021, Ms. Ford was appointed as a public representative on OSHA's National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.

Her experience and passion assisting families after their loss is continued in this position.