Within the next three months, Ohio University's new director of environmental health and safety will leave behind a job in Oakland, Calif., that he has commuted to monthly from Nelsonville, Ohio, since November 2006.

"I'm very happy," the Athens native said of his soon-to-be full-time homecoming. "I've always wanted to come back here as an employee. It's a very small and homey-type campus, and I knew it would be a neat place to return to."

Adams, who began his new job at Ohio University on Jan. 14, is finishing up his duties as director of environmental health and safety for the University of California, where he has coordinated programs for the entire UC system since April 2000.

His commitment to the UC system, which encompasses more than 160,000 employees and 200,000 students, calls for him to continue in his job and aid his employer in its search for his permanent replacement. Adams will end his affiliation with UC within the next few months, but until that time, he will juggle his Ohio University duties with his monthly one-week work stays in California.

At Ohio University, Adams will oversee the development and implementation of risk control strategies. Among the areas under his supervision are fire and life safety, emergency planning, occupational health and safety, and operations liability control. He also will work closely with the risk management and insurance and worker's compensation operations at the university.

"Our existing EHS programs are good, so I just want to continue those efforts, while also developing ways to improve our ability to prevent accidents and losses at the university," Adams said. "One of the ways we will accomplish this goal is by increasing the employee and supervisor training efforts and making sure those groups have increased involvement in their safety."

Prior to joining UC, Adams worked for the University of Alaska Fairbanks as director of risk management. In nine years there, he upgraded existing programs and policies, which helped earn him the Alaska Governor's Award of Excellence in 2000. He also served 20 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a helicopter pilot.

Adams, who was born in Athens but grew up in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, earned both a bachelor of science in aviation safety and a master of business administration in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. Prior to that, he attended Ohio University for four years, majoring in industrial technology and playing two years on the ice hockey team.

Adams and his wife, Nancy, have three sons, all of whom are police officers, two in Alaska, one in Connecticut.

David Hopka, Ohio University's assistant vice president for safety and risk management, said Adams will be instrumental in improving the university's overall safety performance by overseeing the implementation of EHS goals and initiatives. Hopka said he appreciates that Adams is a strong advocate of safety metrics, which will provide the university with a tool to measure the performance and outcomes of its health and safety programs, as well as a proponent of ergonomics.

"We need to be strategic in innovation, set priorities and find new ways of doing things," Hopka said. "Joe will be an asset for our continued desire for improvement and efficiency."