William B. Wark, a 1964 graduate of UMFK, will be presented with the 2009 Outstanding Alumni award. Wark is a native of Caribou, Maine. He was appointed by former President George W. Bush to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) in September 2006.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the agency's board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate.

The agency does not issue fines or citations, but makes recommendations to plants, regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industry organizations, and labor groups.

Congress designed the CSB to be non-regulatory and independent of other agencies so that its investigations might, where appropriate, review the effectiveness of regulations and regulatory enforcement.

From 2003 until his appointment to the Chemical Safety Board, Wark provided emergency management consultant services to a number of companies and frequently was a featured speaker at international symposia on managing the consequences of terrorism.

From 2001 to 2003 Wark served as the director of the Emergency Management Practice at the Marasco Newton Group consulting firm. Wark served at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in several management positions from 1985 to 2001, including as deputy director of the Technological Hazards Division from 1999 until 2001.

He served at the U.S. Department of Justice in the area of national internal security from 1970 to 1984. During this time he served on the staff of a White House board on national emergency mobilization preparedness.

From 1964 to 1970, Mr. Wark served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, including two years with the Naval Investigative Service and a command tour of duty in Vietnam. While in the Navy, Wark received several awards including the Vietnam Service and Campaign ribbons.

Wark received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from UMFK in 1964. He later earned a Master's in Public Administration at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Wark also is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, located on the National Defense University Campus at Fort McNair in southwest Washington, D.C. William B. Wark resides in northern Virginia.