A National Leader Helping Companies Build Safer, Stronger, Smarter Workplaces

Heather L. MacDougall, JD, CSP, has built a career at the intersection of law, regulatory policy, and workplace safety that few others can match. With more than three decades of experience, she has moved fluidly between law, government service, corporate leadership, and consulting—earning recognition as one of the nation’s most versatile experts in occupational safety and health.

MacDougall’s professional journey began with a strong foundation in law. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School, she practiced labor and employment law at major national firms, ultimately becoming an equity partner. This legal background gave her a deep understanding of how workplace safety connects with compliance, risk management, and employment relationships—laying the groundwork for her future in regulatory policy. 

In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed, and the Senate unanimously confirmed, MacDougall to serve as a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), which adjudicates disputes between OSHA and employers. This role put her in the unique position of shaping how safety regulations are interpreted and enforced. She was later nominated by President Donald Trump, again confirmed by the Senate, and designated Chair of the Commission—underscoring both her bipartisan credibility and her ability to navigate the often-contentious politics of workplace safety regulation.

Following her government service, MacDougall joined Amazon as Vice President of Worldwide Workplace Health and Safety. At Amazon, she confronted the immense challenge of building and scaling a global safety program across one of the largest and most complex operations in the private sector. Her leadership emphasized not only compliance with regulatory standards but also embedding safety into operational excellence—making safety integral to an organization’s culture. Few professionals have applied safety principles on such a vast and global scale.

With the launch of MacDougall Solutions LLC, an advisory firm, Heather now integrates her unique expertise in law, regulatory policy, management consulting, and workplace safety risk management. She also provides guidance on OSHA defense, whistleblower claims, and the strategic use of safety data and technology to drive continuous improvement. Her firm helps organizations—from startups to global enterprises—design programs that go beyond compliance to achieve safety maturity, where safety excellence becomes a strategic source of value.

She emphasizes creating organizational cultures of safety leadership, designing robust regulatory engagement strategies, and preparing organizations to proactively address issues before they escalate into liabilities. For MacDougall, safety is not a regulatory burden but a platform for demonstrating organizational values, protecting reputations, and building trust with employees, regulators, and the public. She believes safety enables companies to operate more efficiently, meet legal obligations, and fulfill their responsibility to safeguard people and the planet.

What distinguishes Heather MacDougall is the unique combination of perspectives she brings. As an attorney, she understands how regulators think and how the legal system interprets safety obligations. As a regulator herself, she sat on the bench and adjudicated the very cases that shape national policy. As a corporate executive, she has managed the operational realities of keeping tens of thousands of workers safe across a global enterprise. And as a consultant, she has distilled all of this into practicable, actionable strategies for companies seeking both compliance and competitive advantage.

Heather MacDougall’s career demonstrates both adaptability and focus: adaptability in her success across law, government, corporate leadership, and consulting; and focus in her unwavering commitment to workplace safety as essential to protecting workers and strengthening organizations. Her bipartisan appointments, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurial advisory practice reflect the breadth of her influence. Today, through MacDougall Solutions, she continues to help organizations recognize that safety excellence is not just a legal requirement but also a powerful driver of competitive advantage in a complex and fast-changing world, where new risks and opportunities are emerging all the time.