Brent to step down as NCCCO CEO; Sicklesteel to replace

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Updated Jan 22, 2019
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Graham BrentGraham Brent

After 23 years of leading the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), Graham Brent plans to step down as CEO on July 1 to become the new head of the recently formed NCCCO Foundation.

He will be replaced by Thom Sicklesteel, general manager USA of Leavitt Cranes, based in Tacoma, Washington. Sicklesteel has served on the NCCCO board since 2009, including serving as president.

Thom SicklesteelThom Sicklesteel

Brent has served the NCCCO since 1996, when the nonprofit organization began offering certification programs. It now offers 27 credentials in 12 certification programs and has issued more than 425,000 ANSI-accredited and OSHA-compliant certifications, according to the organization.

“It’s been an extraordinary journey, one that has seen NCCCO emerge as the leader in the certification of crane operators and other personnel,” Brent says. Thanks to NCCCO’s programs, crane-related injuries and deaths have declined, he says.

Brent will soon turn his full attention to the NCCCO Foundation, which will focus on new ways to improve workplace health and safety.

“NCCCO would not be the organization it is today without the leadership and guidance of Graham Brent,” said NCCCO President Kerry Hulse. “While his expertise and knowledge will be missed at NCCCO, we are excited about his accepting the CEO position of our newly formed NCCCO Foundation. We are certain he will expend the same energy and commitment to its success as he has done for NCCCO.”