Mary Ann Polad

Mary Ann Polad has been the Director of EHS & Sustainability for the Boston Beer Company, since 2013. Engaging coworkers and coaching on safe behavior is her passion with a focus on empowering people to be problem solvers and using experiential data to drive solutions. Mary Ann has led safety organizations since the late 1990s with a focus on manufacturing, transportation and food and beverage production. Her early safety years were spent in the trash and recycling business where she learned to drive a rubbish truck in downtown Boston in order to effectively teach driver safety. Prior to entering the safety field, Mary Ann worked for several years as a Crisis Management consultant with Burson-Marsteller and The Lukaszewski Group, helping organizations anticipate risk events and prepare the associated response programs. Her work supported clients in food, medical device and retail segments, with a particular focus on companies regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. She holds a degree in Sociology from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire – an education that has served her well as a safety leader. Mary Ann is the 2021 Boston Beer Company President’s Award recipient for her work managing the company’s Pandemic response.