Jeff Chennault, formerly of Dowagiac, was recently named the director of safety operations in the occupational safety division of the Texas Department of Transportation, effective Dec. 1.

In this new role, Chennault will oversee the department’s occupational safety programs, industrial hygiene, safety related training and injury/incident prevention.

Chennault, a certified safety professional, is a 1989 graduate of Dowagiac Union High School and 1993 graduate of Purdue University, with a bachelor’s degree in environmental health, with a major in industrial hygiene.

He is the son of Thurman and Shirley Chennault, of Dowagiac, and the brother of Shaun Chennault, also of Dowagiac. He currently lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, with his wife, Marie, and their three children, 9-year-old Leighton, 5-year-old Declan, and 3-year-old Sloane.