The National Safety Council on Tuesday announced the appointment of Lorraine M. Martin as president and CEO of the nonprofit organization focused on eliminating preventable deaths at work, among other objectives.

Ms. Martin, who is co-founder and currently serving as president of the education nonprofit Pegasus Springs Foundation, will be joining the Itasca, Illinois-based organization on June 3, replacing Deborah A.P. Hersman, who left her post in January to become the chief safety officer at Waymo LLC, a self-driving technology development company based in Mountain View, California, according to an NSC spokeswoman.

NSC Chief Operating Officer Nicholas Smith has been serving as interim president and CEO, according to a statement issued when Ms. Hersman resigned.

Ms. Martin’s 30-year career includes leading and developing successful global and international businesses, with a track record of working in both civic and corporate roles, “which makes her a natural fit for the Council – an organization that offers a suite of products, training services and advocacy resources with the mission of eliminating preventable deaths,” Mark Vergnano, chairman of the National Safety Council, said in Tuesday’s statement.

In her most recent role at Pegasus, she focused on providing opportunities for educators, students and community members to collaborate on learning models. Previously, Ms. Martin was executive vice president and deputy of rotary and mission systems at Lockheed Martin, where she led a team of 34,000 global employees with operations in more than 75 worldwide facilities, according to the statement.

Among her top achievements, Ms. Martin led the largest defense program, F-35 Lightning II, a stealth fighter aircraft. She also spearheaded the successful operational and cultural integration of Sikorsky, a global leader in helicopters, according to the statement, which highlighted another achievement, serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

“I am deeply passionate and committed to keeping people safe wherever they are, and I will bring that commitment to NSC as we work to eliminate all preventable deaths,” she said in the statement.