Greetings from Colorado . I am honored to have been elected to serve as the 2023 – 2024 president of the National Environmental Health Association ( NEHA ). I have been a member since 1985 . Prior to being elected to the NEHA Board of Directors , I served as the technical section cochair for terrorism and all-hazard preparedness in 2003 – 2005 and counted NEHA election ballots back when they were paper .

I have observed many changes at NEHA and am now part of working to assure we actively support the profession and build a solid foundation to continue that work moving forward . This work is not without its own challenges for a profession that regularly steps up to meet the ever-evolving list of national emerging issues to backyard disasters . The profession is faced with the need to evolve and grow . The profession is also challenged at times to manage directives to trim back when economic pressures or other priorities impact their budgets — a hazard of being partly or fully funded by program fees .

I have benefited from attending and presenting at a variety of NEHA Annual Educational Conferences ( AECs ) over the years in great spots such as Denver , Anchorage , Las Vegas , Grand Rapids , and Spokane . I look forward to the 2023 AEC in New Orleans with anticipation about both the content and the people . The AECs and the variety of other webinars and continuing education programs and opportunities NEHA provides are quality ways to refresh knowledge , learn new skills , and engage with subject matter experts and peers from across the country .

We need to capitalize on the contacts and community members we interact with to demonstrate the value of our work .

I landed in the environmental health undergraduate program at Colorado State University after considering environmental engineering and other programs . The program appealed to my interests in science and the environment , and how that impacts human health , disease control , and epidemiology . The final piece of this program was an internship with a toxicologist from Region 8 of the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency where I listened to community members impacted by sites in urban communities and in the rural Rocky Mountains , and witnessed the challenges of responding to large and complex sites with evolving environment data , health effects , and toxicology uncertainties .

After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in environmental health with a minor in chemistry , I took an entry-level position as an environmental health specialist with the Tri-County Health Department in the Denver metropolitan area . I benefited from a wellcrafted , agency-specific training program to become field ready . My knowledge and skills were also built , in a significant way , by attending many general and specialized training and education programs provided by the Colorado Environmental Health Association ( CEHA ). The great annual educational conferences offered by the NEHA affiliates are still the places many go to share successes and learn about new ways of doing our work .

I joined CEHA as a student in 1984 and later served as a regional board member from 2007 – 2009 and treasurer from 2009 – 2011 ( yes , I did the ever-important organization tax 1099s and maintained our nonprofit good standing status ). I then served as the CEHA president elect , president , and past president from 2016 – 2018 . Working with my peers from across the state — from the uniformed services to retail food and wastewater industries — was rewarding and challenging . This work helped me to understand the range of systems we operate in and the driving forces we need to acknowledge . Having support from my employer to participate in these roles to build skills and knowledge paid dividends when I took on leadership roles in the agency .

Early in my career , I learned from the first environmental health director I worked for at Tri-County Health Department , Dr . Chris Wiant , that an environmental health group could play a key role identifying and working to address a wide range of community challenges . Dr . Wiant went on to serve as president of NEHA from 1992 – 1993 . He was open to exploring new activities and programs , with the supporting funding of course , and while working to support and improve existing core environmental health programs . This exploration resulted in

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NEHA July | Page 6

Environmental Health Professionals : Stand Up and Be Recognized