Jeanine Oakland, B.S.

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Anchorage, AK 99501

Biography

Jeanine Oakland is the Statewide Compliance and Enforcement Coordinator for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Drinking Water Program, and has been with the state since April 2004. Ms. Oakland is a member of the Alaska Water and Wastewater Management Association and is currently the Secretary of the Alaska Environmental Health Association. She received the National Environmental Health Association Merit Award this past August. Ms. Oakland holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota.

Leadership Development Opportunities

The National Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute has been one of the most challenging and rewarding activities of my professional career to date. The information we have learned over this past year has truly changed how I problem solve and think about issues at work. The well rounded curriculum also opened my eyes to an entire world of environmental health outside of drinking water and has increased my interaction with fellow environmental health professionals. I have benefited greatly from the leadership development and networking opportunities. Being from Alaska we often have limited opportunities to network with the diverse group of environmental health professionals outside our area of expertise, I appreciated the diverse backgrounds of my fellows. My fellows also motivated me to become more involved in my state’s Environmental Health Association and to further my education. Being surrounded by a group of highly educated and proactive people was inspiring! The leadership project was also a great experience as it gave me an excuse to work on an issue I always wanted to but never seemed to have time to address. Thanks to all who have worked so hard to put this Institute together, I hope it will continue to grow and produce the leaders needed by the environmental health field.