NEHA Board of Directors 2026-2027 Elections
Second Vice-Presidential Candidate Profiles
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) operates under the governance of a corporate Board of Directors responsible for overseeing association affairs. The board consists of national officers and regional vice-presidents. National officers are elected through a ballot distributed to all active and life members prior to the annual conference. This ballot includes the election for NEHA second vice-president, a position that marks the beginning of a 5-year progressive leadership commitment. The elected individual advances annually through successive national offices, culminating in the role of association president.
Two candidates are presented this year for the office of second vice-president, listed in alphabetical order.
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Sean P. Beeman, PhD, MPH, CPH, REHS, DAAS
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Sean P. Beeman, PhD, MPH, CPH, REHS, DAAS, is a mission-driven environmental health executive whose vision for NEHA centers on strengthening the workforce, modernizing practice, and expanding the association’s national influence amid rapidly evolving environmental health challenges. As a candidate for NEHA’s 2nd Vice Presidency, Dr. Beeman offers a decisive, forward‑leaning agenda grounded in scientific expertise, operational leadership, and sustained service to the environmental health profession.
Vision and Leadership Priorities
Dr. Beeman views environmental health professionals as essential to the health, stability, and performance of communities. With climate change intensifying exposures, emerging diseases stressing public health systems, and declining federal support for environmental justice, he believes NEHA must lead with authority, direction, and innovation. His foremost goal is to elevate and modernize the workforce by broadening access to advanced training, building robust mentorship pipelines, and expanding structured career pathways across rural, tribal, urban, military, and underserved communities.
He is committed to positioning NEHA as the nation’s leading voice in climate adaptation, One Health integration, and emergency preparedness. He will advance this goal by strengthening technical standards, shaping national policy, and improving community readiness for climate‑related hazards, emerging vector‑borne diseases, food and water security risks, and environmental contamination. Through deliberate integration of One Health principles and alignment with Healthy People 2030 environmental health objectives, he will ensure NEHA’s programs clearly reinforce the profession’s central role at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health and demonstrate measurable national impact.
A cornerstone of his platform is modernizing environmental health practice through advanced tools and analytical methods. Dr. Beeman intends to expand NEHA’s leadership in data analytics, geospatial intelligence, predictive modeling, and artificial intelligence to equip
practitioners with tools for rapid assessment, proactive risk mitigation, and informed decision‑making. As a long‑standing affiliate leader, he will also enhance organizational capacity and member engagement by deepening national–affiliate collaboration, expanding student and early‑career involvement, and ensuring member perspectives actively shape NEHA’s strategic direction.
Dr. Beeman is equally committed to securing NEHA’s long‑term financial viability. His strategy emphasizes enhanced member value, diversified revenue streams, and strategic partnerships that expand professional development while ensuring NEHA’s long‑term fiscal stability. This intentional approach keeps NEHA agile, competitive, and fully prepared to support its members.
Professional Leadership and Global Experience
Dr. Beeman’s readiness to execute this vision is grounded in more than 20 years of distinguished service as a U.S. Army Environmental Science and Engineering Officer. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of Public Health and Chief of Environmental Health at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, where he leads one of the Department of Defense’s most comprehensive preventive medicine and environmental health portfolios. His programs protect more than 500,000 personnel across the Indo‑Pacific and span drinking water, food safety, air emissions, radiation safety, vector‑borne disease surveillance, industrial hygiene, occupational health, and emergency preparedness.
He is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS), Certified in Public Health (CPH), and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Sanitarians (DAAS). A NEHA member since 2006, he has served as Vice President, President, and Chair of the Past‑Presidents Advisory Committee within the Uniformed Services Environmental Health Association (USEHA), deepening his understanding of member needs, governance structures, and affiliate priorities.
His global operational experience spans Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, where he has collaborated with host‑nation public health and environmental agencies to build capacity, enhance surveillance, and address shared risks. These assignments refined his ability to lead interdisciplinary teams, manage complex environmental health challenges, and deliver mission outcomes under demanding conditions.
From 2021 to 2024, Dr. Beeman served as Director of the Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences Division and Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. There, he shaped graduate curricula, guided academic programs, and advanced applied research using geospatial and computational methods, including GIS, remote sensing, ecological modeling, and machine learning—expertise that aligns directly with NEHA’s modernization priorities.
Conclusion
Dr. Sean P. Beeman brings a strong blend of executive leadership, global operational expertise, academic accomplishment, and long-standing commitment to NEHA and the environmental health profession. He is prepared to advance NEHA’s strategic direction, strengthen its organizational and financial capacity, modernize the profession, and ensure environmental health remains foundational to national public health readiness.
Kim Carlton, MPH, REHS.
I am honored to seek election to the office of Second Vice President of the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA). I have been an active member of NEHA since 2007 and proudly served as Region 4 Vice President from 2018 to 2025, representing Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska on the NEHA Board. I’ve worked as an inspector, a trainer, an evaluator, and I now manage a statewide retail food program. I’m passionate about public service and practical, people-focused leadership. Environmental Health work is complex, challenging, and deeply rewarding, and I’m proud to be part of this community.
My journey into this profession began during a college internship in rural Minnesota. I was feeling a bit rudderless, unsure of how to use my biology degree after graduation, when I was hired for a summer to collect and analyze water samples. I had amazing supervisors who let me tag along with them on their food, lodging and pool inspections, which blew my 21-year-old mind… Their mentorship helped me discover a path that blended my educational background with my personal interests in a way that I’d never considered. I loved the mix of problem solving and partnership that I found there, and I have followed that thread throughout my career.
While pursuing my master’s degree, I worked with the Minnesota Department of Health’s foodborne illness student worker team, informally known as “Team Diarrhea,” where I assisted epidemiologists with outbreak investigations and foodborne illness surveillance. It was an unforgettable crash course in data collection and analysis (not to mention getting very comfortable talking to strangers about VERY personal topics).
I spent the next 12 years working as a food inspector in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. I spent most of my days in restaurants and grocery stores, talking with business owners, training food workers, reviewing construction plans, and seeing firsthand how regulation and education (and when necessary, enforcement) work together to create safer food systems.
At the Minnesota Department of Health’s Partnership and Workforce Development Unit, I worked with local health agencies to evaluate and strengthen delegated inspection programs. I also trained and standardized inspectors to promote consistency across jurisdictions. When I later became the supervisor of that unit, I led an incredible team that provided outreach, training, evaluation, and outbreak response for Minnesota’s food, pool, and lodging programs. Together, we secured federal grant funding to expand training, piloted a new evaluation process for delegated agencies, and improved how we measure and communicate program performance.
I currently serve as the Retail Food Program Manager at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, where I oversee statewide food licensing and inspection activities. My responsibilities include program planning, policy development, staff supervision, and collaboration with local public health partners under our agency’s delegation agreements. I also manage our alignment with FDA’s Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (we have met all 9 of the Standards!), and I work to ensure that our program decisions are backed by data and support the mission of our agency.
I hold an MPH in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, MN. I am credentialed as a REHS/RS with both NEHA and the State of Minnesota.
During my tenure on the NEHA Board, I participated in several initiatives to strengthen NEHA’s governance and enhance communication with members and affiliate organizations. I have represented NEHA at various events, including World Food Safety Day and regional affiliates’ conferences. I currently serve as a mentor for NEHA’s Environmental Health Leadership Academy, with a front-row seat to the next generation of EH professionals who inspire me to think of new approaches to our work. In addition to my NEHA service, I am a proud member and Past President of the Minnesota Environmental Health Association.
My leadership philosophy is grounded in what Allison Bell’s Herocrats describes as the “superpowers” of public servants: connection, creativity, and courage. I believe in asking good questions and building trust through transparency. I also believe that gratitude and optimism are not naïve, they are strategic. They keep us focused on what’s possible and grounded in what matters most.
I will continue to advocate for the visibility and recognition of environmental health professionals, foster collaboration across all levels of government, and support programs that strengthen and sustain our workforce. I am especially passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and ensuring that our field remains dynamic, inclusive, and ready to meet the challenges ahead.
Thank you for your dedication to environmental health and for your consideration as you cast your vote. I am honored to serve this profession and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving NEHA and our profession in this new leadership role.
Regional Vice-Presidential Candidate Profiles
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) operates under the governance of a corporate Board of Directors responsible for overseeing association affairs. The board consists of two groups: national officers and regional vice-presidents (RVPs). NEHA's structure includes nine distinct regions, with RVPs serving 3-year terms.
This year, one candidate is presented for Regional Vice-President 5 and one candidate for Regional Vice-President 7.
Region 5
Lori Lynn Murphy, MAS, CPH, REHS/RS
Lori Lynn Murphy, MAS, CPH, REHS/RS is an Environmental Health Director and Health Code Enforcement Official with more than 20 years of experience advancing environmental health, emergency preparedness, and community protection across Central Texas. She holds a Master of Applied Science in Spatial Analysis for Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from UTHealth School of Public Health, and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Lori’s career includes extensive leadership in environmental health programs, workforce development, food safety, vector control, environmental investigations, and ESF-8 public health and medical response. She has led operational modernization initiatives, strengthened interdisciplinary partnerships, and championed consistent, science-based regulatory practices within diverse and rapidly growing communities.
Lori is deeply engaged in professional service. She is a speaker and active committee member with the Texas Environmental Health Association (TEHA), contributing to Public Outreach and Legislative initiatives and presenting the 2022 conference session on Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER). She also serves as Treasurer of the Central Texas Environmental Health Association (CTEHA) starting in 2016, where she supports fiscal stability, professional development, and regional collaboration. As a NEHA Registered Environmental Health Specialist, she maintains an ongoing commitment to national standards, practitioner growth, and the advancement of the environmental health profession.
Lori is running for NEHA Regional Vice President to strengthen connections between local practitioners and national leadership, elevate environmental health visibility, promote regional training and mentorship, and support the next generation of environmental health professionals. She is dedicated to amplifying the voices, needs, and expertise of environmental health leaders across the region.
Region 7
Benjamin Ryan Ph.D., MPH, REHS, FRRHHed
Benjamin Ryan is a dedicated advocate for environmental health and disaster resilience. He is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and Fellow of the Faculty of Remote, Rural, and Humanitarian Healthcare at The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Ben earned his Ph.D. at James Cook University, Australia, where his research focused on strategies to reduce disaster impacts on people with non-communicable diseases. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Wollongong and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from Griffith University, where he received an award for academic excellence. His experience spans environmental health assessments in urban, rural, and business settings, responses to natural disasters and disease outbreaks, and managing local to multinational projects.
Ben serves as a Professor of Public Health and Global Initiatives in the Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. His work emphasizes integrated approaches that connect environmental health with disaster risk reduction, healthcare systems, and community resilience. Ben has worked, researched, and taught across the Americas, East Africa, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific. His projects have been funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute for Health and Care Research (U.K.), and non-government organizations such as the Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure. Ben has also worked at all levels of government in Australia and federally in the United States.
Ben’s vision for NEHA Region 7 is to deliver measurable outcomes for the profession. His priorities include expanding workforce development opportunities, strengthening disaster resilience, and advancing evidence-based actions to improve community well-being. A key focus will be forging partnerships with the private and public sectors and increasing awareness of environmental health across disciplines.
Environmental health is foundational to thriving communities! Ben believes our profession must lead in addressing emerging challenges by integrating science, policy, and practice. Together, we can create innovative solutions that protect health and strengthen resilience across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. With a proven record of leadership and a passion for advancing environmental health, Ben would welcome the opportunity to serve as NEHA Region 7 Vice President and work collaboratively to shape the future of the profession.