Did you know it's Registered Environmental Health Specialist Week?
Registered Environmental Health Specialists (REHS) keep North Carolinians safe and healthy. They work to ensure:
- Restaurants protect and handle food properly to reduce your risk of foodborne illness.
- Children are safe from lead poisoning hazards at their homes and child care facilities.
- Septic systems are permitted and installed properly to keep sewage out of our drinking and surface water.
In honor of this week, we’re spotlighting N.C. Division of Public Health (DPH) REHSs and their commitment to environmental health.
Jon Huemmer – On-Site Water Protection
Jon Huemmer began working in environmental health in 1997 in Rockingham County, North Carolina. Since 2001, he has worked in Alamance County. He is currently the Geographic Information Services (GIS) Program Specialist for Alamance County Environmental Health.
In this role, Jon manages and maintains the GPS equipment and GIS databases for DPH On-Site Wastewater staff who map field data with GPS units. He also evaluates soils and inspects food and lodging facilities. Jon’s work may happen behind the scenes but has impact across the county, keeping us all healthier and safer.
"I worked with Jon for 14 years. He is the most dedicated and responsible environmental health specialist I know. He is the prime example of what environmental health specialists should aspire to be.”
Jon Fowlkes, deputy chief, DPH Environmental Health Section
Traci Stevens - Food Protection
Traci Stevens is a REHS at the Richmond County Health Department in Rockingham, North Carolina. Traci has authorizations in all DPH Environmental Health areas, including:
- Food, Lodging and Institutions
- Child Care and School Sanitation
- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
- Onsite Wastewater
- Public Swimming Pools
- Tattoos
- Private Wells
Traci also oversees the retail program standards to improve the food protection program.
In her current role, Traci inspects restaurants and investigates foodborne illnesses. She educates and trains communities on food protection. She also serves as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s standardized officer for the jurisdiction.
With 24 years in the field, Traci has served on several committees to improve retail program standards in North Carolina. Due to her hard work, Richmond County became the first in North Carolina to meet all nine retail program standards in 2023. Traci’s dedication helps create a healthier, safer community every day.
Stacie Rhea - Swimming Pools, Tattoos, and State Institutions
Stacie Rhea earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental health. She graduated magna cum laude from Western Carolina University. She has worked in all DPH Environmental Health areas, including:
- On-Site Wastewater and Wells program
- Food, Lodging and Institutions program
- Lead Investigation and Abatement
- Child Care and School Sanitation
- Migrant Housing Program
She has also investigated solid waste and pest complaints and conducted radon sampling.
Stacie retired from Cleveland County with 30 years of service in October 2013. She then became an environmental health western regional specialist with N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. She works with the Pools, Tattoos, and State Institutions program. She has trained environmental health specialists in more than 30 counties. To date, she has issued nearly 400 authorizations in the Pools and Tattoo programs.
She conducts routine sanitation inspections of 37 state institutions and maximum- and minimum-security prisons. As of May 2024, she has more than 40 years of service in environmental health.
Alan Huneycutt - Children's Environmental Health
Alan Huneycutt has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from N.C. State University. He has a Master of Public Health degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He began his career in 1983 as a sanitarian and spent five years working for the Henderson County Health Department. There, he did on-site soil evaluations and inspected food and lodging facilities. He also worked in Mecklenburg County for eight years in pest control and childhood lead poisoning prevention.
Alan has since marked 25 years of service with DPH Children’s Environmental Health. He is a regional EHS in childhood lead poisoning prevention and childcare and school sanitation. He has also worked part-time for 29 years in logistics for the federal National Disaster Medical System.
Alan’s work has been vital in protecting the health of North Carolina’s children and communities.
Thank you to all of North Carolina’s Registered Environmental Health Specialists! We are thankful for your hard work and dedication.
Get More Information
- Governor Proclaims Registered Environmental Health Specialist Week 2024
- DPH: Environmental Health Section
- Learn more about Centralized Intern Training (CIT) and Authorization, the first step to becoming an agent of the state. Agents of the state help enforce sanitation laws and rules.
- Find Your Local Health Department