Awards

GEHA Awards

2011 Member of the Year: Julia Campbell (click here to read more)

Julia is very deserving as this year's recipient following many years of participation in GEHA as the Editorial Committee Chair, other volunteer activities for GEHA and in her community, and as a member of and speaker at the national association's annual conferences. As the Committee Chair for several years, Julia designs, writes articles and edits submissions for, and publishes on-line the journal "Georgia Environmentalist", the official publication of GEHA. In addition, Julia recently received local and national recognition as a DPH employee for organizing, collecting, and mulching over 2,400 abandoned tires in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood, for reuse in the community as decorative landscaping.

2010 Member of the Year: Sidney "Sandy" Shepherd

CHRIS CARTER is the District 5 Supervisor with the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) in the Consumer Protection Division, comprised of 46 counties in southeast Georgia. GDA is the agency which ensures public health in grocery stores, food storage warehouses, processing plants, wholesale and retail seafood, wholesale and retail bakeries, and all food safety for the retail industry. Chris graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and has worked with GDA since 1992. Currently, Chris lives in Alma, GA with his wife Renee and his two sons, Will (15) and Jacob (12).

2009 Member of the Year: Christy Blair

CHRISTY BLAIR is currently county manager of the Gordon County Environmental Health in Calhoun, GA. Christie has worked as an Environmental Health Specialist for the District 1-1 Board of Health in Gordon County since her graduation from Jacksonville State University in1994. Christy has worked in various disciplines of Environmental Health including Food Service, and On-Site Waste Water Management Systems. Christy assisted with the state’s first informational video for promoting and understanding Environmental Health produced by District 1-1. She also assisted with the state Onsite Wastewater Management Systems video that is being distributed with septic system permits. She has served on the GEHA Board for the last four years, and has been a member on the Door Prize Committee. Christy currently serves on the advisory board for American Red Cross, Gordon County Chapter, and is an active member of the Gordon County Local Emergency Planning Committee. She is married to Rusty, and they have a 12 year old daughter named Becca. In addition to being a mother, Christy enjoys traveling, photography, cooking, gardening and hanging out at the pool with a good book or magazine.

2008 Member of the Year: Sidney "Sandy" Shepherd

Sandy Shepherd is the Georgia's Seafood Safety Officer for the Georgia Department of Agriculture in Savannah, GA. Sandy received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1980 from UGA in Geology. After working in the oil industry, he moved back to Georgia and worked in Atlanta as a Sanitarian with The Georgia Department of Agriculture in 1987. In 1994 Sandy moved from Atlanta to the Georgia Coast where he became more involved in Seafood Safety as a Senior Sanitarian. Over the past two years Sandy has

worked with regulatory agencies and industry to improve regulations dealing with seafood safety, labeling, and representation of seafood in Georgia. Sandy is active on various committees within the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference including the Vibrio Management Committee, Vibrio Education Committee and is Chairman of the Import Assessment Committee. He also serves on the Georgia Marine Fishery Advisory Council. Much of his time now is spent promoting seafood safety within Georgia by educating and training industry and inspectors. Sandy is currently a member of First Baptist Church in Richmond Hill where he serves in several ministry departments. Sandy has two sons, Blanton and Christopher and one Granddaughter that live near him in the Savannah area.

2007 Member of the Year: Tonya Gray

Tonya Davis Gray is presently employed by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Public Health, Environmental Health branch as a program consultant. She was employed by Coweta County Board of Health for 10 years after 13 years of employment as a sanitarian with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

She began her career in environmental health as a wastewater lab analyst in Carrollton. She holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of West Georgia and a biology degree from Wesleyan College. The Georgia Registration Board of Environmental Health Professionals and NEHA both have issue the credential of Registered Sanitarian/EHS to Mrs Gray.

Beyond environmental health, she loves ballet, music, and soccer. Many GEHA members have watched her children, Davis and Amelia, grow from toddlers to teens while attending many educational conferences held each summer.

2006 Member of the Year: David Perry

2005 Member of the Year: Hugh Coleman

2003 Winners
2002 Winners

Lifetime Honorary Member Awards:

Susan Reyher
Melba Bridges
Bill Pace
Larry Martin
David Beecher
Daryl Rowe

Member of the Year Award:

Read the eligibility and nomination requirements.
Nomination Form

Rowe Environmental Health Award:

The purpose of the Rowe Environmental Health Award is to recognize one undergraduate student majoring in environmental health at the University of Georgia who, in the opinion of the environmental health faculty, shows excellent promise for success in environmental health practice. This award is not based on GPA but a combination of characteristics that lead to success as a professional including but not limited to enthusiasm, interest in public health, integrity, involvement in environmental health organizations, and success in environmental health courses.

Irving Bell Golf Scholarship:

The scholarship selection committee (composed of the President of GEHA, the Chairperson of the GEHA Scholarship Committee, and two other GEHA Board Members appointed by the President) will choose the awardee based on academic achievement, financial need, letters of recommendations, statement of why s/he is choosing a career in Environmental Health, and the evaluation of the chosen internship program.
The scholarship will consist of:

$1550.00 awarded at the annual UGA Environmental Health awards banquet held at the UGA campus.
To be invited and honored at GEHA’s Annual Educational Conference awards banquet. Room and meals for the conference shall be courtesy of GEHA.
$100.00 expense money if awardee accepts the invitation to the Annual Education Conference.
One year paid membership to GEHA.

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John J. Sheuring Scholarship:

This fund was established in 1967 by donations from the Georgia Society of Registered Professional Sanitarians - renamed Georgia Environmental Health Association - and others in memory of John J. Sheuring. The scholarship is awarded to students interested in the study of various aspects of environmental health. The Environmental Health Science Program as it is known today was established by Dr. Sheuring and the late Professor Herb Henderson. This $750.00 award goes to a Junior EHS major and will be paid in August 2002 for the next academic year.

Donor: John J. Sheuring Memorial Fund (Departmental Scholarship)

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