Emily Sanford is the current Deputy Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), which is on a mission to make Washington a safer, healthier place to live. Her team’s superpower? Reducing and preventing human exposure to environmental hazards and disease-causing pathogens in everything from the food we eat, to the schools our kids attend, and even at the places we play and sleep. She’s been with the agency since 2016, but her environmental journey started way earlier! Before joining DOH, Emily spent 5 years with the Puget Sound Partnership, tackling policy, planning, and stewardship issues around the Salish Sea. She also spent 8 years diving deep into water resources with Washington State University Extension in Mason County. Emily is a proud Geoduck, with both a BA and a Master of Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College (Go Geoducks!) When she’s not off exploring new places, Emily is in Olympia, where she lives with her husband, son, and her dynamic twin daughters – or often visiting family in her New England hometown.

Connect with me at: emily.sanford@doh.wa.gov