Environmental Health associates receive awards

Published on April 28, 2022

Jackson County’s Environmental Health Administrator Deb Sees was recently given the Missouri Environmental Health Association’s most prestigious honor when she was awarded with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Jackson County’s Tracy Hudson and Tosha Dyer were both awarded the Environmental Public Specialist of the Year and Casey Elledge received the Special Recognition Award during the MEHA Banquet.

Deb began her career with Jackson County in 2001. In 2002 she was awarded Employee of the Year by Jackson County due to her efforts in ensuring food safety during extended power outages caused by an ice storm. In 2003 she went back to school to begin earning the science credits needed to obtain the Certified Public Health Specialist credential that she earned in 2007.

During her time at Jackson County, Deb has served as an inspector, lead inspector, supervisor and most recently she was promoted to administrator in 2015. She has developed food handler training programs, operation manuals, inspection checklists, priority assessments and many other tools to aid inspectors. In 2018 she joined the executive board of MEHA and represented the organization as President in 2020/2021.

Deb demonstrates her care and commitment to her profession daily. She continues to work in the field when she is needed. She has ensured that her department is enrolled in the FDA Retail Standards Program. She works closely with the cities in the county’s jurisdiction ensuring officials are educated on the importance of food safety.

Deb has recognized the hard work and dedication of her inspectors and works diligently to secure wage increases for her team. She readily supports her employees by being flexible with schedules which allows for them to attend to personal commitments.

For the past two years Casey Elledge has taken the lead in the Hospitality Committee for MEHA. Casey’s dedication to the betterment of the organization’s hospitality events has been nothing short of spectacular.

Casey was the driving force behind the changes that took place in 2019. His idea to take hospitality to an offsite location for the first time was remarkable. It was evident that this offsite networking event was an immediate success. There were more attendees at the event than in many, many years. Those in attendance said that they thoroughly enjoyed being able to get away from the hotel and felt that this created a relaxed atmosphere for networking that all could benefit from.

Casey has put considerable effort into a silent auction which helps to offset the additional costs of moving to an offsite location. He has motivated MEHA’s entire staff to help with the endeavor of putting together a silent auction inadvertently making for a stronger team.

Tosha Dyer is a team player who can absorb knowledge and understand how to apply that knowledge. She has accomplished training on HACCP, plan reviews, wastewater, food, lodging and childcares in the short amount of time that she has been with Jackson County Environmental Health.

She has the desire to maintain the standards of her profession. Tosha actively seeks feedback and uses it to enhance her own work. She takes the time to fully understand the scope of any problem she faces and can come up with workable solutions to challenges she faces. She exhibits an attention to detail and can think quickly and prioritize where she needs to focus her efforts to effect necessary changes in an establishment.

Tosha is an integral part of the Jackson County team. She doesn't take things at face value and understands the importance of looking deeper. Tosha knows the crucial questions to ask that will let her see the big picture. She then uses this information to improve the situation at hand. If she faces a problem that doesn't have an easy answer, she is willing to do the research necessary to find the answer and then she always takes the time to share her newly acquired knowledge with the team.

Tosha displays a positive attitude at work and can be counted on as a source of encouragement for the team. She is quick to build strong working relationships with others. Tosha's initiative and determination to succeed is a source of inspiration.

Tracy Hudson can always be counted on to work diligently in maintaining the standards of Environmental Health. From the start she would willingly share her knowledge which has allowed for open discussion and has helped the entire department work more effectively.

Tracy has spent countless hours ensuring that new inspectors are trained properly. Last year she held a key role in ensuring four new inspectors were trained and ready for field work in a short period of time. This was a monumental task due to the extensive training required. In addition, she was able to maintain her assigned duties as well as help with the pool inspection program.

Tracy can be relied upon to offer her expertise to anyone she meets. She can discern needs and find workable solutions for challenges faced daily. She has spent several years heading up the lodging inspection program and has formed working relationships with even the most difficult of managers and owners. Through her diligence she was able to successfully gain resolutions to chronic violations found at some establishments.

She can be relied upon to help with any challenge presented. One instance was when the county wastewater specialist retired unexpectedly. Tracy was one of two employees who volunteered to take certification courses and earned her Class D Wastewater license. Although this is not in her normal job description, she continues to help with the wastewater plants whenever needed.

Tracy recently left her job with Jackson County to take on the role of Public Health Officer on a cruise ship.