Maj. Jason Finley, a WKU graduate from Louisville, is the first U.S. National Guard officer to be awarded an Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (EPHLI) Fellowship under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Finley completed his bachelor’s degree in geography (with a second major in communication studies) in 1994 and a master’s in geoscience in 1996 at WKU. He has also completed a master’s in disaster response at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Finley is an Environmental Science and Health Services Officer with the National Guard, where he has served in emergency response positions for the past eight years subsequent to employment as an environmental consultant in local industry. He holds state and national registrations in Environmental Health as well as national certifications in Hazardous Materials Management. He is a member of several state and national environmental health and hazardous materials associations.
During his fellowship with the CDC, Finley completed a research project titled “Exploring an Internationally Registered Environmental Health Specialist Qualification.” His goal was to explore the practicalities of an environmental health system that could span the globe, pointing out that more than 2.5 billion people around the world do not have access to basic sanitary infrastructure. He hopes that a global, unified environmental health registration system will help to improve overall health management competencies.
“The quality and success of our educational programs are best measured by the accomplishments of our alumni,” said Geography and Geology Department Head Dr. David Keeling. “It is always gratifying to hear about the wonderful things that our graduates are engaged in around the country and across the globe and to know that the educational foundation they received at WKU has helped them to achieve excellence in their chosen careers.”
Contact: David Keeling, (270) 745-4555
