Jaron Herring (BS Environmental Health ‘2012) has become the Environmental Health, Food and Lodging Supervisor for the Randolph County Health Department in North Carolina since graduating from the ECU EHS Program.  He has been with Randolph County for almost 5 years and has loved every minute of his time there.  He has worked as a field specialist, performing inspections for everything from restaurants and nursing homes to hotels and childcare centers, while also managing the temporary food service, summer feeding and mobile food unit and pushcart programs, respectively. As an environmental health specialist, Jaron is also involved in reviewing menus and plans for new establishments, collecting water samples for their regulated establishments, and responding to complaints that come in throughout the day. “I have always said that one of the things that I love the most about Environmental Health is that there are so many different disciplines within this field,” Jaron shared. “This is certainly true of my job with Randolph County. I could never hope to anticipate what might come across my desk on any given day. It is this type of variation in my job description that keeps the job fresh and new.”

Although his job looks a bit different now, the same can still be said of his role as the EH Supervisor. Some of the things that he is responsible for are performing quality assurance checks on the inspections that are performed in his department, participating in the FDA Voluntary Retail Program Standards, assisting in readying the Food and Lodging Program for North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation, assuring the accuracy of records and reports generated by the program, while still carrying a list of inspections that need to be completed. “Though I may not be out in the field as often in my current position, at the end of the day, whether it be from an administrative position or from what I do during inspections, I know that my job makes a difference in the lives of the citizens of Randolph County,” Jaron said. “I find that aspect of the job to be one of the most rewarding things that has come out of my career in Environmental Health.”

More words from Jaron:

“My degree in Environmental Health from East Carolina has put me in a position for success within my career. My coursework at ECU exposed me to many of the things that I now do on a daily basis at the county level. I suppose I should not have been surprised that as I delved into many of the rules that we enforce, they were often word for word what I had been taught as a Pirate. This is a true testament to the strength of the Environmental Health Program at East Carolina. By the time I graduated in 2012, I had been equipped with all the necessary tools to be a successful Environmental Health Specialist. I would highly encourage anyone looking for an exciting career opportunity in the sciences that can make a direct impact on the lives of the people at the local, state, or federal level, to consider looking into Environmental Health. I did, and I have never regretted it for a moment!”