Environmental Health Registration Board

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IntroText
Upcoming HLO Closures Due to State Holidays Mark your calendar and note that the Health Licensing Office (and all State of Oregon agencies) will be closed on the following state holidays: Wednesday, December 25, 2024, for Christmas Wednesday, January 1, 2025, for New Year's Day Monday, January 20, 2025, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Practitioner information

The following regulated professions are overseen by the Environmental Health Registration Board. Learn more about applying for a license, associated fees, laws, rules and more by following the links below:

About the board

The Environmental Health Registration Board oversees the practices of environmental health specialists and waste water specialists.

The Environmental Health Registration Board consists of seven members appointed by the governor:

Four registered environmental health specialists with at least four years of experience in environmental sanitation
One physician licensed to practice medicine or surgery who has an emphasis in public health
One representative of the food or food/alcohol beverage retail industry
One public member

Terms of office are four years, but a member serves at the pleasure of the governor. A member holds office until the appointment and qualification of a successor. A member is eligible for reappointment. If a person serves two consecutive full terms, a period of at least four years must elapse before the person is again eligible for appointment to serve on the board.

Board members

Scott Kruger

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 6/30/2026
Salem

Scott Kruger is a native Oregonian who has worked in the food service industry for over 20 years. He attended Linn-Benton Community College before transferring to Oregon State University and graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1999. Kruger completed his Environmental Health Trainee program in Lane County and was hired by Benton County in 2005, where he is currently employed.

Kruger is passionate about teaching food safety and the food service industry as a whole. He thoroughly enjoys working with restaurant operators; educating and assisting them to reduce risk and help them to keep moving forward in a positive direction.

He is currently living in Salem with his wife of 27 years, Ellen, and supporting his two children in their college prep honors program at South Salem High School.

“This is a great privilege to be selected to serve the citizens of Oregon and assist the board with oversight of the Environmental Health profession.

Bonnie Simpson

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 6/14/2027
Medford

Bonnie Simpson has been an Environmental Health Specialist for Jackson County since 2011, where she runs their school inspection and group home programs. She is an Oregon native who graduated from Oregon State University in 1997, with a B.S. in Environmental Health; and has been working as an Environmental Health Specialist since 2001. In addition to Oregon, Bonnie has also worked as an EH specialist in Arizona and North Carolina. Her broad background includes food safety, onsite wastewater systems, pool inspections, public health emergency management as well as rabies and vector control.

Having grown up in Lake County, Bonnie was recently excited to sign on with Lake Health District to manage the Environmental Health Program for Lake County on a contract basis. She has enjoyed going home to rural Oregon and assisting familiar establishments as they strive to provide services while maintaining safe practices that meet public health regulations.

Bonnie has a passion for education and knowledge. She has taught classes for Certified Pool Operators and food handlers. Her goal is to be a trusted resource for operators, food handlers and new Environmental Health Specialists as they navigate the industry.

When she is not working as an Environmental Health Specialist, Bonnie can be found raising her two young children or suffering through a CrossFit workout.

Rhonda Robb

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 11/5/2025
Portland

Rhonda Robb is an Environmental Health Specialist for Multnomah County, where she is the Plans Examiner for the Mobile Food Truck Program. Rhonda earned her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Oregon, and since has taken a circuitous route to her current position; A common theme in her work has been exploring the connection between public health and the environment. In 2004, she obtained her Masters in Science, studying the risk factors of endemic cholera in Bangladesh. During graduate school and following, she worked as a Research Analyst at the Oregon Health Authority where she mapped cancer clusters to reveal patterns for the Cancer Registry and the Breast and Cervical Cancer Programs.

In 2013, Rhonda decided to shift her focus to a more hands on approach in Environmental Health. Working two part time jobs with Multnomah County and the Port of Portland she went back to school to obtain the science courses needed to get to where she is today. In 2016, Rhonda completed the Multnomah County Leadership Academy, where her interest in health diplomacy took shape. "Environmental health programs protect communities from natural and man-made threats in the environment, and the responsibility to protect the public’s health is shared across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. The link between health and policy require the health communities to practice diplomacy while examining the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to achieve their mutual goals". Rhonda is also activity engaged in equity work, both on internal processes of the Environmental Health department, and within her community as an inspector.

In her free time, Rhonda enjoys traveling and seeking outdoor adventures with her husband Hassan, and dog, Moses.

Sean Rochette

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 3/24/2026
Bend

Sean Rochette is a wastewater specialist and certified professional soil scientist, currently working for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in Bend. He is a native Floridian that started his professional career with the Florida Department of Health in 2010, before relocating to the west coast in 2015. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science as well as a Master of Science degree in soil and water science, both from the University of Florida.

Sean has worked in various public health and environmental quality programs over the last twelve years, but has primarily focused on wastewater permitting, regulation, and technical assistance. Sean's career path and passion for environmental and soil sciences led him to become a certified professional soil scientist in 2015, and even the president of the Oregon Society of Soil Scientists (2019-2020).

In his spare time, Sean enjoys exploring all the pacific northwest has to offer, whether it be backpacking, snowboarding, mountaineering, boating, or just about anything else near mountains, trees, or water. His great passion for outdoor activities aligns with his career path to help protect the environment and public health so that future generations can have the same experience.

Dr. Eric Lamb

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 6/29/2026
Baker City

My name is Eric Lamb, and I am a fourth generation native Oregonian. I grew up in the Southern Oregon coast range, attended grade school in Umpqua, and later rode the bus to nearby Sutherlin for junior high and high school. After high school I attended Oregon State University for five years and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy. During the summers I pulled greenchain veneer to help pay for college until the timber industry collapsed in the early 90's. I worked as a pharmacist for a couple years for Payless, then Rite Aid in Roseburg, Ashland, Medford and Florence.

It was in the early 90's that I decided to go to Medical School and was admitted to OHSU in the fall of 1995. I graduated Medical School in June 1999 and started Family Medicine Residency at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho a month later with plans to return to small town Oregon to practice medicine. Three years later I found myself in a small private practice in Baker City.

In December 2003, myself and 3 other young doctors decided to form our own group and we created Eastern Oregon Medical Associates in Baker City. We struggled initially, none of us having any business background, but we managed to hire people who had the business experience that we lacked and within a couple years had our loans and credit lines paid off. We ran a successful small medical practice for several years and developed relationships with OHSU as volunteer faculty for Medical Student Rural Rotations and became an Oregon Rural Research Network Site. We became a Rural Health Clinic and then a Primary Care Medical Home. In 2012 we decided to sell the business to St. Luke's Health systems. I have worked for St. Luke's since.

When I started in Baker in 2002, I was recruited to become a Deputy Medical Examiner for the County, a position that I retained until our Medical Examiner retired last year and I stepped into that role. I have been the Baker County Health Officer since 2016. Recently, I have begun supervising medical care at the Baker County Jail.

My plan is to continue to work and eventually retire in Baker and try to instill some wisdom and experience in the people I interact with along the way. I feel my rural upbringing and experiences can help bring that perspective to whatever tasks and challenges that I may be presented with.

Jesse Lanou

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 8/31/2027
Monmouth

Jesse Lanou is a dedicated and accomplished professional with a diverse and extensive career spanning multiple fields. They began their journey as a Hospital Corps member in the Navy, where they gained invaluable experience in healthcare. Transitioning into civilian life, Jesse became a Radiologic Technologist, contributing their expertise to medical diagnostics and patient care.

Their commitment to public service led them to serve as a Deputy Sheriff in San Francisco, ensuring the safety and well-being of their community. Jesse's passion for education shone through as they assumed the role of a computer instructor at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, imparting valuable knowledge to aspiring students.

Later in their career, Jesse joined the Transportation Security Administration as an Intelligence Analyst, where they used their analytical skills to enhance security protocols and protect the nation's transportation systems.

Jesse has had a lifelong love of music and has performed with various choirs from the US and the UK, and lives in rural western Oregon wine country with their wife, two dogs, and a parrot.

The Environmental Health Registration Board currently has an opening for a Food Industry Representative. To apply, fill out the Application form.

Board Recruitment

Are you interested in serving as a volunteer citizen board member? HLO-regulated boards seek new members as current board member terms expire.

Current vacancies and how to apply

For board recruitment questions or the appointment process, contact the Oregon Governor's Office of Executive Appointments at 503-378-6829.

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