Two Occupational & Environmental Health Alumni Receive Prestigious Alumni Awards

The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Office of Alumni Affairs awarded the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award and Young Alumni Professional Award to two recipients. Ms. Kathleen Shaver, 1994 MS, received the Distinguished Alumni Award and Ms. Sara Greenlee, 2018 MS, received the Young Alumni Professional Award.

Recipients of these prestigious awards are recognized for achieving professional and personal successes, and demonstrating exemplary service to their community and/or the University.

Ms. Kathleen Shaver

Kathleen Shaver received her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies – Public Policy and Government from American University, Washington, DC in 1989. After graduation, she worked as an environmental legal assistant and then as an aide to the Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment. In 1994 she received her Master of Science in Environmental Management from the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). Her master’s thesis was titled “Management Indicators as Predictors of Back Injury in Oklahoma Hospitals”. She conducted doctoral research at the UCLA School of Public Health on industrial storm water runoff.

Ms. Shaver’s professional life has centered on leadership in the areas of environmental health and safety, sustainability, product stewardship, and corporate social responsibility in the manufacturing sector. She held executive positions with the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association and the Chlorine Institute and senior management positions in major multinational companies, including Honeywell, Mattel, Cisco Systems. She has been Director of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation at Apple since 2013. She has worked on international initiatives ranging from water conservation and elimination/substitution of hazardous chemicals in manufacturing to ethical sourcing practices and prevention of human trafficking. Her work extends to development and promotion of industry-wide best practices through organizations such as the Responsible Business Alliance, the Alliance for Water Stewardship, and the Clean Production Action Network.

Kathleen Shaver is a valued alumna, advisor, donor and friend of the Hudson College of Public Health. She chaired the OEH External Advisory Board for three years and participated as a stakeholder in the HCOPH strategic planning process for 2021-2025. In 2020 she endowed the Kathleen A. Shaver Scholarship to support students pursuing a degree in the field of occupational health, environmental health or industrial hygiene. In 2021, she joined the newly formed Hudson College of Public Health Alumni Advisory Board.

Ms. Sara Greenlee

Sara Greenlee is an outstanding professional with genuine zeal for the discipline and a penchant for understanding and improving health and safety systems.  Sara attended OSU for undergrad in microbiology and sought to complement her biological training with a research emphasis in aerosol science, applied physics and chemistry. After completing her degree at the Hudson College of Public Health, Sara immediately found a position in a highly competitive industry (Energy / Oil and Gas Extraction), with a highly competitive company (Halliburton) , in a specialized division (research and development).  Sara has advanced quickly with Halliburton moving from intern to site lead to technical specialist in only a few years.

While at Halliburton Sara has gained experience providing technical expertise for compliance with environmental and safety laws and regulations and is currently involved in pollution prevention initiatives and oversees their waste minimization program. She communicates safety-related topics, perform hazard assessments, risk reductions, industrial hygiene investigations and applies the principles of environmental, health, and safety management learned at the Hudson College of Public Health in the MS in IH/EHS within the department of Occupational and Environmental Health.  Sara leads safety meetings, writes safety bulletins, and encourages unit personnel to achieve and uphold safety for the good of the company and their own health. She authored and implemented a COVID-19 pandemic response plan, chemical hygiene plans, and emergency response plans for all technology personnel within her organization.  Sara leads safety training sessions and is a certified Root Cause Analysis Facilitator in TapRoot.  She performs site audits, conducts personal sampling, assesses exposure, analyzes data, reports findings and makes recommendations on potential controls to senior management. Sara has been strategic in implementing health, safety, and environment management systems, and has experience working with and leading global teams.

Kathleen's Surprise Video: Click Here

Sara's Surprise Video: Click Here