Rachel Patterson has been hired as the city of Plano's new environmental health director. Patterson spent the past 17 years as the environmental health director for Mohave County in Kingman, Arizona.[/caption]The city of Plano hired a new environmental health director to oversee its disease prevention and health promotion services.
Rachel Patterson will replace interim director Brian Collins, who retired from the city in January 2014 after 25 years with the city, 16 of them as environmental health director.
Patterson's start date is April 6.
"Rachel Patterson possesses the perfect combination of skill, vision and devotion to customer service the city desires," Plano City Manager Bruce Glasscock said in a news release.
Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Patterson comes to Plano from Kingman, Arizona and served as the Mohave County environmental health director for 17 years.
Patterson said she is looking forward to having the convenience of maintaining one concentrated jurisdiction. Mohave County is the sixth largest county in the country, covering more than 13,000 square miles. With a population of more than 200,000 people, the county is also split to the north by the Grand Canyon.
"I've never worked for a city before so it's a little bit of a new experience for me, but it's also very similar in some respects," Patterson said. "I think the biggest change will be going from rural county to living in a [more] urban area."
The environmental health department provides a number of services, from restaurant inspections and permits to stormwater management and mosquito control. One aspect Patterson said she looks forward to continuing is the city's sustainability and environmental education programs, something she has not personally put into practice. The Sustainability & Environmental Education Division partners with residents, businesses and schools to promote public education and initiatives like the Live Green in Plano program.
"For the last 10-plus years in this position, I've been able to develop my management skills. I think the external factors may be a bit different, so I know there will be a bit of a learning curve, but I'm confident I can handle it," Patterson said. "I really like the vision that the city has, and it's commitment to excellence is a huge deal. I have big shoes to fill; I know that. But I'm looking forward to taking the reigns and letting [Collins] orient me with the department and go over its successes [with me]."
"The environmental health and sustainability staff is excited to welcome Ms. Patterson to the city of Plano as Director of Environmental Health," Collins said. "I know too that [she] is ready and inspired to lead the department to a new level of excellence in local, state and national environmental health practice."
