Ever heard of the Nasal Ranger or odor school? In this episode of Beyond Data Management, host Cameron Garrison sits down with Melissa Rogerson, former Program Manager at the El Paso County, Colorado Health Department and now Senior Project Manager at HS GovTech.

Melissa takes us on a fascinating journey from her early days studying math and optometry at Colorado State University, to discovering her passion for Environmental Health (EH) and building a career that spanned food inspections, childcare programs, body art, air quality, waste tires, emergency response, and more.

We discuss:

How Melissa “accidentally” fell in love with environmental health and turned it into an 11-year career

What it was like responding to wildfires, floods, and other disasters as an EH professional

The hidden world of waste tire programs and why they matter for air, water, and vector control

The bizarre but true world of odor investigations and her certification through “odor school” using the Nasal Ranger

A jaw-dropping story about a childcare facility with a fake wall hiding kids — and how EH data systems played a role in investigations

Why Melissa left local government after more than a decade to join HS GovTech and now helps agencies nationwide modernize with the HS Cloud Suite

This episode blends career insights, emergency response lessons, and unbelievable field stories that highlight just how vital (and unpredictable) environmental health work can be.

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#EnvironmentalHealth #HSGovTech #PublicHealth #NasalRanger #OdorSchool #GovTech #BeyondDataManagement #FoodSafety

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