Healthy Schools Network is pleased to announce Pamela L. Pugh, DrPH, MS, as our next Executive Director. Jennifer Lemon will continue serving as Deputy Director, providing leadership and continuity as the organization enters its next chapter.
A nationally recognized public health scientist and leader, Dr. Pugh has dedicated her career to improving the environments where children live, learn, and play. Her experience spans children’s environmental health, healthy homes and childhood lead poisoning prevention, education policy, environmental and climate justice, community health improvement, and organizational leadership.
Dr. Pugh currently serves as President of the Michigan State Board of Education and previously served as the City of Flint’s first Chief Public Health Advisor during the Flint water crisis. She also previously served on the Healthy Schools Network Board of Directors.
“Healthy Schools Network’s mission brings together so many threads of my life’s work—including the health of children, the environments that shape their development, and the fundamental importance of ensuring that every child has a safe and healthy place to learn,” Dr. Pugh said.
She succeeds founder and founding Executive Director Claire Barnett, who built Healthy Schools Network into a nationally recognized voice for children’s environmental health and healthy school environments. Barnett will remain active as a senior advisor.
This transition comes at a critical time. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that 47% of school districts experienced chronic facility issues that disrupted learning during the 2024–25 school year, while nearly one in five districts canceled school because of facility problems, affecting an estimated 2 million students.
As Dr. Pugh noted: School buildings are not separate from education. Their conditions directly affect children’s health, attendance, and ability to learn—as well as the health and productivity of school staff.
We look forward to this next chapter and to continuing our work to ensure every child has a healthy place to learn.
Download and read the press release here.
