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From Altoona, Iowa, Ken Sharp says his career in public health happened by accident. With a degree in Environmental Science from Simpson College, Ken had intended to go into the field of environmental work; however, coming out of college, there were limited opportunities. He stumbled into a job posting for a temporary position at IDPH conducting private water well testing and assessments, and 23 years later, he is still with the department (although he leaves the well water testing to others, now!). With a Master’s degree from Drake University, Ken is proud of a history of successful program implementation at IDPH that includes Environmental Health Capacity Building, Environmental Health Services Network (EHS-Net), Public Health Tracking, and currently advancing System Development efforts for time critical conditions.

Ken and his wife have three daughters, two of which attend college at the University of Iowa, with the third in middle school. In his free time, Ken enjoys fishing and hunting and works to ensure a strong future for both by volunteering with organizations like Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited. Ken is a repeat state champion archer and even won a national archery championship. He now doesn’t even own archery equipment! As many parents can relate to, once children entered the picture, Ken found other interests took priority over his hobby.