Dr. Sarah Taft is the Program Operations Staff Director (Acting) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (EPA). She leads all business operations in the 250+ staffed center to support applied scientific and engineering solutions, technologies, and cutting-edge innovations to protect and remediate our air, land, and water resources, and critical infrastructure challenged by environmental contamination. Sarah values belonging, fostering inclusion, and uniting in teams to achieve the common goal of protecting human health and the environment always looking for opportunities to develop aspiring leaders. She recently completed a successful six-month Senior Executive Service detail as the Director of the Region 4 Air and Radiation Division. Dr. Taft began her EPA career in 2007 as a microbiologist researching novel microbial risk assessment methodologies to support a response to a biological contamination incident. Sarah values continuous improvement and believes the most effective solutions require deep understanding and respect for the customer’s needs. Sarah values integrity, respect, and open communication as established in her ten years managing emergency response research as the Associate Director in EPA’s Homeland Security and Materials Management Division and National Homeland Security Research Center. She published over 30 peer reviewed journal articles and EPA reports, presented at over 40 conferences, and regularly briefed political stakeholders, industry partners, and media outlets. Dr. Taft holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Microbiology, a M.S. from the Middle Tennessee State University in Biology, and a B.S. from the University of Kentucky in Biology. Sarah values having fun and loves to explore the U.S. National Parks in her camper with her two kids, husband, and dog, Coco.