From environmental scientist to industrial hygiene manager, Cole Ledbetter, B.S., CIH has been a vital member of the CTEH team for more than 10 years. Find out more about his career in Part II of this CTEH Spotlight:
You’ve earned numerous certifications, including the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). What encouraged you to pursue these advanced certifications?
Obtaining the CIH was a personal goal I set for myself. I have a unique perspective on this certification because, unlike others who have taken the CIH exam, I don’t have a master’s degree in industrial hygiene (IH) or safety. Instead of taking theories from school and applying it to the test, I utilized my more than five years of field knowledge. I studied for the exam for a year straight; took classes through the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and officially passed the exam in 2015.
You previously served on the Toxicology Emergency Response Program team. What role did you play there?
In 2006, I joined CTEH as an environmental scientist on the Toxicology Emergency Response Program team. For two years, I worked as field personnel—often in an emergency response role. My duties included traveling to incident sites and performing responding work such as community, air and worker exposure monitoring. This experience continues to benefit me in my role as CTEH’s central region IH manager today.
What do you do outside of work?
I’m a current member and past president of the Arkansas Local Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and a long-time member of my Missionary Baptist Church. I also have a five-year-old daughter so I’m often busy with her extracurricular activities. This includes everything from gymnastics to dance to soccer. In my own down time, I enjoy outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.
Get to know Cole Ledbetter even better by connecting with him on LinkedIn.
