Kendra Hess
![Kendra Hess](https://cdn.firespring.com/images/08539ae6-25e1-4650-b365-1e7a48070cb7.png)
Kendra Hess is a solid waste permitting engineer at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, working to protect human health and the environment. Before DEQ, Kendra was a graduate researcher at Oklahoma State University and a trainee of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities in the Center for Native Environmental Health Equity. In her research, Kendra partnered with communities in rural Oklahoma and Crow Nation, Montana, who lack access to standardized solid waste management services to understand the nature and extent of microplastic pollution in the soil surrounding local open dump and burn sites. Kendra earned her B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University. She is passionate about accessible, effective, and sustainable waste management for all.