Janice Nolen, the American Lung Association’s Assistant Vice President, National Policy and lead author of the annual “State of the Air” report, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award for 2019, in the category of Public Education. The Haagen-Smit Award is presented annually by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of clean air, climate change, technology and related policies. The award is recognized nationally as the most important in the field and often considered the Nobel Prize for healthy air achievement. Each year’s awardees are chosen by a panel of previous recipients.
For 20 years, Janice Nolen has been a national leading voice for healthy air for the American Lung Association. In this role, she supervises the development of policy positions on indoor and outdoor air quality for the organization. She is a nationally recognized authority on air pollution and a sought-after expert by news outlets such as the Associated Press, ABC, CBS, NBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, CNN, NPR and others.
“Janice Nolen is the driving force behind the 21-year history of the Lung Association’s signature ‘State of the Air’ reports,” said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. “These reports have drawn significant public attention to air pollution control challenges and successes across the country. They provide timely, detailed and easily understood updates on local air quality, historic trends and policies needed to achieve healthy air for all.
“Through her leadership, the ‘State of the Air’ is one of the most influential, respected and oft-cited resources for tracking trends in U.S. air quality,” Wimmer added. “‘State of the Air’ is seen as the definitive annual air quality report and appears in the news almost every day of the year. It is leveraged year-round by health and environmental groups as well as local and national leaders to educate the public and to advocate for and protect clean air laws. More recently, Nolen has helped to evolve the report into a document that details climate change impacts making the work of cleaning up the air that much more difficult.”
This year’s “State of the Air” report will be released April 21.
Nolen’s contributions to clean air and lung health are wide-ranging and span decades. She currently serves as a member of the American Thoracic Society’s Environmental Health Committee, and has led the National Radon Action Plan Leadership Council that developed the U.S. National Radon Action Plan to reduce radon risk in 5 million homes.
Prior to coming to Washington in 2001, Nolen directed programs for the American Lung Association in Tennessee, where the Governor appointed her to the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board, the state policy and regulatory agency for air issues.
“The American Lung Association is privileged to have Janice Nolen as part of our team and sees this recognition by her peers as richly deserved,” Wimmer said.
Blog last updated: June 7, 2024
