Richard Craft, MBA, was presented with the Environmental Health Innovations Award at the 2022 GPHA Annual Meeting and Conference on Jekyll Island. The Environmental Health Innovation Award recognizes individuals or teams that have made an innovative contribution to improving the environment and/or protecting public health and have encouraged other professionals to search for creative solutions.

Craft was born in Lakeland, Florida, but grew up in Waycross, Georgia. He eventually moved to Milledgeville, Georgia to continue his higher education at Georgia College where he received a Master’s in Business Administration. In college, he started working in the food industry and with the Georgia College dining services on campus. After graduation he continued in the food service industry by working with Marriott for many years.

Craft left the commercial food industry and joined public health in June of 2005 when he became a member of the Macon-Bill Health Department Environmental Health team. He advanced through the ranks becoming EH County Manager and eventually was promoted to the District office in 2017, where he now serves as the Environmental Health Deputy Director of Training for the North Central Health District.

When he is not at work, Craft enjoys spending time with his family, visiting his oldest two daughters who attend college in Dahlonega, Georgia, reading all history material known to man, and entertaining the family dog, Bud.