ANN ARBOR, Mich. (July 30, 2025) – NSF, a global public health and safety organization, and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) have awarded the Walter F. Snyder Environmental Health Award to Girvin Liggans, Ph.D., REHS/RS, DAAS. Dr. Liggans received the award for his impactful contributions to human and environmental health throughout his decades-long career.
“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award and grateful to the colleagues, collaborators, and mentors who work tirelessly to advance public health,” stated Dr. Liggans. “Their support has made it possible for me to live out the motto that guides my work: stay curious, solve big problems and have fun doing it.”
“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award and grateful to the colleagues, collaborators, and mentors who work tirelessly to advance public health,” stated Dr. Liggans. “Their support has made it possible for me to live out the motto that guides my work: stay curious, solve big problems and have fun doing it.”
Dr. Liggans receives the Walter F. Snyder Environmental Health Award.
Founded in 1971, the Snyder Award honors Walter F. Snyder, co-founder and first executive director of NSF, and individuals who, like him, pioneer environmental and public health throughout their careers.
Dr. Liggans serves as the Deputy Director for Plant Derived Foods in the Office of Microbiological Food Safety at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he provides strategic direction for programs that ensure the safety of fresh produce and plant-derived foods across the nation. He has also served as Technical Lead for Retail Food Policy at the FDA, where he led policy, planning and research initiatives to support national retail food safety. His extensive career spans more than two decades of dedicated service in environmental health, from frontline inspections in local government to the highest levels of national policy development and international engagement.
“Dr. Liggans embodies the profound impact dedicated environmental health professionals can have on advancing public health,” said Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF. “From shaping the FDA’s Retail Food Policy Analysis Framework to serving as a key architect of food safety culture initiatives, his contributions have laid the groundwork for systems that will safeguard public health for generations.”
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Liggans has developed more than 80 FDA position papers on retail food safety, co-developed widely adopted training programs, such as “Decoding the FDA Food Code,” and served as a voting member of the NSF Joint Committee on Food Equipment from 2015 to 2023. He has conducted research with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa. His research on Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus transmission and food safety management systems has informed regulatory strategies nationwide. Dr. Liggans has represented the FDA at five biennial meetings of the Conference for Food Protection, helping drive consensus on critical food safety standards.
“Dr. Liggans embodies the heart and soul of environmental health. His life’s work has made our food safer, our prevention systems smarter and our profession stronger,” said Dr. David Dyjack, CEO of NEHA. “Honoring him with the Snyder Award is a celebration of everything we aspire to be.”
Dr. Liggans holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The award was presented to Dr. Liggans on July 16 at the 2025 NEHA Annual Education Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Snyder Award nominations are open to the public, with recipients selected by a panel of environmental health leaders. For more information about the Walter F. Snyder Award or to nominate a colleague, visit NSF’s website.
About NSF
NSF is an independent, global services organization dedicated to improving human and planet health for more than 80 years by developing public health standards and providing world-class testing, inspection, certification, advisory services and digital solutions to the food, nutrition, water, life sciences and consumer goods industries. NSF has 40,000 clients in 110 countries and is a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Medical Device Safety.
About the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) represents nearly 7,000 governmental, private, academic, and uniformed services sector environmental public health professionals in the U.S., its territories, and internationally. NEHA is the profession’s strongest advocate for excellence in the practice of environmental health as it delivers on its mission to build, sustain, and empower an effective environmental health workforce.
Dr. Liggans serves as the Deputy Director for Plant Derived Foods in the Office of Microbiological Food Safety at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he provides strategic direction for programs that ensure the safety of fresh produce and plant-derived foods across the nation. He has also served as Technical Lead for Retail Food Policy at the FDA, where he led policy, planning and research initiatives to support national retail food safety. His extensive career spans more than two decades of dedicated service in environmental health, from frontline inspections in local government to the highest levels of national policy development and international engagement.
“Dr. Liggans embodies the profound impact dedicated environmental health professionals can have on advancing public health,” said Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF. “From shaping the FDA’s Retail Food Policy Analysis Framework to serving as a key architect of food safety culture initiatives, his contributions have laid the groundwork for systems that will safeguard public health for generations.”
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Liggans has developed more than 80 FDA position papers on retail food safety, co-developed widely adopted training programs, such as “Decoding the FDA Food Code,” and served as a voting member of the NSF Joint Committee on Food Equipment from 2015 to 2023. He has conducted research with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa. His research on Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus transmission and food safety management systems has informed regulatory strategies nationwide. Dr. Liggans has represented the FDA at five biennial meetings of the Conference for Food Protection, helping drive consensus on critical food safety standards.
“Dr. Liggans embodies the heart and soul of environmental health. His life’s work has made our food safer, our prevention systems smarter and our profession stronger,” said Dr. David Dyjack, CEO of NEHA. “Honoring him with the Snyder Award is a celebration of everything we aspire to be.”
Dr. Liggans holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The award was presented to Dr. Liggans on July 16 at the 2025 NEHA Annual Education Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Snyder Award nominations are open to the public, with recipients selected by a panel of environmental health leaders. For more information about the Walter F. Snyder Award or to nominate a colleague, visit NSF’s website.
About NSF
NSF is an independent, global services organization dedicated to improving human and planet health for more than 80 years by developing public health standards and providing world-class testing, inspection, certification, advisory services and digital solutions to the food, nutrition, water, life sciences and consumer goods industries. NSF has 40,000 clients in 110 countries and is a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Medical Device Safety.
About the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) represents nearly 7,000 governmental, private, academic, and uniformed services sector environmental public health professionals in the U.S., its territories, and internationally. NEHA is the profession’s strongest advocate for excellence in the practice of environmental health as it delivers on its mission to build, sustain, and empower an effective environmental health workforce.