{"id":2923,"date":"2022-05-25T13:21:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T13:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=2923"},"modified":"2025-12-04T15:28:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T15:28:38","slug":"meet-jennifer-hadayia-executive-director-air-alliance-houston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/global-clean-air\/2022\/05\/25\/meet-jennifer-hadayia-executive-director-air-alliance-houston\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Jennifer Hadayia, Executive Director, Air Alliance Houston"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Hadayia is the Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to reduce the public health impacts from air pollution and advance environmental justice. With nearly 25 years of public health experience, Jennifer leads AAH\u2019s mission and strategies, which include equity-centered research, community-based education and collaborative advocacy. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How did you first get interested in the public health impacts of air pollution?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have worked in public health for close to 25 years, and most of that time has been at state and local health departments where I oversaw prevention-focused programs on infectious diseases, chronic disease, and even maternal and child health. I spent a lot of time reading and researching and trying to understand how to help people prevent poor health outcomes. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even 25 years later, I still remember the day when my eyes were first opened. I was reading a report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which explained that the number of heart attacks in a community could be predicted by the level of PM<\/span>2.5<\/span> in the air. The impact of air quality on public health was mind-blowing! After years of trying to change individual behavior, it was clear that improving environmental conditions could have a far greater impact on people\u2019s health at a population level.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us about Air Alliance Houston\u2019s work.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Air Alliance Houston\u00a0was formed in the late 1980s as a merger between two groups of residents and parents concerned about smog. We\u2019ve undergone some key evolutions and expansions in the last 30 years to embrace a population health perspective and a focus on environmental justice. Today our mission is to reduce the public health impact of air pollution through research, education, and advocacy. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We run several campaigns on specific air pollution issues and solutions such as problematic air permits, transportation planning that de-prioritizes Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOVs), connecting air pollution to climate action and community-level air monitoring. But it\u2019s our approach to the work that I think makes us unique:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n