Chair: Chris J. Wiant, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Chris Wiant recently retired as the Founding President and CEO of the Caring for Colorado Foundation. Caring for Colorado is a conversion foundation endowed with the proceeds of the 1999 sale of Blue-Cross Blue-Shield of Colorado to Anthem Insurance. The Foundation has distributed more than $100 million in grants to improve health and healthcare in Colorado.
Prior to joining the Foundation Dr. Wiant was the Executive Director of the Tri-County Health Department, serving the residents in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties in metropolitan and rural Colorado. For 13 years he served as the Deputy Director at Tri-County and the Director of Environmental Health. Prior to coming to Colorado Dr. Wiant worked for the Illinois Department of Public Health where he was responsible for a variety of programs addressing the human health effects of exposure to toxic substances in the environment.
Dr. Wiant has been involved for many years in issues of national, state and local public health and environmental policy. He has been appointed to numerous boards and commissions including current responsibilities on the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission and the Colorado Pollution Prevention Advisory Board. Nationally, he has served on the EPA National Drinking Water Advisory Council, the Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) for development of regulations for disinfection by-products in drinking water (Stage I and II) and he was the chairman of the NSF International Council of Public Health Consultants. Dr. Wiant is also a past president of the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and the Colorado Public Health Association. He is also an adjunct instructor for the Texas A&M University through Texas Engineering and Extension and the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center.
Locally, he received recognition from the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for his work to lead a community effort that resulted in successful negotiation of a final remedy for the cleanup of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Dr. Wiant has also received awards from the National Environmental Health Association, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food Service Packaging Institute, the University of Colorado Board of Regents and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Dr. Wiant received a Bachelor degree in Chemistry from Illinois State University, a Masters in Health Services Administration and Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. in Public Administration with an emphasis in environmental policy from the University of Colorado.
Perspectives Articles byline:
Chris Wiant, M.P.H, Ph.D., is a founding president and CEO of the Caring for Colorado Foundation. He is chair of the Water Quality & Health Council and a former member of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council.