An annual award presented by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) has recognized the outstanding accomplishments of a compliance inspector from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Kathi Crump is the recipient of this year’s Rodney Swartzendruber Outstanding Inspector Award. The award, named for a Valley Air District air-quality inspector who died in the line of duty, is given each year, by CAPCOA’s Enforcement Managers’ Committee to an inspector in one of the state’s 35 air quality management districts.
Crump’s wide array of contributions over her 25-year career include answering complaints and conducting inspections, health risk assessments, shaping policy in asbestos enforcement, developing rules in gasoline vapor recovery and many other technical compliance advancements.
“As important as those contributions are, Kathi’s true strength is her ability to mentor and lead staff. Kathi is a beloved supervisor who has inspired several new inspectors to pursue careers in the air quality field. She always encourages her staff to dive into issues and not conduct superficial inspections,” said Jacob Whitson, Valley Air District Director of Compliance. “She holds her staff accountable and makes sure that they are producing high quality work, but always in an encouraging way. Kathi is not only a resource to staff within the District, her input is sought after from other state and local agencies. Her dedication to public service, intelligence, work ethic, and service to enhance public health for all Californians makes her an outstanding example of the work performed across our state. Rod would be proud of her efforts.”
Presentation of this award has taken place since 2003 in honor of Rodney Swartzendruber, an inspector killed in an auto accident while assisting the state Air Resources Board with monitoring near the Westley tire fire in Stanislaus County in 1999. It recognizes inspectors who consistently demonstrate outstanding performance and who make significant contributions that benefit air pollution control efforts in an exemplary manner.
The Valley Air District covers eight counties including San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and San Joaquin Valley air basin portions of Kern. For additional information about the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, visit www.valleyair.org or call 559-230-6000.
