Guest | Abigail Hendershott
In this episode of sh(e)=mc2 we meet Abigail Hendershott of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Abigail leads the team tasked with cleaning-up Michigan’s largest PFAS site as Executive Director of MPART. MPART is a multi-agency task force charged with investigating PFAS contamination, overseeing clean-up and other response activities aimed at protecting Michigan’s drinking water. Abigail shares her experience in leadership and the power of knowing your strengths and the importance of creating a team of who is not only skilled, but also happy. Abigail is excited to share her knowledge and connect with other science leaders to work to protect public health, as Abigail states, “It’s a great time to be in science.” Abigail graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Resource Development and Environmental Science. She has more than 25 years of project management experience for complex environmental remediation projects.
PFAS are fluorinated organic chemicals known as “forever chemicals” because they are persistent and bioaccumulate. Persistent means they do not break down in the environment and bioaccumulate refers to the process of building up over time in the blood and organs. Scientists and health professionals are concerned about PFAS because the chemicals are widespread in the environment, persist for long periods, and have been linked with human and natural resource health problems.
