Gov. Armstrong names new leader for North Dakota environmental agency

Gov. Kelly Armstrong has tapped an engineering executive to lead the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. 

Jennifer Turnbow, senior director of business operations and field services at Ulteig Engineers, will lead the department that issues permits for air quality, permits for drainage and water discharge and monitors environmental quality. 

She also worked as the director of planning for the North Dakota Department of Transportation in 2021-2022 and as director of environmental services for the Bismarck-based engineering firm KLJ. 

 “Our citizens will benefit from her deep understanding of the relationship between our state’s infrastructure, industry and natural resources, and her strong commitment to the environmental stewardship that allows North Dakota to maintain some of the cleanest air, land and water in the nation,” Armstrong said in a news release. 

A native of New Salem in western North Dakota, Turnbow earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University.

Turnbow will start her new job Oct. 6. The previous director, Dave Glatt, retired July 31 after a 43-year career in state government.

Beth Jacobson, who has served as the Department of Environmental Quality’s interim director since Glatt retired July 31, will return to her role as director of accounting at DEQ.