Connie D. Dunn, PhD, holds considerable expertise in biology, analytical chemistry, microbiology, quality assurance, and environmental and clinical work. First earning a Bachelor of Science in biology from Texas Tech University, she went on to obtain a master’s degree in microbiology from Abilene Christian University. During this time, she was also active with the United States Air Force, where she served for 15 years to the rank of major. The Air Force sent her to study medical technology at the Wilford Hall Medical Facility at Lackland Air Force Base, where she obtained medical technology certification, and she took her education even further with a master’s degree in analytical chemistry and a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from Texas Tech University.
Early on in her career, Dr. Dunn worked at a clinical lab in Florida, where she was instrumental in helping to develop their standards for quality assurance. When the order came down that they needed to develop a quality assurance program, she took their existing quality control standards and incorporated a number of features from other programs to create a new established quality assurance standard. In the 1990s, that quality assurance work turned into more than simple calculating standard deviations, but also developing environments to prevent mishaps as opposed to only responding to problems after they happened. Throughout her career, Dr. Dunn has worked in forensic drug testing, urinalysis, food testing and managing a cholesterol standardization program.
In 2001, Dr. Dunn joined the environmental and quality laboratory for the city of Fort Worth, Texas, where she has excelled as a laboratory supervisor for quality assurance. Today, her duties include testing drinking and waste water to ensure that all the water supplied to citizens and customer cities is not just passing, but exceeding all of the state standards. She is incredibly proud of the fact that her laboratory was the first in her city to receive full accreditation in Texas in 2006. Furthermore, Dr. Dunn has served as an adjunct professor of chemistry and biology at Tarrant County College since 2001 as well.
Attributing much of her success to her tenacity, Dr. Dunn notes that it is important to keep an open mind and to be willing to try and commit to new things. She has learned to always take advantage of opportunities when they knock and to listen to the advice and stories of people with more experience than her. Above everything, Dr. Dunn loves working in a field where she has been able to succeed based on her abilities and work ethic. In order to keep abreast of new developments, she maintains professional affiliation with the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, the NELAC Institute, and more. She is also a fellow of the Texas Environmental Health Association and has been presented with the Samuel J. Crumbine Award from the National Environmental Health Association.