Sam Rubens, MPA

Sam Rubens is an Adjunct Instructor in the College of Public Health and a nationally recognized leader in environmental health and air quality management. Throughout his career, he has worked to safeguard the residents of Summit, Medina, and Portage Counties from the harmful impacts of air pollution through innovative policy, public health initiatives, and regional collaboration. Since 2012, he has served as Administrator of the Akron Regional Air Quality Management District, where his expertise has earned recognition at the local, state, national, and international levels. Beyond air quality, Rubens brings extensive experience across the broader environmental health landscape, having managed programs in healthy housing, solid waste, vector control, and multiple grant-funded public health initiatives with Summit County Public Health.

Starting in 2014, he has taught more than 15 public health courses during his tenure at Kent State University, bringing real-world experience and applied expertise into the classroom. His recent teaching portfolio includes Community Needs Health Assessment, Environmental Health Concepts, Introduction to Environmental Health, and Air Pollution. Rubens is particularly passionate about the intersection of environmental health and community well-being, with specialized interests in asthma prevention, air pollution forecasting, and the public health impacts of environmental exposure.

A proud alumnus of Kent State, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1994 and later completed a Master of Public Administration at The University of Akron in 2007. After more than three decades of dedicated service in public health, Rubens is set to retire from Summit County Public Health at the end of 2026, concluding a distinguished 32-year career devoted to advancing environmental health and protecting community well-being.