The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate was created through Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order 2019-06. The Office operates as a type 1 agency within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, while having a connection to the Governor’s Office to elevate concerns.
The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate ensures that drinking water concerns are investigated and that trends are analyzed. Based on trend analysis, recommendations to laws, rules, regulations, and procedures will be made to ensure that community concerns are addressed. The Office also connects resources at the state and local level to ensure that Michigan is more responsive to drinking water quality concerns.
The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate’s Communication Strategy strives to ensure two-way communication among all stakeholders including community partners and residents.
Ninah Sasy serves as the Head of the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate.
Ninah Sasy comes to the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate with an extensive background in public health, emergency response, and strategic planning. Ninah is an innovative and strategic leader with proven success in driving operational excellence through transforming cultures, developing high performing teams, and administering statewide grant programs (upwards of $2M). She is committed to developing and implementing policies that positively impact families through the State of Michigan. Ninah is adept in identifying gaps in programs and formulating strategies that increase safety, quality, and service standards.
Ninah began her career with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services as the Chemical Threat Laboratory Exercise Coordinator. She was responsible for developing response plans and testing statewide capabilities to respond to a chemical exposure event. Ninah served as the Grant Administrator of the Michigan Energy Assistance Program within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Within this role, she monitored grantees to ensure that energy assistance payments were distributed equitably to low-income Michigan families and that grant funds were effectively utilized according to federal and state rules. Ninah’s public health experience includes serving as a Vaccine Specialist and more recently as the Senior Strategy Manager of the Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan. As the Senior Strategy Manager, Ninah worked with federal, state, local, and community partners to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
Ninah brings experience building strong collaborative relationships with community, local, and state partners to ensure the implementation of impactful statewide initiatives. She will ensure that statewide initiatives have community involvement and the opportunity for residents to provide input on state and locally led efforts to improve drinking water quality. With a Master of Science in Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science, Ninah brings a solid base of academic knowledge to support her experience and is committed to serving as an advocate to Michigan residents.