BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Dr. Jennifer Jurado was honored by the Hollywood City Commission which proclaimed August 26, 2015, as "Jennifer L. Jurado Day" in the City of Hollywood. Jurado, Broward's Director of Environmental Planning and Community Resilience (EPCRD) and Hollywood resident, received the recognition during a commission meeting at Hollywood City Hall in appreciation of her strong leadership on climate change issues.

Jurado has headed the EPCRD since 2008, where she leads the division's efforts in a wide range of environmental and natural resource programs covering many issues including climate change, water resources, beaches, marine resources, land stewardship, and environmental monitoring. She also plays a key role in the County's participation and leadership in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, a partnership among the four counties of southeast Florida, municipalities, and many other regional stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts.

Among many other awards, Jurado was honored by the White House in 2013 as a "Champion of Change" in the area of community resilience and received the Reitmeister Award from the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami in 2015. She has also been invited to participate in numerous high-level conferences and tours both in the US and abroad including France, South Africa, Colombia and the Netherlands. Jurado was also a staff contributor to President Obama's State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and has spoken at briefings in the United States Senate and the Florida Legislature.

Jurado, who is originally from Idaho, earned a doctorate in marine biology from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami. She lives with her husband and three children and their new dog.

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