Director
Governor Kelly Armstrong appointed Jennifer Turnbow as Director of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in September 2026. The DEQ is responsible for protecting North Dakota’s air, land and water resources. The department implements protective programs and standards to help maintain and improve environmental quality.
Turnbow joined Bismarck-based engineering firm KLJ in 2003. She served as its director of environmental services from 2008 to 2018, when she was promoted to director of corridor services, leading the firm’s environmental, right-of-way, cultural resource and survey departments. She served as Fargo-based Ulteig Engineers’ associate director for transportation in 2020-2021 and as deputy director of planning for the North Dakota Department of Transportation in 2021-2022, overseeing all planning divisions and functions within the department. She returned to Ulteig in December 2022 to become senior director of business operations and field services until being appointed to lead DEQ.
A native of New Salem, 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 Phoenix-based Grand Canyon University. She is a past president of the North Dakota chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar and completed senior executive training from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.