Honoring Karla Armenti
Karla Armenti and IOD colleagues celebrate her retirement.
As 2025 comes to a close, the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire is proud to celebrate the extraordinary career of Karla Armenti — a leader whose work has strengthened workplace health, elevated family well-being, and inspired future public health professionals across New Hampshire and beyond.
From state-level public health policy to national advisory roles with NIOSH, Karla Armenti’s leadership has strengthened the systems that protect workers and families. Her commitment to research, education, and inclusion reflects the IOD’s core belief that communities are strongest when they embrace everyone.
We celebrate Karla’s remarkable career, her many contributions to New Hampshire, and the lasting legacy she leaves for the next generation of public health leaders.
Two recent UNH Today articles highlight the depth and impact of her contributions.
Celebrating a Career Dedicated to Worker Health
For nearly a decade, Karla led the New Hampshire Occupational Health Surveillance Program (NH OHSP), a partnership funded by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Under her guidance, the program became a trusted source of research and policy insight, helping New Hampshire better understand how work environments shape health, safety, and equity across industries and communities.
Karla’s approach has always centered on people — the workers, families, and communities behind every data point. Through her teaching in UNH’s Master of Public Health program, she has inspired countless emerging professionals to link safer workplaces with stronger, more inclusive communities. As she steps into retirement, Liu Yang will assume leadership of NH OHSP, continuing the vital work she helped strengthen.
Recognized for Advancing Inclusion in the Workplace
Shortly after announcing her retirement, Karla was honored by the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Task Force for her leadership in promoting workplace policies that support nursing employees. Her team’s 2024 survey of New Hampshire businesses revealed that while many employers offer space for lactation, far fewer have established policies or clear communication to ensure equitable accommodations.
This research informed the state’s 2025 lactation accommodation law and underscored an essential truth at the heart of Karla’s work: supporting worker health means supporting families.
“Supporting breastfeeding parents in the workplace isn’t just a matter of comfort — it’s a matter of health, safety, and inclusion,” she shared. “When employers provide time, space, and respect for nursing needs, they help build a culture where every worker can thrive.”
