Stakeholder engagement has gained attention as a tool available for decision-makers to improve public communication, transparency, trust, and understanding of scientific issues under deliberation. Stakeholders may come from a variety of constituencies, including potentially regulated industries, state and local governments, and the general public, typically represented by community groups and/or non-profit organizations with shared interests. However, building stakeholder engagement into processes may raise concerns about potential delays for releasing products or making decisions. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the implications and effectiveness of various types of engagement. Additionally, the inherent diversity of a stakeholder population can create a challenge for meaningful and equitable engagement, particularly on scientific issues where stakeholders may have varied levels of understanding. This symposium discusses stakeholder engagement strategies used in different environmental and public health programs and evaluates the contributions of these strategies. Panelists will identify stakeholder populations and discuss lessons learned, addressing how to balance the benefits of stakeholder engagement with the implications for process and project management and how stakeholder engagement results in more effective risk communication with increased transparency, trust, and public support for decisions.