Board Members

Peter Adrian, Recycling Coordinator, Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, IL – [email protected]

Pete Adrian has been talking trash since 1994 when he was managing a student run recycling program at Northern Illinois University. He has been with SWALCO since 2001, assisting various municipalities and organizations within Lake County to decrease the toxicity and volume of waste disposed in our landfills through the implementation of aggressive recycling and waste diversion initiatives.

Rick Anthony – [email protected]

Richard V. Anthony is volunteer board member of ZWIA who began his career in Public Administration in 1971 as a manager of the California State University Long Beach Recycling Center. He received a MS in Public Administration in 1974. Mr. Anthony has worked his entire career in environmental program management positions. He is an internationally recognized and published expert in the area of Resource Management using the Zero Waste Systems approach. Richard Anthony is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the California Resource Recovery Association, the Grassroots Recycling Network, the Zero Waste International Alliance, the USA National Recycling Coalition.

Stephen Bantillo, Executive Director, Recycling Certification Institute – [email protected] 

Jay Bassett, Board of Directors, Lifecycle Building Center – [email protected]

Jay Bassett has 35 years of public service with over 14 years leading and working transforming EPA’s unfinished business of RCRA with EPA’s “Road Ahead” principles by accelerating the broad, ongoing public dialogue on sustainable materials management.  He also served as an advisor for EPA’s community driven solutions to achieve meaningful outcomes on priority issues for communities.  Jay serves on several boards for “sustainability based” local, state, and national nonprofits and coalitions and has been active in engaging and advancing K12 initiatives and green school programs as a foundation for sustainable community and circular economy development.

Keima Borsuah, Board of Directors, Oklahoma State University – [email protected]

Keima is a huge fan of the environment and always ready to give her time, ideas in supporting environmental sustainability. Her role with the university has over the years introduced her to working with diverse groups within the environmental arena. She is a member of the NRC through her membership with OKRA. 

Teresa Bradley, CEO, Race to Zero Waste  – [email protected]

Teresa is the CEO of Race to Zero Waste and is the strategic vision of the organization. She works with the organization’s staff, board, volunteers, and contractors to develop new concepts and make zero waste more accessible. Teresa holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco and is TRUE Zero Waste certified.

Colleen Foster, Senior Associate, HF&H Consultants – [email protected]

Experienced professional with over 20 years in zero waste programming, planning, and policy with a focus on supporting local government in achieving their climate action, waste, recycling, organics, sustainable food systems, and extended producer responsibility goals, funding needs, and regulatory compliance.

Wayne Gjerde – [email protected] | Ph 651-757-2392 | Cell 651-285-0460

As the Recycling Market Development Coordinator with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Wayne consults with startup and expanding companies in the areas of finance, new product development, business plan development, sales and marketing. Wayne has also done extensive work in economic analysis linking the environment and economy. Wayne has been a speaker at many local and national recycling events.

Wayne has forty plus year’s experience in market development, financial analysis, banking, new business start-ups, sales, marketing, new product development, customer service, consulting, business development, extended producer responsibility and management. He has worked in the private and public sector.

Wayne is a current Board member of the National Recycling Coalition.

Wayne earned his B.S. in Business Administration at St. John’s University-Collegeville, MN. He also has attended the Minnesota Bankers Commercial Lending School and Robert Morris Associates Commercial Lending School

Damany Head – [email protected]

A Managing Partner in Essential Recycling, where Damany has been expanding recycling in the commercial industry since 2008, he is an engineer by trade and a leader by birth. His natural ability to relate to people, while simultaneously driving concrete results, demonstrates his creative power.

Damany is significantly invested in his community. In 2016, he became the Chair of the Pontiac Regional Chamber of Commerce Board, where he works with civic, governmental, and business leaders to have a voice in the city’s planning initiatives and to enhance the business climate in the city. In the past two years Damany has worked with schools, community partners, and Pontiac Regional Chamber Members to create the Pontiac United Education Coalition (PUEC), a 501c3 non-profit organization, aimed at improving educational outcomes for students in Pontiac, and providing parent support. The PUEC launched Pontiac READS! in 2021, which is a local chapter of the Campaign For Grade Level Reading, aimed at increasing the reading proficiency of children by 3rd grade.

Charles Kamenides, Waste Services Manager, City of Longmont (CO) – [email protected]

Charles Kamenides is the Waste Services Manager for the City of Longmont Colorado Waste Services Department. Technical experiences include development and management of collection systems, recycling centers, public outreach and education programs, state and local policy and sustainability planning.  Major improvements and focus areas include development and implementation of curbside organics collection, enhanced pay-as-you-throw rate structure, and an every-other-week trash collection option for the residential sector. 

Charles was instrumental in the design and construction of a Renewable Natural Gas fueling system, in which methane gas from the city’s wastewater treatment plant is made into fuel for the solid waste collection vehicles.  This system reduces the reliance and costs associated with carbon fuels and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.  Charles is the president of the board of directors for Recycle Colorado, represents the City of Longmont at the Boulder County Resource Conservation Advisory Board, and a SWANA member.

Marta Keane – [email protected]

Marta has been involved in the recycling industry since 1988, starting in the private sector but joining the public sector in 1992. She has been the Recycling Coordinator and Environmental Programs Administrator in several municipalities over the years. For the past 18 years she has filled the role of the Will County Recycling Specialist, writing the County Solid Waste Plan, implementing collection programs for a variety of materials and coordinating education through the website, social media and advertising. She has been a member of the Illinois Recycling Association since 1992, serving as a Board Member and is a past-president. She is also Chair of the Illinois Product Stewardship Council, the current president of the Illinois Recycling Foundation, and an NRC Board Member since 2020. She is on the NRC Communications Committee and Legislative Committee. She enjoys nature, serving on a couple local non-profits, being a wife and the mother of two.

Kristine Kubat – [email protected]

Kristine adds to this expertise as someone with direct experience across a broad range of social and political roles, serving as a grassroots organizer, a volunteer, the executive director a legacy recycling organization and as chief aide to a Hawaii state senator. She is eager to continue working with NRC to fulfill its mission and elevate its influence.

Leslie Lukacs, Executive Director, Zero Waste Sonoma – [email protected]

Leslie Lukacs is the Executive Director of Zero Waste Sonoma formally known of the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency and oversees Household Hazardous Waste, recycling, organics and zero waste program for Sonoma County. Leslie has worked over 20 years in solid waste and resource management industry.  Previously to this position, Leslie was the Director of Zero Waste at SCS Engineers, a solid waste, recycling and organics management consulting firm, for 13 years and had her own consulting company for 7 years.

Leslie serves as President of the National Recycling Coalition and has served on the Board of Directors for 3 years.  Prior to being appointed to the NRC board, Leslie represented the California Resource Recovery Association on the Recycling Organization Council.  Leslie is an advisor to the Zero Waste International Alliance, the Zero Waste USA and the California Resource Recovery Association.  She is also the founder of numerous stakeholder groups including the Green Initiatives for Venues and Events (GIVE) Council, Compost Coalition of Sonoma County, Sonoma County Zero Waste Task Force, and the Zero Waste North Bay Symposium.

Mary McClellan, Executive Director, Carolina Recycling Association – [email protected]

Mary McClellan has served as the Executive Director of the Carolina Recycling Association (CRA) since 2016, serving North and South Carolina’s recycling industry with a mission to advance waste reduction and recycling in the Carolinas.  She has happily contributed to the recycling industry for the past 20 years in the state & local government, private, and non-profit sectors.  She is an executive board member of the National Recycling Coalition and has served on the Board since 2018.  

Lisa McDaniel – [email protected]

Lisa oversees regional solid waste management policy and planning initiatives related to waste reduction, resource recovery and market development in the Kansas City metro. Prior to joining MARC, Lisa managed a variety of solid waste projects for both municipal and private sector clients. She currently serves as the chair of the Missouri Product Stewardship Council and is a past President of the Missouri Waste Control Coalition.

Gina McKinley, Assistant Director, Austin Resource Recovery, City of Austin – [email protected]

Gena McKinley is an Assistant Director for Austin Resource Recovery (ARR), the City department charged with the implementation of Austin’s Zero Waste Plan, where she directs, develops and maintains key departmental goals. She’s spent nearly two decades working in the solid waste industry. Prior to the City of Austin, Gena worked at a regional council of government, with a focus on technical assistance for municipal waste management. Her leadership, commitment and advocacy for zero waste earned national recognition as she was chosen to be included in Waste360s 40 Under 40 list of rising stars in the industry. Gena holds a Masters of Public Health from the UT School of Public Health and a BA from Southwestern University in Biology and Sociology.

Marialyce Pedersen, Board Member, TRUE Advisor – [email protected]

Marialyce Pedersen is a professional writer, sustainable materials management professional and certified TRUE Advisor, supporting waste prevention, reuse, composting, responsible plastics use and ocean and climate protection. She served as NRC Board Secretary from 2019-2022, and was re-elected to a second term on the NRC Board of Directors in 2022, and will continue to volunteer on the Communications, Legislative and Membership committees. She also serves on the GBCI TRUE Advisory Council and helped to develop the TRUE Advisor course and exam in 2017. Marialyce was a senior environmental policy analyst for Disney for 16 years; worked in recycling for local government; and developed curriculum and taught a Zero Waste in Business course for community college students in 2012-2013. Marialyce can often be found outdoors – hiking, walking, e-biking, swimming and exploring and traveling the world, or at her home in So Cal, gardening, entertaining cats and working on green remodeling projects.

Brittany Rosenberg – [email protected]

Martie Solomon, Recycling Specialist II, City of Chula Vista (CA) – [email protected] | [email protected]

With 28 years in the trash industry, Martie’s focus is to educate the public and help them with proper program implementation. She has been a member of the NRC through her state RO CRRA (California Resource Recovery Association) since 2002, but joined the Board as a member at large in 2020. Martie has been the Treasurer for the NRC for the past year and is excited to be part of this organization because she believes it is important to have a nationwide focus. 

 Staff

Ama Luna, Intern,  UC San Diego – [email protected]