Elizabeth Cole - Incumbent

Elizabeth Cole is a Recycling & Waste Reduction Program Coordinator with the City of Beaverton. She works on numerous projects from assisting Beaverton businesses with recycling and waste reduction to regional campaigns on food waste prevention as well as collaborative projects to improve recycling at multifamily communities. Elizabeth holds a B.S. in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University and an M.B.A. from DeVry University.

How long and in what capacity(s) have you been involved with AOR (committees, conferences, tours ,etc.)?

I have attended and/or been a member of AOR for over 15 years. In 2021 I joined the fundraising committee and assisted in the virtual silent auction. Shortly after, I sat in as Interim Fundraising Chair for the remainder of its term and was elected to a full-term board position in October 2021. I have since taken the role as Secretary and have assisted with several projects including a bylaws update, our EDI work, updates to R101 and the 2022 Annual Report.

Why would you like to serve on the AOR Board of Directors?

I have really enjoyed serving on the AOR board over these past two years and would love the opportunity to continue to serve our AOR community. These are exciting times of change in our state with the implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act just around the corner. I would highly value the opportunity to represent AOR and our members as we work to improve Oregon’s recycling system. As an AOR Board member, I see it as my responsibility to both keep our membership informed and to listen and represent your voices.

What skills, expertise, and experience do you possess that would be make you a valuable addition?

I have over 15 years of experience in waste reduction and recycling education and outreach to our Oregon communities. I started my career in this field at Metro's Recycling Information Center providing customer service to community members with questions about recycling, waste reduction, and more. I am currently a Waste Reduction and Recycling Program Coordinator for the City of Beaverton where I develop and implement education and outreach programs for our residential and commercial community members among many other projects like annual DEQ reporting and franchise regulation. One example of my work is our region's Eat Smart, Waste Less Challenge. This is a campaign I helped to develop that provides tips, tools, and resources to help prevent the wasting of food. This program won the AOR Recycler of the Year Education/Promotion Program in 2016. I believe my experience, knowledge and passion for building a better Oregon create a skill set that will be of value to AOR and our membership. Thank you!