Speakers

	Dr. Anja Brandon \| Associate Director, U.S. Plastics Policy, Ocean Conservancy Dr. Anja Brandon is the Associate Director of U.S. Plastics Policy at Ocean Conservancy working to advance policy solutions to eliminate plastic pollution at the source. Anja has helped draft landmark state and national legislation regulating plastic pollution, including as part of the team of environmental advocates that helped draft and pass the strongest plastics legislation in the country, SB 54 in California, for which she was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People 2023. Prior to joining Ocean Conservancy, Anja was the AGU/AAAS Congressional Science Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), where she was the lead policy advisor on issues including plastics, ocean and water pollution, and toxic pollutants. Anja holds a Ph.D. in environmental engineering and science from Stanford University where she was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her research on plastic waste management challenges and novel methods to break down common plastics.
	SB Collins \| Senior Solid Waste Planner, Metro SB Collins is a senior solid waste planner working for Metro on the Community Stewardship group. SB’s primary focus is the development and implementation of RID Patrol’s Solid Waste Workforce Transition Program. The program provides jobs for people who have had systemic barriers to employment such as being justice involved, being in recovery from substance use disorder, people who do not have a high school diploma or GED, or someone who is housing unstable. The program provides a three-year supported employment program that provides an opportunity to build the skills needed to become a valued employee in the solid waste industry through on-the-job and classroom training. SB grew up in Eastern Washington, lived in Seattle and Portland, as well as Missouri, Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland, and currently lives in Vancouver, WA with their partner and two dogs.
	David Crawford \| Community Services Specialist, Lincoln County Solid Waste I came to Lincoln County Solid waste after a 28-year career with UPS. After retirement, I wanted to work part-time doing something meaningful for the community. The Abandoned RV Abatement Program was in the early stages of development and the program was budgeted for a field person to oversee the coordination of RV removal. It seemed like perfect fit for what I was looking for. I have been working with the County for around six months, learning something new every day and looking forward to the challenges I face in the future.
	Ame LeCocq \| Regional Environmental Manager, Recology Ame LeCocq is the Regional Environmental Compliance Manager for Recology’s Pacific Northwest Region, overseeing transfer stations, material recovery facilities, compost sites, and waste hauling operations in Washington and Oregon. She has worked in the environmental and safety field for more than 25 years, and specializes in stormwater, wastewater, hazardous waste, and solid waste compliance. Before joining Recology, she started her career in the used oil industry and continued as an independent EH&S consultant for waste handling and manufacturing operations. Ame is also a board member for the Oregon Refuse and Recycling Association. In her current role, Ame oversees all permitting and environmental compliance needs for 26 facilities, three of which are compost operations in Oregon.
	Pierce Louis \| Swiss Army Knife, Dirt Hugger Pierce Louis is a co-founder at Dirt Hugger, a commercial composting business located in the Columbia River Gorge. Dirt Hugger processes over 60,000 ton per year of organics into over 40,000 yards per year of OMRI Listed compost. Dirt Hugger employs over 30 professionals with the goal of creating positive environmental impact through world-class composting. Pierce also happily serves on the board of the US Composting Council.
	Josh Mulhollem \| Waterways Stewardship Program Manager, Oregon Department of State Lands Josh has been leading the Oregon Department of State Lands' Waterway Stewardship Program since it was created in 2023. The program is tasked with ensuring that state-owned submerged and submersible lands are managed for the public interests in fishery, navigation, commerce, and recreation, and it is primarily focused on clearing the state's waters of abandoned and derelict vessels and other unauthorized structures and anthropogenic debris. Prior to this position, Josh served as the Environment and Policy Program Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board, where he was also involved with the removal and disposal of hazardous boats. In his work with both state agencies, he's encountered the challenges associated with not only the complicated process of salvaging and removing sunk and deteriorating vessels, but also the disposition of the physical material associated with these vessels, much of which is not easily or inexpensively recycled.
	Everett Own \| Assistant Community Stewardship Planner, Metro I grew up in Portland and love living here. My first job working with garbage was as a seasonal maintenance worker with Portland Parks and Recreation, emptying trash cans in Forest Park. Since then, I have worked as a RID Patrol crew lead, cleaning up dumped garbage from around the region. I currently support the Community Stewardship team as an assistant planner. I am dedicated to advancing equity through public service and am grateful to work on a team that has such a positive impact on the place that we live.
	Michelle Parkins \| Public Space Team Incident Commander, City of Eugene My career with the City of Eugene began over 10 years ago doing park maintenance work. I have since moved on from field work to supervision and management. My current role is the manager over all the operations around the City's efforts responds to the various needs of the unhoused and the community stakeholders.
	Stephanie Rawson \| Community Stewardship Manager, Metro Stephanie currently manages Metro's Community Stewardship Program, which works to address the problem of dumped garbage on public property across the greater Portland area and provides other cleanup services through partnerships and its workforce transition program that offers job opportunities to people experiencing systemic employment barriers, focusing on those impacted by incarceration. She has 20 years of public sector experience at the state and local level working primarily on garbage and recycling matters including regulation, enforcement, management, disposal, and identifying and reducing barrier s to garbage services.
	Anallely Rodriguez \| Multifamily Outreach Manager, Trash for Peace My name is Anallely Rodriguez, and I am originally from Mexico. I came to the United States when I was 16 years old and I realized that this country would offer me many opportunities to grow professionally and personally, and so on. Since 2019 I have been working with the Portland, OR community and I discovered that this is what I am most passionate about: being surrounded by people and helping them with all or some of their needs, as it fills my heart with great joy. Working at Trash for Peace has been a great blessing, since I have the opportunity to continue working with the community doing outreach, educational workshops about recycling, participating at community events, and collaborating with our city partners like Portland and Gresham.
	Peter Spendelow \| Waste Reduction Specialist, Oregon DEQ Peter Spendelow has been a waste reduction specialist at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for 39 years. He started his career at DEQ helping to implement the then-new Oregon Recycling Opportunity Act in 1985. Since then he has overseen nine full waste composition studies as well as helped analyze data for the annual Oregon Material Recovery Survey since 1992, and worked on many other policy-related issues including on teams developing the 2050 Vision for Materials Management in Oregon and helping to implement the Oregon Recycling Modernization Act.
	Taylor Cass Talbott \| Co-Director, Ground Score Association Taylor is the Advocacy and North America Coordinator for the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP). She is also a co-director and founding member of Ground Score Association, a democratic organization of waste pickers in Portland, Oregon. Taylor has worked at the crossroads of waste reduction, job creation, and social inclusion for almost 20 years, as a project manager, organizer, dumpster diver, and artist. She is originally from Portland.
	Ryan Torgerson \| RID Crew Lead, RID Patrol I started working for RID Patrol as a contracted employee from Central City Concern five years ago. I'm proud to say that I am a product of Central City Concerns' programs to help people find recovery from homelessness and drug addiction. I am going on three years of being a full-time Metro employee now and am grateful to have over seven years in recovery.
	Barbra Weber \| Co-Founder/Co-Executive Director, Ground Score Association Barbra (Barbie) Weber is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director for Ground Score Association, a waste picker organization in Portland, Oregon. Barbra organizes with various local, national, and international organizations. Barbra is a second generation waste picker, a villager in a self-governed informal settlement, and a committed advocate on issues regarding hygiene access, environmental justice, worker rights, systemic poverty, and systemic racism. Barbra believes in inclusive community collaboration. She is a gifted public speaker, experienced organizer, and is well-respected in her community. Her artistic endeavors include playing guitar in public and painting pottery for charity.