Speakers

Donny Addison | Waste Prevention Program Analyst, City of Eugene

Donny Addison is a Waste Prevention Analyst for the City of Eugene Waste Prevention Program. Donny has worked in the waste management field for over 18 years managing collegiate recycling programs at both Auburn University and the University of Oregon. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Donny has lived in Eugene for nine years. Donny graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a master's degree in agriculture.

Denise Barnes | Education & Outreach Coordinator, Rogue Disposal & Recycling

Denise Barnes has worked for Rogue Disposal for 40 years and was instrumental in the development of the Jackson County Recycling Partnership formed to address and comply with County-wide solid waste and recycling issues and mandates, and provides education and outreach around recycling and waste prevention. Denise grew up in a small rural town on the Big Island of Hawaii where conservation, waste prevention, and reuse were a way of life.

Alex Bertolucci | Oregon Communications Manager, Circular Action Alliance

Alex Bertolucci (he/him) is the Communication Manager for Circular Action Alliance Oregon, where he works with an amazing team to develop and launch a suite of education and outreach materials for the first extended producer responsibility program for paper and packaging in the United States. Alex has over 15 years of experience working in the public and private sectors of sustainable material management. Alex earned his bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Go Geoducks (gooey ducks)! Two fun facts about him — his favorite color is shiny, and he loves LEGO.

Udara Abeysekera Bickett | Community Sustainability Consultant

Udara Abeysekera Bickett is a sustainability consultant with over a decade of experience delivering engaging presentations, developing practical resource guides, and planning impactful events. Most recently, she managed the Rethink Waste Program at The Environmental Center, where she expanded community partnerships carrying out waste reduction solutions and transformed the Community Innovation Fund into a robust grant program, earning a 2023 Sustainable Oregon Award. She also engaged in policy initiatives, serving on committees supporting the Recycling Modernization Act and Right to Repair efforts. Previously, at the UCI Sustainability Resource Center, Udara led campus-wide educational events. She takes special pride in mentoring students who founded the Environmental Justice Collective and developing diverse partnerships to expand internship opportunities beyond conventional definitions of sustainability. Currently, Udara offers tailored support for community-driven sustainability efforts in Central Oregon. Most days you'll find Udara in her garden, joyfully growing flowers and food alongside her toddler and pup.

Aaron Burman | VP of Data and Analytics, Circular Action Alliance

Aaron Burman has joined the Circular Action Alliance (CAA) as the VP of Data and Analytics. He joins CAA to lead development of the tools and team for fee setting, recycling system performance monitoring, and service provider reporting. He looks forward to supporting the organization and producers in meeting the goals set by each state policy.

Aaron has most recently held the position of Vice President of Data and Analytics The Recycling Partnership where he led the development of the National Recycling Database, Recycle Check, and their internal reporting systems. Previously, he led the development of a big-data supply chain modeling tool for LLamasoft and prior to that led the data team for RRS.

Aaron has a strong background in building trusted teams, system modeling, database development and design, optimization of recovery value chains, recycled material supply, sustainable packaging strategy, and more. 

Elaine J. Cole | Workshop Development Manager, School of Ranch

Elaine J. Cole was raised by resourceful, creative, and crafty parents—and it shows in everything she does. Most recently she helped revise the Recycling 101 course, which is live. Now she shares her skills with the School of Ranch as the Chief Talent Wrangler, aka Workshop Development Manager, responsible for creating new workshops and implementing them throughout Central Oregon. In her spare time she assists with The Environmental Center’s Repair Cafés, where she’s known as a jewelry fixer, darner, and expert problem solver.

Louisa de Heer | Sustainability Consultant, Parametrix

Louisa de Heer is an experienced management consultant who provides clients with research, technical analysis, and program development. Her work includes lifecycle and GHG analyses and climate action planning for public and private organizations. She developed deep reporting for USAID on waste management to prevent ocean-bound plastic contamination in Latin America. Louisa is also an international entrepreneur and has been a member of City of Eugene's Sustainability Commission.
 

Claudia Denton | Climate Consultant and GHG Lead, Parametrix

Claudia Denton serves clients with research and analysis on carbon emissions, climate action, future conditions, and triple bottom line management. With expertise in greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis, climate action planning, and technical analysis, Claudia supports both public and private sector clients in advancing climate and sustainability goals.

Her work intersects with solid waste management where she helps organizations quantify their environmental impact, implement strategies to reduce emissions, and integrate sustainable waste management practices into broader climate initiatives. Through strategic project management and data-driven analysis, Claudia helps organizations implement forward-thinking solutions that enhance sustainability principles in an equitable and accessible way.

She is passionate about leveraging best practices combined with local interests to create resilient, low-carbon communities for the future. 

Anne Germain | Chief of Technical & Regulatory Affairs, National Waste & Recycling Association

Anne Germain is the Chief of Technical & Regulatory Affairs for the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) responsible for establishing and implementing strategies for recycling, landfilling, and sustainability. She has over 30 years in the industry that includes extensive background in analysis of industry trends, contracting, engineering, operations, and compliance.

Prior to joining NWRA, Anne was Chief Engineer with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA). Anne is a Past President of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and is a trustee-at-large for the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES). She is a professional engineer and a board-certified environmental engineer with a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. In 2020, she received the Legacy Award from MSW Management, and in 2023 she was named to the inaugural class of Waste360’s "Women Who Inspire."

Mitra Gruwell | Community Engagement Coordinator, Materials Exchange Center for the Community Arts

Mitra Gruwell is an upcycle fashion/product designer, educator, and consultant with a focus on business and program management, entrepreneurship, and creative curriculum development. As the owner of Discard Upcycling, her mission is to make sustainable design using waste materials more accessible and affordable for both businesses and individuals. Mitra is the Board President and program manager/developer for nonprofit Viking Textile Maker Hub, offering education and access to industrial sewing skills and equipment, and she teaches workshops on machine operation and sewing, textile repair, upcycling, and design thinking. She is a Sustainability Commissioner for the City of Eugene, Master Recycler, the Fix-It Fair Coordinator as well at the Community Engagement Coordinator for local nonprofit the Materials Exchange Center for the Community Arts (MECCA). Mitra is passionate about the arts and sustainability, and the roles creativity and innovation play in creating a healthy and sustainable future for humanity and the planet alike.

Miriam Hecht | Board Member, ReClaim It

Miriam Hecht is a current board member and past president of Cracked Pots / ReClaim It, a nonprofit focused on environmental sustainability and creative reuse. She has previously served on the boards of Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Jewish Family and Child Service, and the Arlington Heights and South Burlingame Neighborhood Associations. Miriam is a former Chief Planner for the City of Portland and also served as a docent at the Portland Art Museum.

Marissa Heffernan | Associate Editor, Resource Recycling, Inc.

Marissa Heffernan joined Resource Recycling in January 2022 after working as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington and Southern Arizona. After developing a special focus on recycling policy, they are also the creator and editor of the monthly newsletter Policy Now.

Kim Holmes | Oregon Executive Director, Circular Action Alliance

Kim Holmes is the Oregon Executive Director for Circular Action Alliance. Prior to assuming this role with CAA, Kim managed her own consulting firm, working with clients to drive innovative packaging solutions and recycling systems. Much of this work includes developing unique collaborations that aim to overcome barriers to achieving circularity, particularly for plastic packaging. She also led efforts for clients on advocacy, strategies for bringing new recycling technologies to market, and advancing the use of recycled content.

Prior to consulting, she has held the role of Vice President of Sustainability for the Plastics Industry Association, working with the entire plastics supply chain to develop new approaches to understanding recycled materials and developing new end markets. She was also part of the innovation team at SABIC Innovative Plastics, which became one of the first prime resin producers to develop and commercialize high-quality recycled resins.

Kim currently resides with her family in Scappoose, Oregon, where they enjoy paddleboarding, hiking, biking, and mushroom hunting. Kim is also passionate about community and public service and is serving in her first term as a City Councilor in Scappoose.

Lexie Houchins-Park | Community Experience Coordinator, Central Oregon Locavore

While she loves to get her hands dirty helping out at local farms, Lexie Houchins-Park's expertise lies in communications and networking to secure a resilient local food system in Central Oregon. Combining her ecological background with her belief in just and sustainable food systems, Lexie strives everyday to empower local communities to learn about and support farmers who prioritize strong land stewardship and bring the most nutrient-dense food available to Central Oregonians from soil to fork.

Kimberly Kinney | CEO, Founder, and Innovator, Rugged Thread Outerwear Repair

Kimberly Kinney is the founder and CEO of Rugged Thread, a national leader in technical outdoor gear repair based in Bend, Oregon. She is also the visionary behind Stitch, an AI-powered quoting system for repair triage, and the Outdoor Industry Repair Alliance, a movement to scale repair across brands, consumers, and skilled trades. Through her work, Kimberly is transforming textile waste into a viable repair economy and elevating sewing as a respected, sustainable career path. Her leadership bridges innovation, circular design, and hands-on craft to reduce waste and extend the life of outdoor products—locally and nationwide.

Jackie Kirouac-Fram | Executive Director, The ReBuilding Center

Jackie Kirouac-Fram has spent her career helping nonprofits thrive through stakeholder engagement, strategic collaboration, and continuous improvement toward equity and inclusion. Since March 2019, she has served as Executive Director at the ReBuilding Center, a nonprofit that supports community resilience in the Portland, Oregon, region by providing access to affordable home improvement materials and skills-building classes in repair and reuse, and diverts more than 2 million pounds of material from landfills each year.

Marisa Kraft | Oregon Depot Manager, Circular Action Alliance

Marisa Kraft is the Oregon Depot Manager for Circular Action Alliance, leading the development of PRO Recycling Center depots across the state. She previously led business development initiatives at Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative and held leadership roles at iconic Oregon brands KEEN, Killer Burger, and Salt & Straw, where she focused on operations and marketing.

Stephanie Kraus | Marketing and Communications Manager, Sustainable Generation

Stephanie Kraus is a seasoned marketing and communications manager with over 15 years of experience in marketing and sales. Her diverse background spans working with startups to large global corporations, where she has excelled in various roles encompassing project management, strategy development, graphic design, and digital marketing initiatives. With a professional journey that includes stints in the automotive and AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industries, Stephanie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role at Sustainable Generation, an Advanced Composting Technology company.

Stephanie is a proud alumna of Oakland University, holding bachelor's degrees in both international affairs and relations as well as social work. Her educational background has equipped her with a unique perspective and a broad skill set that she leverages to drive marketing and communications initiatives effectively.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Stephanie finds joy in spending time with her husband, toddler, and pets in their home in Portland, Oregon. They embrace the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, engaging in outdoor activities and exploring all that the region has to offer.

Anna Kurnizki | Executive Director, Community Warehouse

Anna Kurnizki has dedicated over a decade to advancing the mission of Community Warehouse, serving as Executive Director since 2021. With 12 years of experience at the organization (starting from an internship in 2012), Anna has been instrumental in growing its impact, fostering partnerships, and ensuring thousands of neighbors transitioning into housing have the essential furnishings they need to create safe, stable homes. Passionate about equity, justice, and community-centered practices, Anna brings a dynamic and collaborative approach to her work. Under her guidance, Community Warehouse has become a vital resource for the region: addressing furniture poverty, investing in the reuse economy, and building a stronger, more resilient community.

Laura Leebrick | Governmental Affairs Manager - Oregon, Rogue Waste/Waste Connections

Laura Leebrick currently serves as the Governmental Affairs Manager for Waste Connections in Oregon, and her home base is at Rogue Disposal in Medford. She has 26 years of experience in the private sector solid waste and recycling realm, in roles ranging from recycling education and outreach, collection and transfer station operations management, solid waste industry advocacy, and public affairs. 

Through her work, Laura has had the opportunity to be engaged in solid waste, recycling, alternative energy, and transportation-related policy development at the state and local levels and has participated in various policy and rulemaking workgroups. 

Laura has been deeply involved in the work to develop Oregon’s recently adopted Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) since it first began in 2019. Her involvement has continued through the present time, and she currently serves as one of the recycling industry representatives on the Oregon Recycling System Advisory Council (ORSAC). 

Laura has served for many years on the AOR Board as Treasurer, and serves as Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Oregon Refuse & Recycling Association (ORRA). Laura is an avid hiker and kayaker, eager traveler to places near and far, and is a ridiculously proud and over-indulgent mom to her dog, Ollie, and two cats, Henry and Ming.

Dan Leif | Policy Implementation Director, The Recycling Partnership

Dan Leif is Policy Implementation Director at The Recycling Partnership. In that role, he helps connect The Recycling Partnership's expertise in on-the-ground recycling program improvement to extended producer responsibility systems that are are taking shape in Oregon and other states. Dan has lived in Portland, Oregon, since 2008 and formerly served as editor of industry trade journal Resource Recycling.

Samantha Longshore | Community Program Manager, The Recycling Partnership

Samantha Longshore has a strong background in managing residential recycling collection and waste diversion programs. As a Community Program Manager at The Recycling Partnership, she assists with education and outreach efforts for Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act, provides technical assistance and guidance to grantees, and manages statewide recycling quality improvement grant programs including multi-year programs for the state of Michigan and Ohio EPA.

Prior to joining The Recycling Partnership, Samantha served as a sustainability consultant as well as the Resource Recovery Program Manager for the City of Milwaukee, where she managed recycling collection and waste diversion programs serving 187,000 single-family households. In addition to operations of a publicly owned MRF, drop-off centers, and municipal hauling program, Samantha provided public communications and education programming through a variety of media.

Michelle Metzler | Executive Director, Participation and Capture, The Recycling Partnership

Michelle Metzler is the Executive Director of Participation and Capture at The Recycling Partnership and brings over 15 years of industry experience. At The Partnership, Michelle leads a team that works with communities to optimize local recycling systems by advancing access, participation, and capture. Her team works with communities to implement grants, provide technical assistance to communities, and implement qualitative and in-field research to measure the effectiveness of emerging strategies. Michelle previously held positions with WM where she provided consulting and ongoing assistance to municipal governments in implementing new resource recovery programs, directed a team of recycling education coordinators in working with 100+ municipalities to implement recycling behavior change campaigns throughout the Pacific Northwest, and developed relationships with elected officials, city staff, and community organizations to manage solid waste contracts, identifying and executing initiatives to increase efficiency, reduce cost, and conserve resources.

Mike Miller | Public Works Director, City of Florence

Mike Miller brings more than 40 years of professional public works experience in water, wastewater, stormwater, streets, parks, airport, fleet, and facilities operations and management. Prior to becoming the Public Works Director with Florence, Mike worked for the City of Bend and the City of Tigard.

While in Bend, Mike was the recipient of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds Award for special efforts to promote energy and water conservation that benefits watershed health.

As the Public Works Director for the City of Florence, in addition to leading the Department for the last 18 years, Mike has been instrumental in bringing innovative, sustainable, ecological, and cost-effective solutions to the City. Everything from finding a long-term, cost-effective method of managing the City’s biosolids program to building a modern public works facility that features LEED principles.

Chris Parta | Government Relations Consultant, Parta Oregon

Chris Parta is the founder and Principal of Parta Oregon, Inc., a government relations firm in Beaverton, Oregon. As a government relations consultant, Chris represents a variety of clients including multiple environmental/natural resource organizations, higher education faculty associations, and human service providers by advocating for them in the state legislature and administrative agencies. He has also worked with legal associations and on land use issues during his career in government.

Chris began his government relations career working with C and E Systems and Kristen Leonard before opening his own firm. During his tenure at Parta Oregon, Chris has worked with a variety of clients, including the Association of Oregon Recyclers, building lasting relationships with legislators and key policymakers in Oregon.

Chris is a graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, earning his Juris Doctorate with a certificate in environmental law. He is a current member of the
Oregon State Bar Association.

Currently Chris is working with AOR navigating the 2025 legislative session and educating policymakers on AOR’s issues.

Nora Paul | Board Member/Volunteer/Artist, ReClaim It/Cracked Pots

Former journalist and professor, now dedicated reuse artist and supporter of rehoming discarded treasures. Nora Paul is on the board of ReClaim It by Cracked Pots, volunteers as a cashier at the store each week, and crafts strangely useful stuff from used materials.

Sarah Phillips | Corporate Compliance Manager, Waste Connections

Sarah Phillips is a civil and environmental engineer with over 10 years' experience in the solid waste industry. Currently she serves as the Corporate Compliance Manager at Waste Connections where she assists operations across North America with regulatory compliance and government affairs needs.

Josh Proudfoot | Director Climate and Sustainability, Parametrix (formerly Good Company)

Josh Prooudfoot is a founder and former owner of Good Company, a research and management consultancy focused on measuring, managing, and marketing your triple bottom line - people, planet, and profits. Recently, Josh brought his practice to Parametrix - a 50-year-old employee-owned environmental science, planning, and civil engineering firm. Now Josh leads the Climate and Sustainability practice with a focus on Infrastructure, clean technology, and food systems.
 

Greg Ryan | Oregon Recycling Manager, Circular Action Alliance

Greg Ryan has worked in the recycling and waste industries for the past 27 years. Prior to joining Pioneer Recycling, he served as Plant Manager for WestRock’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Portland, Oregon. He brings detailed knowledge of and extensive experience in MRF operation and management to his role with Pioneer.
 

Courtney Savoie | Senior Hydrogeologist, Maul Foster Alongi

Courtney Savoie is a Senior Hydrogeologist at Maul Foster Alongi, based out of Portland, Oregon. She has over 12 years of experience in the environmental field, including site investigations of both upland and in-water environments, data modeling and visualization, litigation support, and allocation and chemical attribution evaluations.

Russell Simpson | Owner, Reuse All Detritus LLC

Russell Simpson is a creative maker, entrepreneur, and ethically good problem solver. With a master's degree in architecture and a decade of experience building businesses, both solo and with community, they have worked towards mitigating large scale challenges by acting locally. Russell focuses on equitable solutions for reducing waste, feeding people, and supporting marginalized populations.

Holly Stirnkorb | Principal Planner, Metro

Holly Stirnkorb brings two decades of public and private sector experience to her role as Principal Planner at Metro, the regional government in the Portland metropolitan area. She is responsible for leading policy development projects and collaborating with others to advance Metro's 2030 Regional Waste Plan. Holly has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University.

Jackie Wilson | Community Outreach Coordinator, Deschutes County Solid Waste

Jackie Wilson is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Deschutes County Solid Waste, where she leads efforts to reduce waste through education, outreach, and community engagement. With a Master’s in sustainability education and a background as the former Sustainability Manager for Bend-La Pine Schools, Jackie is passionate about creating systems that prevent waste, conserve resources, and inspire local action. She works closely with residents, schools, and partner organizations to promote recycling, composting, and mindful consumption.

Danielle Womble | Western Region Recruiter, Waste Connections

Danielle Womble is a Western Region Recruiter for Waste Connections (2022-current), previously the Commercial Recycle Coordinator for their Vancouver District (2014-2022). She has served the last three years as the Conference Chair/Co-Chair on the AOR Board of Directors and have been a volunteer with the conference committee for the two years prior to that and volunteered as a conference committee member for WSRA (2017-2018). Danielle is a Master Composter/Recycler (2015) and received her Recycling 101 certification (2014) through OSU/AOR. She has a Bachelor of Science in natural resources from Oregon State University (2012), a Women in Leadership certificate from Cornell University (2021), a Servant Leadership certification from Cornell (2024), and recently graduated from the Leadership Clark County Class of 2024.

Danielle lives in Vancouver with her husband of 17 years and her two teenage daughters, three cats, and two dogs. She loves learning about historic architecture, gardening, doing home projects, kayaking, hiking, and volleyball. She is always on the go to school sporting events with her kids, and her family loves to attend concerts and sports events.