After six years in the US Navy Nuclear Power Program, Mickel earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and an MS ChE from the University of Illinois. Realizing the increasing number of children running around the house made a PhD untenable, he entered the packaging industry. After stints at Viskase and Cryovac, Mickel joined Printpack in 2004.
Mickel is knowledgeable in the blown, cast, and double bubble film production processes. Starting in 2013, Mickel began a transition to sustainable packaging research and development. He has extensive experience in film extrusion processing of PCR and biopolymers and is active in helping the plastics industry develop protocols for PCR quality, usage and traceability.
In his free time, aside from spending time with his lovely wife and two boxers, Mickel enjoys board games, reading and sports.
Susan has provided sustainability and materials management solutions to both private and public sector clients for over 30 years. She currently leads circular economy planning and recycling supply chain development projects at RRS, including the Materials Recovery for the Future project to pioneer advanced sorting of films and flexible packaging for curbside recycling. Her past work included development of The Sustainability Scorecard, an RRS assessment used by consumer brands to adapt business models, metrics, and employee training programs to meet customer demand for sustainable products and packaging. Prior to RRS, Susan founded ERS Global, a sustainability consultancy that served Fortune 200 clients with enterprise wide sustainability strategies and reporting. She began her career at the US EPA, serving in several senior roles at the Atlanta Southeast and Headquarters offices in waste management, private/public partnerships, and policy development, and was a major contributor to national environmental risk assessment methodologies and databases.
Speaker bio coming soon.
Chris is the Sustainability Director for Eastman’s Specialty Plastics business unit group. He joined Eastman in 1998 and has held roles of increasing responsibility in Environmental, Health & Safety, Technology and Business Management/Leadership. In his current role, he works across Specialty Plastic’s various markets to leverage our advanced circular recycling technologies and help customers meet their sustainability goals.
Tania's experience in packaging manufacturing, marketing and innovation spans nearly 20 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in Communications from Hautes Études Commercials (HEC) in Montreal, with focus in marketing management. Ambitious and determined, Tania is successful at discovering new customer insights, and developing sustainable solutions that fulfill unmet market needs. She's passionate about the circular economy and thrives on identifying innovative & sustainable ways to redesign e-commerce packaging.
Math Lambalk is Business Development Manager, Renewable Chemistries at Avantium with a specific focus on the commercialization of Avantium’s Ray Technology (plants-to-glycols technology). Prior to this position, Math held various business development positions within the different Business Units of Avantium. In addition, he has an educational background in Innovation Management (VU University Amsterdam) and Biotechnology (Wageningen University).
Yuliya has more than 16 years of experience in Strategic Marketing, Sales and Marketing Excellence Consulting, Product Management across the Chemicals, and Consumer Product Goods industries.
Yuliya joined Kraton in the Global Strategic Marketing role in April 2019. Passionate about value creation and sustainable solutions development, Yuliya recently led the global effort to develop and launch CirKular+™, a new Polymer innovation designed explicitly for plastics upcycling and circular economy.
Before Kraton, Yuliya spent seven years in BASF and six years at P&G. Yuliya earned an MBA from the University of Iowa and an undergraduate degree in International Law from Kazakh National University.
Michelle co-founded Lorax Compliance in 2014 in order to help companies that are obligated under Extended Producer Responsibility and Product Stewardship legislation around the world. With 15 years of experience working in this sector, her focus is to ensure clients find the process of EPR and Stewardship reporting as simple as possible, despite the complexities placed on businesses by legislation. As COO, her role covers the management and delivery of several teams, including Accounts, Compliance, Sales, Marketing and Human Resources.
Dr. Prakash Iyer is the Senior Vice President of Technology and Business Development at Inhance Technologies and is in charge of the global R&D, Applications and Product Development. He is the Sustainability lead for Inhance Technologies. He is passionate about science-based approach to making sustainable packaging choices through life cycle analysis, recyclability and energy, water and waste reduction initiatives. He has held various technical and leadership positions in his career that spans over 15+ years and has multiple patents to his name. Prakash completed his Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Prakash works out of the Inhance Technologies’ corporate headquarters in Houston, TX.
Gabriela Dobrot is currently Project Director at Lorax Compliance Ltd.
Rachel Langhill is Marketing Coordinator at Lorax Compliance.
Colin Jacob is an environmental professional who has worked in waste management companies for the past 5 years, where he has held roles in R&D, infrastructure and environmental compliance management. He has a strong background in applied research and has set up several collaborative projects between industry and academia, particularly in the area of plastics and organics recycling. He has been working as a project manager at the CTTÉI since January 2020, and was notably coordinator of the research work mandated by the CPT.
Colin has a long-standing interest in sustainable plastics management and innovative recycled plastic products. In 2016, he completed a master's degree in research on the advanced characterization of plastics recovered from sorting centers and the development of recycled composite materials. His work has been published in the magazines Vecteur Environnement and Construction and Building Materials.
Betsy Dorn is one of three Principals at Circular Matters LLC, a consulting firm specializing in sustainable materials management and circular economy solutions for packaging, paper, and selected other materials. For over 30 years, Betsy has been assisting public and private sector clients develop plans, evaluate policies and operations, and launch new programs. In recent years, Betsy’s work has focused on the end-of-life management of packaging materials, packaging policy analysis and recycling market development. Prior to becoming a consultant, Betsy managed Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), N.C.’s Recycling Division for 6 years.
Betsy has an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master of Science in Public Health degree in Environmental Sciences and Engineering. When not working you may find Betsy running, paddle boarding or mountain bike riding in her south Florida surroundings.
At the Consumer Brands Association,
Stasz works on issues such as recycling,
waste, sourcing, supply chain
sustainability and other topics as they
pertain to the consumer packaged goods
industry.
Among other initiatives, she is leading a
national effort to address the broken
recycling system in the United States.
Through this effort, Stasz is working to
raise recycling rates, reduce the amount
of packaging waste sent to landfills,
prevent marine debris and ensure
recyclable packaging gets recycled.
She also leads the Food Waste
Reduction Alliance (FWRA), a crossindustry
initiative to reduce food waste
sent to landfills and increase food
donations to food banks in the United
States.
Patrick Geraty founded St. Louis Composting, Inc. in 1992 in response to Missouri Senate Bill 530 which established solid waste disposal reduction goals. Prior to founding St. Louis Composting, Geraty owned and operated a landscaping company for 12 years. With over 25 years of dedication to the recycling and composting industry, Geraty has grown his company into the largest composting business in the St. Louis region which process more than 1,000,000 cubic yards of organics each year.
Geraty uses his experience in the composting industry to work with other businesses and municipalities to aid in planning, designing and implementing compost operations and various green projects. His extensive industry connections throughout Missouri culminated in the formation of the Composting and Organics Association of Missouri (COAM) in 2010. As President of COAM, Geraty and composters throughout Missouri work together to increase the quality, value, and usage of recycled organics in Missouri by providing education, information and resources and promoting activities and legislation that build healthy soils, benefit people and minimize negative environmental impacts.
Lauren is responsible for corporate development at Plastic Energy with a focus on North America. She brings a strong background from the chemical industry and a track record of success in building teams and delivering collaborative solutions. Her core responsibilities include defining the company’s strategy and developing partnerships across the value chain that result in circular projects for plastic waste. Prior to joining Plastic Energy, Lauren worked at Hach as a global business unit manager and for more than 10 years at the Dow Chemical Company in the US and Europe. She received her MBA from IMD in Switzerland and her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University in the USA.
Cali Reed is the Senior Sustainability Specialist at PreZero US, a California-based recycling solutions provider for hard-to-recycle materials. Cali manages the post-consumer recycled (PCR) content certifications for plastics and works alongside the Commodity Sales team to build circularity-focused partnerships with brands, retailers, and brokers. As a major part of the business development strategy, Cali also works to uncover future expansion opportunities for PZUS by identifying untapped markets for innovations in the recycling sector.
Cali holds a B.A. in Political Science and a certificate in Environmental Studies certificate from the University of Hawaii. She’s also a certified TRUE Zero Waste Advisor through the USGBC and is a bonafide zero waste expert.
Speaker bio coming soon!
Ben Kuchler is the Director of Product and Packaging Sustainability at Hasbro and is genuinely excited to come to work every day and have the opportunity to help shape Hasbro's future as an industry leader in sustainability. He brings a creative perspective and many years of design and development experience to his role which provides innovative thinking, alternative material solutions, and a holistic approach to reduce the environmental impacts of Hasbro’s products and packaging. He is also a member of Hasbro’s Sustainability Center of Excellence, where he leads the company’s product and packaging sustainability initiatives. Prior to working at Hasbro, Ben was a Design Director at Reebok where he discovered his passion for working on kids’ products. He has an Industrial Design degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Thais Vojvodic is part of the New Plastic Economy initiative team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which aims to bring together key players from around the world to rethink and redesign the future of plastic. With extensive experience in the private sector in Latin America, Thais joined the Foundation in May 2020 and is responsible for the development of Plastics Pacts in several different countries, including the US Plastics Pact.
Jacquie Patterson is a Senior Manager of Package Engineering for the Sustainability Team at Hasbro. In her current role, she focuses on sustainability across Hasbro’s portfolio of toy and game packaging. In particular, she is proud to help drive Hasbro’s efforts to phase out plastic from its new packaging.
Ms. Patterson has been with Hasbro for 15 years, beginning in a Packaging Engineer role before transitioning into managing Hasbro’s group of Packaging Engineers for its wide portfolio of toys and games, then most recently shifting into her current role. Ms. Patterson has driven implementation of many steps along Hasbro’s sustainable packaging journey, including the switch to bio-based PET plastic packaging and the rollout of How2Recycle® labeling on-package. She is also responsible for collaborating on broad packaging initiatives, such as packaging for e-Commerce, which helps Hasbro’s consumers save time and get to the fun faster. She has helped to drive Hasbro’s e-Commerce packaging initiative since its inception close to 10 years ago, knowing that this initiative is also making a difference for the environment.
Ms. Patterson has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Packaging Science from Rochester Institute of Technology. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children – especially outdoors.
Liz Logue became EFI’s VP of Inkjet Customer/Brand Engagement and Strategy in 2019, a new role focused on helping EFI’s digital corrugated customers engage with brands. Logue’s work helps drive market awareness about digital printing and value it brings to the consumers. She also researches and develops strategies to extend EFI’s inkjet technology portfolio into additional new markets that can benefit from the and continuing analog to digital transformation in print manufacturing.
Prior to taking her current role, Logue was Vice president of Corporate Business Development, and Ink Jet strategy at EFI. In that position, she was responsible for planning, market evaluation and execution behind strategic M&A and new market development activity. Her work has included directing or assisting in EFI’s strategic moves into ceramics, textiles and corrugated packaging, working with engineering, ink and software teams to implement the correct solutions for target markets.
Prior to joining EFI in 2008, Logue worked for 10 years in various roles at IT Strategies, a specialized strategic consultancy company focused on the digital print industry. In her roles she advised hardware, ink and software vendors on corporate, product and M&A strategy. She also managed research initiatives, maintained industry relationships and kept abreast of the latest technology developments.
Aditya Siroya is the Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer of rePurpose Global, the world’s first Plastic Credit Platform dedicated to making planetary action delightfully simple for purposeful people and companies of any size, anywhere. His platform accomplishes this by empowering anybody to go Plastic Neutral today by financing innovators on the frontlines of fighting for our planet’s future. Since its inception, rePurpose Global has worked with 100+ purposeful brands, ranging from SMEs to Fortune 500s, and as a result, rePurpose-certified products now retail in 155+ countries, 2.5+ million pounds of plastic waste are removed from nature every year, and the venture is positively impacting the lives of 9,500+ marginalized community members worldwide.
Aditya is a serial social entrepreneur, having previously founded the William Leefe Initiative - a non-profit focused on generating gainful employment for persons with autism; and Aarogya, India’s first digital medicine redistribution platform, aimed at minimizing medical waste and increasing healthcare access.
Hailing from Bangalore, India, Aditya is a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, 2020 World Economic Forum Champion for SDG 14, Halcyon Fellow, and graduate of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bridget Anderson is the NYC Department of Sanitation’s Deputy Commissioner for Recycling and Sustainability. She is responsible for planning, implementation, and tracking of DSNY’s sustainability activities including recycling, composting, HHW and ewaste, textile recovery, and waste reduction. Ms. Anderson directs the agency’s sustainable waste management policy research and program development, and its strategic partnerships with the local reuse sector. Packaging has been a focus of hers for over a decade to support improvement in recycling outcomes and to enable NYC’s fledgling curbside composting program. During COVID-19 pandemic, she and her team have managed the city’s inter-agency Emergency Home Food Delivery operation of “GetFood NYC” serving over 200 million meals to homebound and food insecure New Yorkers to date.
Adam is responsible for the off-the-shelf market reports business and leads the delivery on many custom market consultancy projects every year.
These projects are built upon robust and consistent secondary data and sense checked through discussions with market and technical experts. Adam spends a lot of time identifying and assessing potential sources of data, and incorporating these sources into a credible forward-looking view of the market.
Adam is experienced in project management, directing market research and working with clients to deliver high-value strategic studies and analysis. During his time at Smithers he has published or delivered hundreds of market studies, reports, technical books and single-client projects across a range of industries.
To assist with this research, Adam has developed a global network of experts, consultants and researchers who contribute to many projects every year.
Adam is a member of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals.
He is based in Leatherhead, UK and has been with Smithers for 20 years.
Mike Riola is the Sustainability Project Manager for the Rehrig Pacific Company. He has over 20 years of experience in the injection molding industry, with an extensive background in alternative plastic materials and rigid packaging. Mike leads the team focused on all sustainability initiatives.
Mike ensures Rehrig Pacific is on the cutting edge of alternative material use. He partners with Fortune 500 and environmental waste companies to find solutions to their recycling needs. He began his career as a Plant Engineer and evolved into positions including Plant Manager and Operations Manager; he brings this hands-on knowledge to his current role.
Alexa Kielty has been working for San Francisco’s Department of the Environment’s Zero Waste Program since 2001 and has had the opportunity to help develop San Francisco zero waste policies and programs from the ground up. She has played an integral role in working with the residential sector, particularly multi-family buildings, working to get them into compliance with San Francisco’s Mandatory Composting and Recycling Ordinance. With the help of her enthusiastic team she has developed a “hands on” on approach to changing the behavior of apartment residents getting them to separate their food scraps for the City’s composting program. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz Environmental Studies program with a focus on Agro-Ecology and loves being outdoors especially in the Pacific Ocean whenever possible.
As Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs for the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), Kara Pochiro is responsible for overseeing the implementation and promotion of technical, educational, market development, and legislative efforts and programs. She is responsible for the overall management of APR internal and external communications, media relations, conferences, and programs. A graduate of Ohio University, she holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia College in South Carolina. She resides in Anderson, SC.
Kelly has a diverse career history in product and packaging design and development. Currently she specializes in sustainable packaging development for a diverse category of products. She works to design packaging that is recyclable, creates zero waste, and is made of 100% recycled materials.
Dan Felton is Executive Director of AMERIPEN – the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment. He is a well-known policy and trade association leader who has worked within the bottled water, credit card, healthcare and information management industries. He is particularly passionate about environmental, sustainability and packaging issues and has engaged extensively in those areas at the state and federal levels. He has chaired committees and led task forces for several national trade associations and has served on the board of the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) where he is a graduate of the their nationally recognized professional certificate programs. A former professional actor and musician, he has run the finances and served on the board of a nationally recognized theatre education non-profit. He has also been involved with the Commission on Presidential Debates since 2000 in support of their quad-annual presidential and vice presidential debates. A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, Dan lives in the Washington DC area.
James leads insight and innovation for Cambridge Design Partnership across major CPG food and drink clients, with responsibility for ‘joining up the dots’ between consumer needs and breakthrough packaging innovation. James helps clients tackle their biggest challenges, with a resolute passion for improving brands and businesses, by overcoming the barriers and unlocking opportunities to move toward a sustainable circular economy.
James has over 25 years of experience in the innovation and design industry, working for leaders in brand consulting and pack design, such as Landor Associates and Design Bridge prior to CDP.
Mr. Caturano leads the Nestle Waters NA packaging transformation strategy and
implementation initiatives. The strategy is focused on identifying and adopting
innovative packaging and recycling technologies. The strategy includes; developing
partnerships with NGOs and other organizations that support the scaling of recycling
solutions and coordination with other Nestle business units and corporate teams in
Paris and Vevey.
He also is responsible for; supporting the business in improving recycling and capture
rates with collaborative efforts directed by Nestle Global, providing oversight of all
NWNA Supply Chain recycling and waste management initiatives to ensure compliance
with end of life management and recycling management of commodities that include
postindustrial and postconsumer materials.
John has had a diverse 26 year career at Nestlé Water NA including; Management positions in Route Operations, Supply
Chain Logistics and Regional
Sales before joining the corporate office in 2011 to lead strategic recycling, packaging and suitability programs.
Adam leads the Plastics Division’s Packaging Team, representing major U.S. resin manufacturers. He advocates for policies and initiatives that recognize plastic packaging and products as a valuable resource. He leads the Team’s efforts to achieve the ACC’s Circular Economy Commitments for 100 percent recyclability or recoverability of plastic packaging by 2030 and 100 percent reusability, recyclability, or recoverability of plastic packaging by 2040.
Susan Robinson leads WM’s Sustainability Team. In this role, she is responsible for WM’s policy, advocacy and sustainability reporting. Her 30+ years in the industry includes work in the public sector, non-profit environmental work, consultancy, and over 25 years in the private sector. Susan’s experience includes global commodity marketing, research and analysis of industry trends, and twenty years managing municipal solid waste and recycling contracts.
Susan is active on several boards including the American Institute for Packaging and Environment (Ameripen), the Paper Stock Industries (PSI), and the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC).
Susan attended Stanford University and holds a B.S. in Applied Earth Sciences from the University of Washington. Her Masters work in Environmental Studies is from The Evergreen State College.
Speaker bio coming soon!
Stephan Ango is the co-founder of Lumi, a software platform and online marketplace that enables brands to source and produce packaging from manufacturers around the world.
Stephan leads strategy and software products at Lumi. His teams are responsible for building innovative tools that enable better collaboration, traceability, and modularity at every step of the packaging supply chain.
Stephan also hosts the Well Made podcast in which he speaks with entrepreneurs and experts about innovative and sustainable ecommerce brands.
Born in Paris, France, Stephan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Colorado College and studied industrial design at Art Center College of Design.
Joe Fernandez is a packaging professional with a decade of experience in design and engineering. He is currently the senior packaging engineer at Vera Bradley and is passionate about brining sustainability to the forefront of retail, ecommerce, and transport packaging.
Joe has a B.S. in Packaging Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Prior to founding Loopline, Anna gained 15+ years of experience in the fashion/retail industry and over a decade of experience in sustainability — working at global corporations, high-end avant garde shops, and launching her own eco-conscious fashion brand. She soon realized the need for a mindset change in the fashion/retail industry. She went on to evolve the “waste less” strategy used in her own brand by partnering with a start-up fashion technology company focused on retail recycling where she journeyed with them to win the H&M Global Change award in Stockholm, Sweden. She went on to create circular products/packaging, launching with Twitter, and continued to build products for global companies under her new company, Loopline. Recently, Loopline was selected as a featured innovation for STANFORD REBUILD 2020 (innovations in global solutions related to re-building after COVID-19 pandemic).
Having earned his degree in Polymer Chemistry at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Brad Rodgers is a veteran of the plastics and packaging industry, who has dedicated over 30 years to its innovation and improvement.
Brad spent the first 13 years of his career working for major polyolefin manufacturers in Texas (CP Chem) and Delaware (Montell), where he developed polymers for use in numerous packaging applications. He then spent 18 years as the Research & Development Director of Foods Packaging Discovery and Sustainability for PepsiCo where his responsibilities included the development of the next generation of packaging materials with a better overall impact on the environment (notably the SunChips Compostable package).
After an early retirement from PepsiCo earlier this year, Brad started his own business where he consults with industry leaders on ways to improve packaging and its environmental footprint. He currently holds 16 patents for various packaging applications and has written/co-authored several papers and published many articles about food packaging.
Oliver is a Director of Procurement & Packaging Engineering at Dell Technologies. In addition, he is recognized within the Dell Technical Community as a Distinguished Engineer – Supply Chain. Oliver has become one of the most influential thought leaders in the packaging industry by combining innovation, supply chain, and sustainability best practices. Under his leadership, Dell introduced industry changing materials such as bamboo, mushroom, molded paper pulp, ocean bound plastic and pollution ink at lower cost, better performance, and which are environmentally healthier.
Most recently, Dell launched Ocean Bound Plastic packaging with the aim of creating an industry response to tackle the ocean plastic crisis. By co-founding NextWave, a cross-industry consortium of like-minded companies, Dell is creating a commercially viable, and scalable, supply chain that is focused on keeping plastics out of the ocean and in the circular economy.
Oliver’s accomplishments have been highlighted for their business and social influence by The Wall Street Journal; Fast Company in their 2019 Most Innovative Companies; Fortune in their 2017 Change the World Companies; and LinkedIn in their 2017 Top Companies to Work For. Additionally, the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show recognized his pioneering work in Ocean Plastic with a Best of Innovation Award. While at Dell he has been awarded 2 US Patents with additional ones pending.
Patrick Keenan is responsible for Packaging R&D/Engineering for Annie’s Brand at General Mills
Annie's, a leading Organic consumer Brand has a mission is to cultivate a healthier and happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, honest words and conduct that is considerate and forever kind to the planet.
Brian Fleury is the General Manager of Facilities at WeCare Denali, LLC, a division of Denali Water Solutions, LLC. WeCare Denali specializes in Residual Management with a focus on Beneficial Reuse through composting, anaerobic digestion and other advanced technologies. Mr. Fleury has been employed by WeCare for over 20 years in various roles within the organization, including Sales & Marketing, Operations and Project Development. Since 2018, he has been leading the Facilities Group at WeCare Denali, currently operating at 17 sites throughout the United States. He is the 2021 President of the United States Composting Council (USCC) and has been on the Board of Directors for 8+ years. He is a graduate of SUNY Oswego and resides in the “Black Dirt Region” of Orange County, NY with his wife and two children.
Sara Axelrod currently leads sustainability initiatives in North and Central America for Ball Packaging, where she is focused on creating and promoting a commercial and regulatory environment in which the company can support its customers’ sustainability goals, drive efforts around real recycling and the circular economy at scale, and ultimately utilize its market position to create systemic change. She previously led marketing and innovation for the sustainability team at Land O’Lakes Inc. and was a founding member of the Food & Agriculture team at the Glover Park Group, a leading public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. She holds an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts from The George Washington University.
Charles David is TC Transcontinental’s Senior Advisor – Circular Economy, where he oversees the Corporation’s efforts towards creating a more circular economy for plastics. A leader in flexible packaging in North America and Canada’s largest printer, TC Transcontinental is the first Canadian-based manufacturer to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and has recently announced the creation of a Recycling Group within its Packaging sector. Charles David has been working in sustainability at TC Transcontinental since 2012 and was named one of the “Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders” in Canada by Corporate Knights in 2016.
Brent Lindberg is annoying, and he knows it. It’s more than just the corny jokes and odd quirks. With a curiosity that rivals George, Brent has the habit of relentlessly asking questions like a 5-year-old. He also has an obnoxious appetite for the unexpected (as anyone who’s seen his wardrobe can tell you).
Together these traits produce an unorthodox approach to structural packaging design which has built a culture at Fuseneo, the creative studio he started. And somehow, it seems to be working. Their incessant inquisition and boundary-pushing has been reshaping packaging experiences across retail and e-commerce for more than a decade.
Manages all aspects of the Green Learning Station program: details related to construction and maintenance, website and signage, orchestrating field trips and follow-up curriculum resources, overseeing research being conducted on the site, managing green infrastructure and food gardens, leading adult educational tours, coordinating the Green Learning Team program for secondary students, collaborating with local schools and organizations around stormwater management, food waste, and food production education and implementation.
Kylie joined the Civic Garden Center staff in August 2014. She earned a B.S. in Conservation Biology from Muskingum University and a M.S. in Environmental Studies from Ohio University. Kylie was funded by the USDA Forest Service and Georgetown University to conduct urban composting research in Edinburgh, Scotland; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Maryland. While writing her thesis, she lived as a resident of the OHIO Ecohouse, a house designed to demonstrate green technology and sustainable living. Upon graduating, Kylie worked for a national nonprofit, educating over 10,000 high school students in the Cincinnati region on climate change science and solutions and facilitating leadership trainings. In her free time, Kylie enjoys playing the violin and spending time outdoors.
Breanna Herbert is ORBIS’ Sustainability Lead. In her role, she educates and communicates how ORBIS helps companies support the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle and how simple packaging changes can significantly impact the circular economy. Breanna is passionate about sustainability and forged the way for ORBIS’ Ocean in Mind initiative. This program includes recovering coastline plastic waste and repurposing into supply chain packaging, like reusable pallets and containers. At ORBIS, she is in the product management team and supports the industrial reusable bulk packaging product line, including new product development, vehicle launch readiness and customer projects.
David Dombrowski is a strategic and tactical design leader with over 30 years of experience in consumer product and packaged goods where empathy for the consumer and environment lays at the heart of everything he considers through design. Along with a Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design education, David positions himself as a leader of Design at the epicenter of what he refers to as, Design Centricity. Where Manufacturing, R&D, Marketing, Customer and Consumer are all equally expressed and considered by Design. Having had great opportunities designing for such well known and established companies as Fisher-Price, Schick & Wilkinson Sword, P&G, David is currently R&D Head of Innovation and Sustainability with GSK Consumer Healthcare. With over 70 design and utility patents, David prides himself in delivering innovative products to market. If you’ve shaved with a Schick Quattro or Intuition razor, lathered up with Old Spice or Gillette Body Wash, taken a Centrum Vitamints or used ChapStick Duo, chances are you’ve experienced his work.
Mr. Yost is Vice President and Chief Technical Officer for A1 Organics, having joined A1 in 1990. Established in 1974, A1 is the Rocky Mountain Regions largest commercial organic recycling company managing in excess of 425,000 tons of organics per year including foodwaste at its 2 Class 3 Composting facilities and 3 greenwaste recycling facilities in Colorado. Bob’s experience includes product and market development, site and operations development and management, new business development, technical evaluation, permitting and regulatory compliance and project and corporate management duties. Bob has served on numerous advisory and technical boards at both state and national levels and currently serves on the United States Composting Council Board of Directors, USCC Market Development and Membership Committees, and is Chair of the Seal of Testing Assurance Advisory Committee. When not knee deep in a compost pile, he enjoys time with Karen, his wife of 50 years and hunting, fishing, and hiking in the Rocky Mountains near their home near Brighton Colorado
Scott Cassel has over 35 years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors solving materials management problems. As CEO of the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), he has led the movement that built the capacity for product stewardship in the U.S. over the past two decades. Scott also developed the facilitation process that PSI uses for stakeholder engagement and consensus-building, which laid the foundation for the passage of most of the nation’s extended producer responsibility laws, including the first industry-run, government-mandated paint stewardship program. Prior to founding PSI in 2000, Scott served as the Director of Waste Policy and Planning for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, where he developed and implemented solid and hazardous waste management policies and programs. He has written extensively on product stewardship topics, including the product stewardship chapters in the Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular and the Handbook on Household Hazardous Waste. Scott holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Dispute Resolution from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in Geology and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
Emily is Global Growth Platform Leader, Circular Economy in the Printing and Packaging group at Michelman. Emily is an active member of the ASTM committee for compostable plastics, the Food Service Packaging Institute with the Paper Recovery Alliance and Plastics Recovery Group, and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Her expertise is on the subject of compostable coatings for packaging applications, and she has presented at several conferences on the subject.
Susan is the Director of Solid Waste Planning & Program Management for Seattle Public Utilities, where she provides leadership and directs all aspects of the City of Seattle’s solid waste planning and program development and delivery, including the management of $100+ million in annual service contracts. Susan has close to 30 years’ experience in all aspects of the solid waste management industry, with a focus on strategic and long-range planning, policy development, and program design that is customer-centered. Susan previously oversaw all aspects of environmental programs and communications for the City of Bellevue’s Utilities Department, and was a part- owner of Sound Resource Management Group. Before venturing into the environmental
arena, Susan was a lawyer with a large law firm in Seattle, specializing in municipal finance and general municipal law, where she was involved in the drafting of Washington’s “Waste Not Washington Act.” Susan received her bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree from the University of Southern California.
Jay is general counsel for Cedar Grove’s composting and packaging lines of business located in Seattle, WA. He works collaboratively with public and private partners to support and grow the industry in the Pacific Northwest.
In July of 2018 Gabriel started in the global environmental group at Sonoco. In that role, he managed sustainability reporting, carbon accounting, and corporate target tracking. At the start of 2019, Gabriel partially moved over to product sustainability, mostly working on life cycle assessments and quantitative analysis. He has continued to operate in both functions and have been in his current role for a bit over 2 years. He holds a M.S. in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University (2018).
Erin is the lead for RILA’s corporate responsibility portfolio, encompassing its Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainability, Responsible Sourcing, and Energy Management Committees and ESG engagement activities. She organizes educational content and convenes and facilitates benchmarking discussions, resource development, and stakeholder engagement for corporate retail issue leads in each of these areas. Erin has been with RILA since 2012, serving in a variety of roles supporting and leading the association’s CSR communities.
Prior to joining RILA, Erin interned for two years with the Progress Energy as their EnergyWise (smart grid) Change Management and Business Processes Intern while finishing her undergraduate degrees.
Erin holds Bachelors of Arts in Public Policy with Honors and French from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was the recipient of both the Edward Kidder Graham Chancellor’s Award and Michael A. Stegman Award for Policy Research and Advocacy as well as an inductee of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Jeff Travis has been in the packaging industry for over 30 years involved with both rigid and flexible packaging. He is currently the Manager of Innovation & Sustainability for American Packaging Corporation responsible for support and development of the sustainable product platforms, outreach, and integration of these platforms to the brands. Prior to working at American Packaging Corporation, Jeff worked at CL&D Graphics and Alcan packaging in package development and customer interface roles. Jeff has a BS in Plastics Engineering from University of Lowell in MA and a MBA from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.
Tom Egan serves as the vice president of Industry Services for PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. He joined the PMMI staff in 2003 following more than 20 years in the packaging industry during which he was also an active PMMI member. His previous work experience includes tenures at Eaton Corp. and as Vice President, Marketing & Sales, for Hoppmann Corporation. He has an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace College, and a BEE in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University.
Jonathan North has 30 years of global supply chain and sustainability experience gained across multiple industries including consumer packaged goods, fresh produce, retail and home furnishings.
Based in Atlanta, he is now Vice President Sustainable and Core Solutions for Rehrig Pacific, an industry leader in plastic molded pallets, waste and recycling containers and supply chain solutions. In this new role Jonathan is responsible for developing, communicating, implementing, and executing the Sustainability and Core Category business development strategy for Rehrig Pacific.
James McGoff is a cofounder and Co-CEO of TemperPack, a sustainable packaging company based in Richmond, Virginia. James is a mechanical engineer by trade and focuses on the intersection of packaging innovation and sustainability.
Joe Dages helps clients successfully navigate the complex US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements that apply to food, food additives, and food contact materials. He advises companies on all aspects of the premarket review requirements and pathways to market for these materials, as well as post-market compliance, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), labeling, marketing, risk, and litigation avoidance issues. In addition, he provides advice to clients seeking to establish the compliance of their products in other jurisdictions, including Canada, the European Union, and South America.
Joe's practice is increasingly focused on the regulation of biopolymers and other sustainable packaging materials used in contact with food. He also helps companies that manufacture materials used in the production of animal food and feed in bringing their products to market.
Prior to and during law school, Joe worked in government relations and international affairs for a leading trade association representing the food, beverage, and consumer product industry. He leverages this background to assist trade association clients address challenging policy and legal issues. He has authored numerous amicus briefs on behalf of trade association clients.
Kendall Starkman leads the implementation of Lonely Whale’s initiatives with corporate partners, with a focus on NextWave Plastics, a consortium of multinational companies committed to keeping plastic in the economy and out of our ocean by integrating ocean-bound plastic into their products. Kendall convenes existing members, strengthens the network of ocean-bound plastic suppliers and supports inter-member collaboration and member use case management to drive forward innovation and near-term impact for our oceans.
Previously, Kendall worked on climate adaptation and resilience, where she assisted clients across a multitude of industries navigate the complexities of understanding and planning for the impact of climate change. She co-founded the American Society of Adaptation Professionals’ Bay Area Hub and has presented at the Living Product Expo, the Sustainability Purchasing Leadership Council Summit, and the California and Great Lakes Adaptation Forums. Kendall has a Masters of Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
Julia Attwood leads the Advanced Materials team at Bloomberg NEF. She writes about the emerging materials and manufacturing technologies helping to decarbonize industry. Prior to this, she was BNEF's expert in lithium-ion battery technologies, costs and supply chain. Before joining BNEF, Julia developed educational materials on energy generation systems and researched advanced polymer composites. Julia holds a PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
Alison Keane is an environmental attorney with 20 years’ experience in both the private and governmental sectors. She is currently the President and CEO of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the association representing U.S. converters of film, foil, paper and other materials into packages for food, medical device and industrial products. Prior to joining the FPA in 2016, she was with the American Coatings Association (ACA) for 16 years and served first as Counsel and then as Vice President for Government Affairs. She was also the Executive Director, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the ACA’s product stewardship organization – PaintCare. Other employment experience includes the Environmental Protection Agency’s Headquarters office, the Maryland State Senate and private practice. Alison has her BA in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and her JD from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She is admitted to the practice of law in both Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Jeff has over 37 years of experience in packaging design and development. Prior to joining Sonoco, Jeff was employed for 14 years with Viskase Corporation, a manufacturer of specialty films and casings for the meat and dairy industry. Jeff joined Sonoco Products Company in 1996 as Technology Manager for the newly formed Flexible Packaging Division. In his current role, he is responsible for the global technology efforts across Sonoco’s Consumer Packaging businesses including flexible, rigid paper & closures and rigid plastic packaging. In addition to Product and Process Development, Jeff’s responsibilities include Open Innovation, Product Safety, Sustainable Packaging Design and IP Management. He chairs Sonoco’s Corporate Technology Council and serves on its Sustainability Council. Jeff also serves on the advisory board of the Sonoco Institute and chairs the advisory board of Sonoco FRESH, both at Clemson University. He holds 45 U.S. patents related to packaging.
Ron is the Product Marketing Manager for HP’s Digital Pre Print corrugated packaging business and is directly involved with managing HP’s growing customer base (Corrugated Converters). Ron has engineering and computer science degrees and an Executive MBA from university of Michigan. He is very passionate about Sustainability and how digital printing technology can significantly reduce the environmental impact in Packaging. Ron lives in San Diego California and has been with HP for over 30 years.
CPG Packaging professional with over 15 years of industry experience. E-Commerce Packaging enthusiast pioneering to bring brands together to develop the future of E-Commerce through the E-Commerce Packaging Council (ECPC).
Jeff has over 30 years of experience in the refuse and recycling industry at all levels. I have been responsible for the turn around and daily operations of companies from $2 to $200 million in annual revenues.
In 2007, in partnership with my wife and daughter, we started New Day Recycling and in 2012 formed Olympic Organics LLC and acquired the key assets of a defunct composting facility in Kingston, Washington.
David Allaway is a senior policy analyst at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Materials Management Program. Since 1989, he has helped hundreds of businesses and communities across North America to reduce the environmental impacts of materials and wastes. At Oregon, David has led efforts to develop and update the nation’s first sub-national consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions inventory, served as an invited science advisor to Wal-Mart’s Packaging Sustainable Value Network, and served as an advisor to Paul Hawken’s Project Drawdown and the New York Times bestseller Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. His current work is focused on the design and implementation of several next-generation policies and programs as Oregon transitions from end-of-life “waste management” to holistic, full life cycle sustainable materials management. David has a B.A. in physics from Carleton College, Minnesota and is the recipient of awards from the US EPA, the Association of Oregon Recyclers, and the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment.
Susan Thoman has over 25 years’ management experience within the solid waste and sustainability fields. Susan served on the Cedar Grove Composting senior management team for 12 years, where she pioneered the development of working models to create collaboration between solid waste systems and the food service value chain. In January 2017, she and several partners formed a private industry group, the Compost Manufacturing Alliance, to broaden the vision and scope of compostable products testing across North America. Susan served on the US Composting Council board from 2015-2018, and currently serves on the Recycling Foundation Board in Washington State.
Kyle Strenski is a Director of Global Business Development at UPM Raflatac. His focus is understanding the packaging challenges brands face: sustainability, circular economy, and cost pressure. He works closely with the business, R&D, and the sustainability team to provide pressure sensitive label solutions that not only meet brands’ current needs, but also those of the future.
Kyle has a Bachelor of Science in Material Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. In addition, he has a green belt in Six Sigma from Villanova University, Certified Packaging Professional from I.O.P.P., and is a committee member on both Olefins and PET technical committees in the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
o Arpit works as a Sustainability Strategist in Accenture, leading the agenda at Accenture of Sustainable & Circular Packaging. In the past few years, he has worked with CXO-level clients on ideating and scaling circular economy-enabled business models across sectors and geographies, with focus on sustainable packaging models across the value chain. He is an engineer and an MBA, and was a German Chancellor Fellow 2019-2020.
Rebecca Casey is the Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategy at TC Transcontinental Packaging. She leads the team responsible for setting and driving branding, ideation, product management and strategy for the packaging sector. Over her twenty-year career, Rebecca worked with consumer product companies, including P&G, Kellogg, ConAgra, Smithfield, Heinz, and others, designing packages to protect product, support brand messaging, and meet consumer’s needs. Her expertise lies in translating consumer trends and market insights into product innovation, marketing, and strategic business developments. Rebecca is passionate about identifying how a package communicates the product and brand to its consumer- and how creating the perfect packaging experience can transform the way people engage, shop, and buy. Rebecca was born and raised in central Illinois. Rebecca has a BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northern Illinois University in Marketing.
Nina Bellucci Butler is the CEO of MORE Recycling. Nina has been a visionary, leading industry, building collaboration, and shedding light on the information necessary to overcome barriers to plastic recycling for nearly 20 years. She has a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University.
Suzanne is the voice and the vision of Shelton Group. Drawing on her extensive experience in energy and the environment – and 25+ years in the marketing and advertising industry – Suzanne provides high-level strategic insights for our clients and guidance for our research and creative departments. She regularly speaks at conferences around the country, including Sustainable Brands, Fortune Brainstorm E and the International Builders’ Show, and serves as a guest columnist for publications like Fast Company, Green Builder and GreenBiz.com.
