Southern California Waste Management Forum
SCWMF Annual Conference & Exhibit
November 17, 2026
DoubleTree by Hilton
222 North Vineyard Ave, Ontario, CA
Vendor Setup - 7:00am - 8:00am. All vendors must be set up by 8am.
Registration 8:00am - 8:30am - Coffee and Pastries, Networking
Welcome
Exhibitor/Sponsor Showcase 8:30am - 9:00am
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Session 1: 9:00am - 11:00am
Moderator: Kelli Fernandez, SCS Engineers
Connect and Collaborate; Sharing Resources and Expertise
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Larry Hygh, Cal State Dominguez Hills
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Break: 11:00am - 11:15am
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Session 2
11:15am - 12:00pm
Moderator: Cynthia Vant Hul, Mariposa Eco Consulting, Inc.
SB1383 Implementation Record Updates and Processes
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Cynthia Vant Hul, Mariposa Eco Consulting, Inc.
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Cara Morgan, Branch Chief at CalRecycle
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Mitchell Martin, Valinor Energy
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Lunch 12:00pm - 1:15pm
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Session 3
1:15pm - 2:15pm
Moderator: Nick Morell, LACSD
Textile Waste: Weaving New Outcomes for Consumption, Production, Recovery and Recycling
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Jessica Matlock, Government Relations Manager, Landbell USA
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Joanne Brasch, CPSC
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Alexia Bednarz, Goodwill
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Session 4
2:15pm - 3:15pm
Moderator: Bernadette Halverson, City of Los Angeles
Compost Chronicles: From Community Hubs to Carbon Sequestration
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Cesar Leon, Tetra Tech
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Mike Powers, CoolPath
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Drawings & Closing Remarks:
3:15pm - 3:30pm
Conference Chair
Click here to register!
SPEAKER BIOS
Cara Morgan is the Branch Chief leading the Local Assistance and Market Development team at CalRecycle. Cara and her team are responsible for providing technical assistance and overseeing compliance for the over 540 jurisdictions and 200 state agencies in California. Cara’s branch also works closely with each of the 40 Recycling Market Development zones in the state. Cara’s team assists recycling manufacturers that are interested in expanding operations or siting a new facility in California resulting in new green jobs. When a recycling manufacturer needs assistance Cara’s business assistance team collaborates closely with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and other sister agencies to provide manufacturers with a full suite of services, including CalRecycle’s funding programs, state tax incentives, bond financing programs, workforce training reimbursement programs, free site selection services, and feedstock sources. Cara serves on the team that developed the SB 1383 regulations and is now leading teams on developing implementation tools and training for jurisdictions and stakeholders. Cara has over 30 years of experience successfully implementing and managing recycling, integrated waste management, and related environmental programs for California (she started when she was five!!!).
Larry R. Hygh, Jr., Ed.D.
Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr. is an assistant professor in the Communication Department at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in the advertising and public relations program. Prior to CSUDH he was a fulltime lecturer and the internship coordinator at California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB).
Academia is a second career for Dr. Hygh. Prior to the CSU system, he was the senior communications manager for the Black AIDS Institute, the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people. He spent 20 plus years as the chief communications officer for The United Methodist Church (UMC) in five different regional offices (Boston, Mass.; Jackson, Miss.; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Sacramento, Calif.) and the international mission agency when it was based in New York City.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Radio/Television and a Master of Arts (MA) in Mass Communication from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and an Educational Doctorate (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
Dr. Hygh is a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and a member “White Suiter” of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the non-profit entity that produces the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl each year. He describes himself as a “fun and adventure enthusiast” who is a foodie and loves to travel. He has traveled to six of the seven continents (Antarctica left), 32 countries, and all 50 of the U.S. states.
Visit him on the web at www.LarryHygh.com
Mitchell Martin is the owner of Valinor Energy, a small advisory practice supporting California municipalities on SB 1383 procurement compliance. He brings over 15 years of experience in renewable power generation, including senior operating roles at one of California's largest biomass electricity providers, and was involved in some of the first PCA transactions under SB 1383
Cynthia Vant Hul, MPA, DBE, SBE, WBE, Mariposa Eco Consulting, Inc. Consultant
Resource Recovery & Recycling Consultant
Cynthia Vant Hul has spent 28 years in managing environmental issues within the solid waste management industry. Her area of expertise is in waste management, environmental protection, regulatory mandates, contract compliance, sustainable program development and correlating greenhouse gas emissions with waste productions in the municipal and private industry. Cynthia gained her solid waste production in the municipal and private industry. Cynthia gained her solid waste experience working for the city of Claremont, Solid Waste Department as a municipal trash hauler. During her 5 years at the at the City of Claremont, she served as the Recycling Specialist overseeing all sustainable and green programs, hazardous waste and universal waste management, department budget, grants, contract compliance, mandates and reporting. As the Recycling Compliance and Regulatory Manager for Waste Management, Cynthia spent 6 years managing the regulatory and program management for over 30 franchise city contracts . In 2011, Cynthia opened Mariposa Eco Consulting, Inc with the vision in mind of sharing her knowledge and experience to help train and lead a generation of environmental leaders in private and public workplace.
Cynthia holds a Masters of Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino.
Joanne Brasch, CPSC
Dr. Joanne Brasch holds a PhD in Textile Economics and Environmental Analysis from the University of California, Davis, where she also received a Master’s degree in Textile Science and a Bachelor’s degree in International Agricultural Development. With more than 13 years of academic work experience, Joanne has held lecturer and research appointments at UC Davis, CSU Sacramento, and Donghua University in Shanghai, China. She currently works as Special Project Manager at the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) leading projects that promote a circular economy using Product Stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Dr. Brasch is appointed by California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to two advisory committees for carpet and mattress recycling with the position of Chair or Vice Chair on both. She made Waste360’s “40 under 40” list for 2021.
Jessica Matlock is the Government Relations Manager for Landbell USA, the Product Responsibility Organization selected by CalRecycle to implement the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 – the first-in-the-nation Extended Producer Responsibility program for clothing and textiles. Jessica previously served as a Policy Analyst in the California State Senate where she staffed housing, local government and environmental legislation, most notably SB 707 (Newman), the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024.
Alexia Bednarz is Director of Sustainability for Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona and Goodwill of San Francisco Bay, where she advances circular economy strategy, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy engagement. She also serves as the Sustainability Lead for California Goodwills, coordinating statewide strategy, stakeholder engagement, and local member participation in implementation of California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, SB 707.
With more than 14 years of experience, Alexia brings deep expertise in sustainability strategy, circular economy, decarbonization, and public policy. Previously, she served as Head of Sustainability at Nikola Corporation, where she led sustainability communications and reporting, supported decarbonization and circularity strategy, and engaged internal and external stakeholders on key sustainability issues. Earlier in her career, she spent nine years at U-Haul leading cross-functional initiatives in waste diversion, renewable energy, energy efficiency, packaging reduction, and EV transportation logistics.
Alexia is known for connecting strategy, operations, policy, and partnerships to build practical sustainability solutions that advance environmental progress, circularity, and community impact.