Jim Ambroso, Executive Vice-President, Resource Management Group (RMG)

Jim joined Resource Management Group (“RMG”) in 2017 to serve as EVP for the company overseeing all collection, processing and transportation with a focus on organics, plastics and fiber recycling in southern California.  Jim began his career in the Midwest working for both private and public waste service companies, including BFI, Allied Waste and Republic Services.  He learned the business focusing on permitting and development projects, then 20 years ago, moved into operations, overseeing collection companies, recycling facilities, transfer stations and landfills.  Prior to joining RMG, Jim served as operations manager for Anaergia, an organic waste management company promoting the recycling of food waste throughout the US and Europe. Over a span of over 30 years in solid waste management industry, Jim has served on numerous solid waste planning boards and legislative committees, including serving as Chairman for the Institute of Solid Waste in Washington, DC.

Bill Camarillo, CEO of Agromin
Being one of the largest organics recyclers in California and the United States, Mr. Camarillo remains passionate after 27 years in the industry. As the CEO of Agromin he plays a key role in pioneering sustainability through organic waste conversion.  All of Agromin’s 250-plus eco-friendly organic soil and mulch products are sold in retail, agriculture, landscape and energy sectors.  Agromin’s products are organic, earth-friendly and the result of over 6,600,000 tons of organic waste materials recycled in California since 1991.

Quote: “Organics are a Gift ... a gift of energy from the sun-soil-water equation. Agromin is committed to harvesting this gift through innovation and transformation technologies that maximize the conversion of organics’ eco-friendly soil products,” says Bill Camarillo.  Read more...

James Castro, General Manager Republic
James has 35 years of experience in the solid waste management and transportation industries, most of which have been in division and site management positions. Prior to joining Republic, James served in various management capacities for Waste Management, Inc. Before entering the solid waste management arena, James served in a variety of management and supervisory capacities for United Parcel Service covering a 20-year time span.  James’ extensive experience with UPS, combined with his experience in the solid waste industry, gives him a unique blend and cross section of management experience and organizational discipline in a multitude of areas, including employee training and supervision, transportation logistics and systems, policy and procedure development and compliance monitoring, safety practices, route management, customer service, and equipment maintenance and procurement.

Mike Centers, President Titus MRF Services

Mike is founder and president of Titus MRF Services.   The company has been serving the material recovery facility (MRF) industry for the past 19 years.  The company specializes in design and implementation of sorting solutions for material collected in the following collection bins:  Blue bin recycling, black bin MSW, and Green Bin green waste/organics.

Mike is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY and after he served in the military as a Helicopter pilot, he transitioned to civilian life via an MBA from Harvard Business School graduating in 1989.  Mike holds two commercially viable patents:  Titus Glass cleaning system and the Titus Secondary MRF. 

Matt Cotton, President, Integrated Waste Management Consulting, Inc.

• Over 30 years in the organics recycling industry;

• Permitted and helped develop some of the major composting facilities in California;

• Almost two decades on the Board of the US Composting Council, including three terms as President;

• Lead instructor for USCC’s 40-Hour Compost Operator Training Course;

• Author and instructor of the Managing Composting Programs course for the Solid Waste Association of North America;

• Has published research on compost odors, compost use, climate impacts, compostable plastics, and compost infrastructure;

• Has taught composting courses in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Guam, and Norway.

• Has worked on statewide policy, legislation, and regulation related to composting for decades.

• Just completed a statewide study of organics processing infrastructure for CalRecycle.

Emily Coven, Founder of Recyclist
Creators of cloud-based solutions that make solid waste program management easy. Recyclist harnesses smart technology and data to generate better results in outreach, diversion, contamination and compliance. A veteran digital media and technology innovator who ran her own agency for more than a decade, Emily founded Recyclist in 2014 with a mission of leveraging smart technologies to achieve tangible positive results for the environment and society.

David Davis, CMA, President., MSW Consultants

MSW Consultants was founded by David L. Davis, CMA. Prior to establishing the firm, Mr. Davis served as a division controller for Waste Management, Inc., worked as an accounting manager for Riverside Public Utilities, and was a Senior Associate with Hilton Farnkopf & Hobson (now HF&H Consultants).

Since establishing the firm in 2000, Mr. Davis has provided a broad range of solid waste consulting services to local jurisdictions in the areas of rate setting, service procurement, regulatory compliance, waste diversion, facility feasibility analysis, and operational assessment.
 

David Davis is a cost accountant and an expert in solid waste macro- and micro-economics. Mr. Davis has held executive management positions in both local government, and in the private sector. Mr. Davis has served as the chief financial officer for hauling and landfill divisions of a national waste management company, and provided solid waste consulting service to over 50 local government agencies. Mr. Davis is an active contributor in the solid waste industry, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Waste Management Forum (SCWMF) since 1999.

Mr. Davis graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a B. A. in Finance, and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). He is the principal of MSW Consultants, and is located in Temecula, California.

Mark de Bie is CalRecycle’s deputy director for waste permitting, compliance, and mitigation.
Mark previously held the position of chief for the Permitting and Assistance Branch for four years.
Mr. de Bie first joined the California Integrated Waste Management Board in 1990 after working for Stanislaus County Environmental Health.

During his time with the board, now CalRecycle, he has worked as a facility inspector, and as a supervisor for inspections, CEQA, and permitting. He helped develop and was the first supervisor of the Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency training program.

Prior to his service at the board, Mr. de Bie worked as a high school science teacher in California, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Sierra Leone, West Africa. Mr. de Bie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological sciences from Humboldt State University and a Master of Science degree in marine science from California State University, Stanislaus, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

Marcus Eriksen, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Research Director 5 Gyres Institute

Marcus has led expeditions around the world to research plastic marine pollution, co-publishing the first global estimate and the discovery of plastic microbeads in the Great Lakes, which led to the federal Microbead-free Waters Act of 2015.  He and Anna Cummins began 5 Gyres with an 88-day journey from California to Hawaii on the Junk Raft, built from 15,000 plastic bottles. Earlier, Marcus had rafted the Mississippi River, writing about the river and his experience as a Marine in the 1991 Gulf War in the book, My River Home (Beacon 2008). His second book, Junk Raft: An ocean voyage and a rising tide of activism to fight plastic pollution (Beacon 2017) recalls the rise of the plastic pollution movement, growing steadily today. He received his Ph.D from USC. Currently in development of the Leap Lab Institute (www.leaplab.org).  Read more...

Lin Evola, American Contemporary Artist  

Lin Evola is an American Contemporary Artist who has used her career as a platform to bring attention to the disturbing proliferation of violence which occurs in our neighborhoods and among nations.  In 1992, Evola decided to utilize her artistic skills to galvanize the public and she founded the Peace Angels Project.  Using the “swords to ploughshares” model, Evola requests surrendered weapons from communities and countries through law enforcement and government agencies, melts the weapons down and uses the melted metals to cast sculptures which she calls Peace Angels.

Evola is best known for her Renaissance Peace Angel sculpture which was initially created in California in 1994.  In the aftermath of September 11, Lin had her thirteen-foot Renaissance Peace Angel transported to Ground Zero to stand outside a 24-hour respite center and food canteen for first responders and recovery workers.  In 2013, the Renaissance Peace Angel was accepted by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City as a permanent part of their collection.

Lin holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute and has had solo exhibitions in museums and galleries in London, Paris, Monaco, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Judi Gregory, Go2Zero Strategies LLC.
Judi has worked in the recycling and solid waste management industry for over 25 years. Judi focuses her efforts working with communities and private businesses to optimize waste and recycling services that emphasize Zero Waste strategies.  Judi’s experience includes expertise in Zero Waste and Resource Management curriculum development, business technical assistance, education and outreach, waste characterization studies, and compliance documentation.  In 2013, Go2Zero was awarded Small Business of the Year by the CA Small Business Administration.  Ms. Gregory received the “Recycler of the Year” award from CRRA in 2007.  She is the past Executive Director and Past President of the California Resource Recovery Association. Ms. Gregory served 8 years in the California Army National Guard. 
She lives in Southern California with her three sons.

April Hamud, Project Manager at HF&H Consultants LLC

April has assisted clients on solid waste and recycling issues for over seven years. Mrs. Hamud’s experience includes contract procurement, contract management, financial modeling, and rate reviews. She is usually playing on a volleyball court (both indoor and beach) after work and on the weekends.

Dr. Nhut Ho, President and Founder of HATS

As the President and Founder of Human Automation Teaming Solutions (HATS), Dr. Nhut Ho is pioneering the creation of innovative human automation teaming technologies that allow human operators to collaborate with automation in large, complex systems. Under his leadership, HATS has been developing technologies for NASA to conduct studies for integrating drones into the national air space system.  These technologies include a drone ground control station for determining minimum operational performance standards for drone systems, and advanced concepts and human automation teaming interface systems for managing large number of drones with a few operators and visualizing the risks associated with drone operations.

HATS, in partnership with Amazon Web Services, is transitioning technologies created for NASA to create Consoar, a network of unmanned ground and aerial drones for the Environmental Monitoring industry.  Consoar is a proprietary and patent pending solution delivering valid real-time data 24/7, 6X faster than current human system. Consoar enables real-time methane leak detection to reduce landfills’ carbon footprint, air pollution and odors, which are the leading issues with neighborhood associations, advocates and regulators.

Before forming HATS, Dr. Ho served as the Founding Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and directed the Systems Engineering Research Laboratory at California State University, Northridge (CSUN).  He was also a Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Specialist.

Dr. Ho received a Ph.D. and a M.S. with a focus in systems engineering from MIT as well as a B.S in mechanical engineering from USC. 

Bob Hollis, Mobius Intelligent Systems

Bob Hollis is the Co-founder and CEO of Mobius Intelligent Systems, a California based firm focused on implementing technology based solutions to address global environmental and humanitarian challenges.  Bob has served on numerous non-profit and corporate boards of directors and as an elected public official in El Dorado County, California.  His clients include public agencies, municipalities,  non-profit organizations, and triple bottom-line companies.  Prior to co-founding Mobius Intelligent Systems, Bob owned and operated a California based web development firm and a national executive recruiting firm based in Chicago.  
His professional career includes more than two decades of hands-on management and technology consulting experience with organizations ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
Bob has served as a non-partisan elected public official in El Dorado County, CA and as State Co-chair for California Recycles Day.  He has served on the boards or advisory boards of the California Resource Recovery Association, the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, the National Recycling Coalition, Rock the Earth, Positive Legacy, US Green Building Council Zero Waste Advisory Committee, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago.
Bob is the recipient of the Keep California Beautiful Volunteer of the Year Award, The California Resource Recovery Association Annual Service Award, and the California Product Stewardship Council Outstanding Partner Award, and has been a member of numerous sustainability award winning teams.
He has presented on subjects related to business, technology, and the environment on behalf of numerous organizations throughout the United States, including the US EPA Science and Technology Council.  
Bob teaches a series of popular technology classes on behalf of California Capital FDC on Cybersecurity, Online Privacy, Open Source Software Applications, Website Development, Digital ADA Compliance, and Social Media Marketing Integration. 

Tom Koutroulis, Director/OC Waste & Recycling
Tom Koutroulis is the Director of OC Waste & Recycling, a department of the County of Orange. OC Waste & Recycling manages one of the nation’s premiere solid waste disposal systems serving Orange County’s residents and businesses. On behalf of 34 cities and over three million residents, the department operates a network of three active landfills, four household hazardous waste collection centers and 21 closed sites.
 
Tom began his career in the solid waste industry in Orange County working in a family business.  With over 28 years of experience in the industry, Tom has witnessed the ever changing landscape for waste and recycling.  Throughout Tom’s tenure in the industry, he has held various roles working on business improvement projects for safety, efficiency, customer service, technology implementation and provided key research and development in organics recycling.   
 
Prior to being appointed Director in 2017, he served in a leadership role while working for Waste Management, Inc. as a Sr. Manager in Organics Project Development.  
 
Tom received his Bachelor of Art in English Literature from University of California, Irvine and a Master’s Degree in Technology Management and Implementation, from University of Phoenix.  
 

Haley Kunert, HF&H Consultants, LLC
Haley Kunert is proud Forum board member and an Associate Analyst with HF&H Consultants.  She assists public agencies in contracting for and managing solid waste agreements, CalRecycle compliance reporting, diversion program planning, and community outreach. When not at work, you can find her at the gym or trying new desserts.

RAJ RANGARAJ, PH.D., P.E. (PH.D., ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING/EXECUTIVE M.B.A.)
Raj Rangaraj, a Principal Engineer at Yorke, is an engineering professional who has held a range of roles with increasing responsibility during a career that spans over 30 years.  Dr. Rangaraj has extensive experience with project management and has provided technical support to a variety of air quality projects, including air quality analyses and regulatory compliance evaluations, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Air Quality Technical Reports, air permit applications, HRAs, emissions inventories, and litigation support and compliance advisory services to numerous customers in the government and private sector.  He has or is currently providing permitting services for a broad range of composting, digester gas, pyrolysis, waste handling, and manufacturing facilities, including government facilities in the BAAQMD.  In addition to his technical and project management roles, he has held client-facing roles that have reinforced his commitment to providing great service to his clients.

Chris Seney, P.E., Director, Organics Operations, Republic

Chris has been permitting and operating compost facilities in California for 18 years.  He was an owner of Nursery Products which permitted, constructed and operated one of the largest compost facilities in California processing 400,000 tons per year.  The permitting and development process for the Nursery Products facility spanned 9 years and required approvals from ten different regulatory agencies.  Chris moved to Arizona in 2016 to commission and operate the City of Phoenix’s new aerated static pile compost facility.  He joined Republic Services in early 2018 as the Director, Organics Operations.  In his current role he supports all of Republic Services organics operations throughout the Country with a focus on California.  He is a Professional Engineer in California, Arizona and Nevada.  Chris is married and lives with his wife and three young daughters in Phoenix, Arizona.

Kurt Schoppe, General Manager, SA Recycling

Kurt has built a career focused on customer solutions, process improvement and sustainable economies.  In his current position he has utilized his Operations Management skills to build a first class organics recycling and composting facility alongside a Scrap Metal Recycling and Processing Operation focused on product manufacturing and demand driven solutions in a truly closed loop model.  In this highly regulated industry he has achieved the highest level of compliance while building market awareness and reinventing the business revenue model. 

Prior to joining SA Recycling Mr. Schoppe spent 18 years with biomass processing and forestry equipment manufacturer Morbark, Inc.  While at Morbark Kurt was instrumental in promoting and building biomass and organic waste solutions for the rapidly expanding “green waste” recycling sector.  In addition he provided innovative forestry solution to tackle the Bark Beetle infestation impacting Southern California mountain communities. He is a hands on, results driven leader. with an extensive background in heavy equipment, renewable biomass fuels processing, operations management, compliance and business development/revenue generation.