Speaker Biographies
Session I: LEA/Regulator Presentation
Joe Carle, Air Quality Engineer, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Joe Carle graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Chemical Engineering/Material Science Engineering. He started his career part time as a student and full time after graduation by working for an air sampling group out of UC Davis that tested for particulate matter in Class 1 regions (national and state parks/forests/preserves) all across the US. Joe got a job with the Sac. Metro. AQMD in 2005 as an engineer in the rule making section and in 2015 he transferred over to the permitting section.
Scott Couch, Chief and Supervising Engineering Geologist, State Water Resources Control Board
Scott Couch is a supervising engineering geologist with the State Water Resources Control Board. Currently, he is the section chief for groundwater protection in the Division of Water Quality. His primary program responsibilities include Statewide Policies and Planning, the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program, Land Disposal Program, and Waste Discharge Requirements Program.
Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Couch worked at the Department of Water Resources’ Division of Flood Management in support of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan and the FloodSAFE California initiative. He holds a B.S. in Geology and a Master of Science from the University of Alabama.
Tom Buford, Principal Planner, City of Sacramento, Environmental Planning
Tom Buford is a Principal Planner with the City of Sacramento. He has worked as a consultant and City employee for 25 years, both environmental and permitting review. His background includes the practice of law and service as a member of the Ventura City Council.
Will Scheffler, LEA/Environmental Specialist, County of Sacramento
Will Scheffler is a native of the Sacramento area. He majored in Environmental Studies at the University of San Diego and worked for the Stanislaus County Department of Environmental Resources before coming to the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department. In his free time Will enjoys working on classic cars and fishing.
Session IV: GO-Biz-CalRecycle Partnership
Diane Banchero, Senior Business Development Specialist, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Diane Banchero, Senior Business Development Specialist, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) works closely with its regional and local economic development partners to provide no-fee site selection services to company executives, employers, real estate executives, and site location consultants who are considering new establishments, relocation or expansion opportunities within California. Prior to joining GO-Biz, Diane worked in commercial real estate development for over 20 years, leading and supporting successful multi-stakeholder, public/private partnerships from business, economic development, education, labor, and the public sectors in coordinating networks and resources to support high-quality jobs and a vibrant economy in Sacramento and the broader region. She earned a BA from UC Berkeley.
Trelynd Bradley, Senior Business Development Specialist, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Trelynd Bradley is a Senior Business Development Specialist in the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), where he assists companies by providing the advantages to doing business in California. He is also currently responsible for the federal Opportunity Zone Program at GO-Biz. Prior to GO-Biz, Trelynd was the Policy Analyst for the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR), appointed by Edmund G. Brown, Jr., where he developed the Fourth Edition of California Solar Permitting Guide and the California Energy Storage Guide. Before his time with the State, Trelynd worked as a Staff Assistant for U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz and as a Policy Intern for both the cities of Los Angeles and Ontario. His business experience stems from his summers in Colorado, where he operated Bradley Fireworks, the largest retail provider of safe-and-sane fireworks north of Denver. He is an alumnus of UC Riverside, Sacramento State, and the Capital Fellows Program.
Session V: Manufacturers Talk about their Businesses and RMDZ
Michael Bisch, Executive Director, Yolo Food Bank
Michael Bisch joined Yolo Food Bank in January 2018, bringing an accomplished background in business management and nonprofit board leadership with him to the position. Following his undergraduate education in Business Administration, he launched an extensive career in mortgage lending and international corporate finance (multi-currency, syndicated lending for corporations, sovereigns, projects and aircraft). A self-employed entrepreneur for the past 19 years, Michael has been the owner/operator for nine years of Davis Commercial Properties, a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm. During this time, he has brokered numerous commercial leasing transactions and real estate sales, performed major renovations of downtown Davis commercial properties and most recently was instrumental in the successful entitlement of the Davis Hyatt House project.
As president of the nonprofit Davis Downtown organization for four years, Michael acquired deep knowledge of nonprofit management best practices. He is a co-founder of JumpStart Davis, Pollinate Davis and the first downtown Davis artist studios. Additionally, he provided volunteer service to the Downtown Parking Task Force, the steering committee for Pathways to Employment, convened the first meetings of what became the Davis Arts Alliance, authored the Yolo County Economic Development Proposal, co-authored the City of Davis response to UC Davis innovation center’s Request for Expressions of Interest and further lent his talents and expertise to numerous other arts, economic development and planning efforts in Yolo County.
At this time of transformation for Yolo Food Bank, Michael’s unique qualifications enable him to guide the organization with a balance of innovation and stability, blending business acumen with a passion to serve. Michael’s leadership is keenly focused upon the need for our community not just to survive, but to thrive.
Kolin Smialek, Head of Business Operations, Copia
Kolin leads operations, strategic partnerships, and analytics at Copia, a food waste prevention and donation technology platform based in San Francisco. At Copia, he has been responsible for managing nationwide logistics partnerships with DoorDash and Postmates, as well as building Copia's waste prevention platform to create the first end-to-end food waste prevention and donation platform. Prior to Copia, Kolin worked in strategy and operations consulting with both Prophet Brand Strategy and Booz & Company, advising Fortune 500 Companies on strategic growth and operations initiatives across industries, including renewable energy, utilities, and healthcare. He received a dual-degree in Business (Finance) and Environmental Studies from Emory University, and is passionate about building ecosystems that leverage technology to enable a circular economy at scale.
Jeremiah Rhine, Senior VP of Business Operations and Finance, President/CEO, Sacramento Food Bank
Jeremiah is Senior VP of Business Operations and Finance for Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS). He oversees the business operations and fiscal management of SFBFS, which includes 14 programs, 88 personnel, and an overall budget of $50M, which includes $3 million in annual grant funding, $8.7 million cash, and the rest includes in-kind services.
Since the SFBFS’ 2014 merger with Senior Gleaners, Inc., SFBFS has become the sole food bank for Sacramento County. It now serves a partner agency network of 220+ food pantries that collectively feed over 150,000 people a month.
Jeremiah graduated magna cum laude from CSUS with a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Urban Studies.