May 2015
Speaker Biographies
Speaker Biographies
Alex Byrne (Session I)
Alex Byrne is a UC Davis graduate in Environmental Policy with a Master's of Public Administration from Presidio Graduate School with an emphasis on Sustainable Management. Alex has worked on several projects for Northern California cities and counties on water, air, waste management, and land use challenges. He also has grant management experience working in the academic and non-profit sector. Alex is currently the Lead for the Organics Grant Program and assists the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant Program grant solicitation.
Stan Uyeda (Session I)
Stan Uyeda is a State of California certified Assistant Engineer. Stan has worked in engineering and construction for both the public and private sectors in Solid Waste, Water Quality and Transportation. He also has grant management and grant writing experience and is currently the lead grant manager for the Recycled Fiber, Glass, and Plastic Grant Program and a Southern California representative for the City County Beverage Container Recycling Payment Program.
Bruce Quigley (Session I)
Bruce Quigley is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance (1983). Bruce has 30+ years of Commercial Banking and Financial Management experience. He joined CalRecycle in December 2014, and is responsible for overseeing the development and approval of loans to companies under the RMDZ and Green House Gas Programs.
Brenda Smyth (Session II)
Brenda Smyth is a Branch Chief for CalRecycle in charge of the Statewide Technical & Analytical Resources Branch that works on projects related to extended producer responsibility, organics, emerging technologies, climate change, tires, and special wastes. Ms. Smyth is a Chemical Engineer with 31 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to working for the State of California, Ms. Smyth worked in the private sector and has 15 years of business experience as a public relations manager, operations and engineering manager, process engineer, and environmental consultant.
Doug Kobold (Session II)
Doug Kobold has been "talking trash" since graduating in 1992 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Chico. The first 5 ½ years were spent working for the County of Yolo as a Design Engineer for the Yolo County Landfill, ultimately becoming the first Solid Waste Operations Manager for the County in 1996. In 1998, Doug joined Edgar & Associates as a Project Engineer, providing solid waste consulting services to clients up and down the state of California until 2000 when he joined Sacramento County. In 2007, Doug was promoted to Program Manager and currently provides oversight for all of the Department’s business development, contract administration, and Household Hazardous Waste activities, as well as the Department's legislative liaison. Doug is a board member with the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC), member of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) since 1997 and served as the Northern California Chapter Secretary, Vice-President, President, and Past President, while currently serving as the Chapter's Training & Certification Chair and a member of the SWANA California Chapters Legislative Task Force. Oh yeah, one more thing, Doug is one of two Co-Chairs for the Mattress Recycling Organization Advisory Committee appointed by the Director of CalRecycle.
Maureen Hart (Session III)
Maureen Hart has been working in Recycling, Energy, and the Community Based Economy since1980, first in Michigan and then in California. Presently she is working with Redwood Regional Economic Development Corporation on the Manufacturer’s Network Project, the winner of the very competitive PG&E Economic Vitality Grant (2013). She completed a Master Certificate in Sustainable Supply Chain Management at the University of San Francisco. Hart has worked for corporations, non-profits, government, small business, and now with them as a consultant. As a contractor/staff, she was interim Executive Director and Program Manager at the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (6 years). She is the Zone Administrator with the North Coast Recycling Market Development Zone/CalRecycle (2000 to present). She has worked with manufacturers on increasing their energy efficiency and using recycled materials in their production. Hart was General Manager and Corporate Manager of large recycling centers and collection programs in San Francisco, marketing over 120,000 tons/yr. of recyclables to domestic and export markets (now Recology) and 120 employees. She worked with towns in Northern California facilitating their transition plan from a logging based economy (Center for Environmental Economic Development) and successfully worked with a theater school expansion capital campaign, grant writing and business planning (Dell Arte). Hart managed an Appropriate Technology Center in East Lansing for 5 years that still exists today, 35 years later (now Michigan Energy Options).