October 2009: Taking Technical Assistance to the Next Level
Bios
Fernando Berton
Mr. Berton has worked in the solid waste field for over twenty years starting his career at the California Integrated Waste Management Board as a landfill inspector. After two years inspecting solid waste facilities, Mr. Berton helped develop the HHW/Used Oil Program and was the manager of that program for 8 years.
Mr. Berton took a 4 year hiatus from state service and had his own environmental consulting practice as well as being the Program Director for the Regional Council of Rural Counties’ Environmental Services Joint Powers Authority. He returned to the Board in May 2000 and for the past eight years has been the primary staff person researching emerging solid waste technologies for bioenergy and biofuels production.
Mr. Berton is now the manager of the Research and Applied Technology Branch encompasses programs such as used oil collection, cellulosic organic materials management, plastics and tire recycling technologies, alternative technologies, and climate change.
Mr. Berton has spoken at numerous national and international conferences specifically on landfill alternative technologies for renewable fuel and energy production. He also represents the Board on the Bioenergy Interagency Working Group, California Biomass Collaborative, and the Los Angeles County Conversion Technology Subcommittee.
Ed Boisson
Ed Boisson is a senior consultant with R.W. Beck, Inc. specializing in materials recycling industry development. Ed has over 20 years of experience in the private, government and non-profit sectors. Much of his work has focused on documenting and enhancing the economic and environmental performance of recycling and integrated waste management systems. His current projects include managing the contractor team for the Board’s Recycling and Waste Infrastructure Project and leading sector wide projects under the Board’s Tire-Derived Product Business Assistance Program. Ed was formerly Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council and in the early 90s was a staffer to the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
David Goldstein
David has a Masters degree in Public Administration from CSU Northridge and a B.A. from U.C. Davis. He also completed certificated programs in Municipal Solid Waste Management (UCLA) and Marketing and Economic Development (CSUS). Since 1993, David Goldstein and the Ventura County Recycling Market Development Zone have helped 41 businesses and organizations in Ventura County win over $17 million in funding from a variety of sources to increase markets for recycled material. His market development experience also includes chairmanship of the Re-refined Oil Marketing Association, through which he helped convert over 40 fleets and service stations to re-refined oil. Prior to working for the County of Ventura, he was Recycling Coordinator of the L.A. Conservation Corps, and his professional career in recycling began in 1987 with Californians Against Waste.
Marshalle Graham
Marshalle Graham has worked at the CIWMB for 10 years. Prior to that, she spent eight years as a professional dumpster diver with the Department Conservation’s Division of Recycling. Working as a Senior Integrated Waste Management Specialist over the last 8 years, she has managed a number of technical contracts, worked extensively reviewing, verifying and developing tools for generation studies, lead the development of the CIWMB’s school district waste management web resources, created resources for local reporting requirements, such as the Five-Year Review Reports for planning documents, and more recently is representing LAMD in the design of an integrated data system, LoGIC (Local Government Information Center). Recently, Marshalle has been assigned to a team targeting the CIWMB’s business-related programs and resources. Since this is a relatively new spin to the work she has been doing over the last decade, she comes to this project with energy and enthusiasm to learn about and facilitate continued success in these programs.
Maureen Hart
Maureen Hart has been working in Recycling, Energy, and the Community Based Economy since1980, first in Michigan and then in California. Ms. Hart has worked in corporations, for non-profits, government and as a consultant. She managed an Appropriate Technology Center in East Lansing for 5 years that still exists today, 30 years later (Urban Options). She has also managed large recycling centers in the San Francisco area marketing over 120,000 tons/yr of recyclables to domestic and export markets (Norcal Waste Systems). Ms. Hart worked with towns in Northern California as they planned their transition from a logging based economy (Center for Environmental Economic Development). In 2000, she became a Zone Administrator working with the Humboldt RMDZ and Del Norte Waste Authority to form the North Coast RMDZ. Presently Hart works with the NCRMDZ, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, and as a private consultant.
Ms. Hart loves Zonework’s Peershares because it highlights the collaborative learning from all over the state of California and from ZA’s located in different departments such as Economic Development, Planning, or Public Works. It also showcases all the work that is being done in the RMDZ and shows the potential of more. The RMDZ is one of the building blocks of the green economy and she looks forward to the day when its concepts move into the main stream of industrial development in California and the U.S. As a green industrialist, she looks forward to the hard work ahead to make this transformation happen.
Long live the RMDZ!!!!!
Jonathan Lee
As Vice President for Manex, Mr. Lee is responsible for developing and deploying key strategic initiatives for Manex and our clients, with a specific focus on innovative consulting solutions, partnerships, and alliance programs. He also provides advisory services to our clients, leveraging over 16 years of extensive strategy and process expertise spanning several sectors including consumer packaged goods, wholesale and distribution, retail, and entertainment. As an accomplished, seasoned professional, he has led strategic business transformation initiatives for numerous organizations across North America, South America and Asia.
Prior to joining Manex, Mr. Lee served in a variety of senior management and consulting roles with Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies, assisting management teams at these organizations in transforming their operations for greater competitiveness. As a highly-skilled project manager, Mr. Lee works in conjunction with experts to create fully executable and meaningful business transformation programs. His experience includes managing a number of large strategic engagements (in excess of $100 million) with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Grant Thornton and SAP Consulting.
Mr. Lee received an MBA in Strategy and Finance from The Marshall School at the University of Southern California and a BA in Sociology and Political Science from the University of California at Irvine.
Kyra Naumoff
Kyra Naumoff completed her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California Berkeley in 2007. For the last two years, Kyra has been the staff lead at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a Small Business Toolkit designed to help businesses across California save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This work involved extensive research, pilot testing the toolkit with small businesses across the state, and initiating a research project to study in detail the factors that cause small businesses to change environmental practices. In addition to her work with small business, Kyra is the technical lead for a health impact analysis of CARB's proposed Cap and Trade regulation.
Duane O'Donnell
Duane is the Sacramento Regional Recycling Market Development Zone Administrator, and is Vice President of the California Association of Recycling Market Development Zones (CARMDZ). He is the supervisor of the Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC), a free and confidential compliance assistance center, which educates business operators on regulatory requirements, helps them in correcting violations, and assists in the permitting process. BERC is a joint services provider and is funded by a consortium of agencies including the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Sacramento County Environmental Management Department, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, County Engineering Department, City of Sacramento Utilities Department, County Planning and Community Development Agency, Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership, Regional Water Authority, County Airport System, Regional Solid Waste Authority, The Water Forum, and the County Department of Economic Development and Intergovernmental Affairs.
A graduate of Purdue University, he has over 40 years of experience in the public, private, and military sectors in various positions including: Air Force Security Specialist; steel mill supervisor; Environmental Health Inspector; and Hazardous Materials Specialist.
Duane's public service includes 27 years working for public health agencies in California and Indiana including: Sacramento County Environmental Management Dept., San Mateo County Environmental Health Division, San Joaquin County Public Health Agency, Butte County Environmental Health Department, and the City of Hammond Indiana Public Health Department.
William Orts
Bill Orts is a Research Leader at the USDA Western Regional Research Center, Albany CA where he leads a group focused on optimizing biofuels production by improving enzymes and engineering processes so that the nation can move beyond corn-derived ethanol. He has over 25 years experience in research related to biofuels and bio-products with >200 publications in the field. He received his Masters and PhD from the University of Toronto focused, first, on fermentation scale-up during bio-refinery operation, and then on commercial realization of biodegradable plastics. Dr. Orts joined USDA-Agricultural Research Service in 1995
Coby Skye
Coby Skye is a Civil Engineer working for the Environmental Programs Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Mr. Skye received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering from Polytechnic University as well as a Masters degree in Public Administration from California State University at Long Beach, and is currently a registered Civil Engineer in California. Mr. Skye oversees the policy and legislation unit at Environmental Programs, where he provides technical support, insight and direction for solid waste management policies in Los Angeles County, reviews and analyzes related legislation, and makes monthly presentations and recommendations to both the Los Angeles County Integrated Waste Management Task Force and the Alternative Technology Advisory Subcommittee. Mr. Skye is passionate about environmental preservation, and volunteers in his spare time with various environmental organizations.
John Smith
John Smith is the Manager for the Local Assistance and Market Development Division, North Branch for the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Mr. Smith has over 28 years of solid waste management experience with the current and predecessor state waste management boards. During those 28 years, Mr. Smith oversaw local solid waste planning efforts, including CEQA review of solid waste facility projects. He also was involved in administration of many of the state’s market development programs, including Recycling Market Development Zone Technical and Financial Assistance programs. His current responsibilities include administering programs providing local delivery services to local governments, regional state agencies and local businesses that encourage diversion, and procurement of recycled content products. Mr. Smith also works with local manufacturers to increase use of recyclables in production of recycled content products. Mr. Smith holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from California State University, Hayward.
Robin Williams
Robin Williams is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a Bachelors degree in Microbiology. She has worked as an analytical chemist; manager of health care data; quality assurance officer for an environmental laboratory; project manager for an environmental engineer (consulting for the Waste Board!); computer system administrator for a forest tree research geneticist; and computer programmer designing and creating databases and web applications. All of these positions may seem different, but they all involve data management and computers. She currently utilizes her past experience in the Knowledge Integration Branch (KIB) at the Waste Board.
Warren Smith
Warren Smith is the CEO of Clean World Partners, LLC of Sacramento California. The company is a developer and systems integrator of waste to energy technologies. Clean World Partners is currently planning and working with regulatory agencies for approvals to build the first commercial scale High Solid Anaerobic Digestion System in the United States. Warren has been on the cutting edge during his 21 plus years of business in Sacramento. After marketing wireless technologies for the first half of his career, he left AT&T Wireless Services to bring professional baseball back to Sacramento by putting the real estate and development deal together that led to Raley Field and the Sacramento River Cats. He is currently the President of the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and the 1st Vice President of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Ken Quesada
Ken Quesada has worked in State Service for nearly 33 years in several fields related to employment and workforce development including management, job development and placement for general populations and a multitude of special populations including military veterans, public assistance clients, youth, displaced workers, and others. He has also served as a Rehabilitation Counselor assisting clients with disabilities to obtain employment and as a civil rights investigator in the areas of employment and housing. He has been in workforce policy management for the last ten years, the past three with the California Workforce Investment Board, responsible for workforce training and education policy development and implementation.