November 2011: Let’s Get Technical
Bios
Armond Arakelian (Session II)
Mr. Arakelian is a graduate of Tehran (Iran) Azad University, Science and Research Branch (2002), in Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering. He has mainly worked in automotive industry supply chain on product development and compliance projects. Mr. Arakelian has been a project leader and team member of several automotive parts design and development processes including catalytic convertors, exhaust systems, interior trim and etc. He was also in charge of multiple environmental projects including vehicle emission compliance for Malaysian PROTON Company, automotive battery recycling for French STECO POWER, automotive paint spray room filtration systems for German WURSTER and junk cars best recycling practices for the City of Tehran’s, Department of Air Quality Control. After immigrating to the US, in May of 2010, Mr. Arakelian started working for SOEX West Textile Recycling USA, as the Operations Manager in the Fresno Facility. SOEX Fresno is the recycling arm of SOEX USA which operates in line with the company's "ZERO WASTE" mission. Mr. Arakelin has spent a large part of his time and energy, in cooperation with PG&E, bringing the plant's processes into compliance for environmental health and safety regulations. He has also contributed in reducing energy consumption within the plant, and is always researching new recycling opportunities, developing textile recycling projects with customers/suppliers and cooperating with the local government and the community to reduce the amount of solid waste being land filled, as well as other types of pollutants.
Ryan Bradford (Session I)
Mr. Bradford worked in the real estate banking industry for 13 years. He transitioned into purchasing and selling single family homes. Each property required different degrees of repair and maintenance. Looking for ways to divert the construction debris from the landfill, he came across a void in the market, carpet recycling. Mr. Bradford started a carpet collection business, Carpet Collectors, to fill this void. Due to inconsistent buyers in the sorted post consumer carpet market, Mr. Bradford opened his own processing plant. Carpet Collectors has quickly become one of the largest collector and processor of post consumer carpet. Carpet Collectors has short and long term goals that will make a significant positive impact on the environment and the carpet recycling industry.
Ken Decio (Session V)
Ken Decio is a Senior Integrated Waste Management Specialist in the Permitting and Certification Division at CalRecycle. Ken is the lead staff person for revising CalRecycle’s composting regulations. He was the project manager for preparing a Statewide Program Environmental Impact Report for anaerobic digestion facilities in California and developed white papers on issues related to the regulations for alternative daily cover and food waste composting. Ken also coordinated workshops to educate Caltrans staff on the benefits of using compost for erosion control and re-vegetation projects and has worked with industry, government agencies, and the public to encourage the use of sustainable landscaping practices to reduce green waste, conserve water, and protect water quality.
Richard Della Valle (Session VI)
Dr. Richard Della Valle is the Statewide Director of the Environment, Health, Safety and Homeland Security Initiative for the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program. In this role, he coordinates a statewide effort to create and deliver environmental health and safety technology education to all California Community Colleges. This statewide effort includes four Environmental Training Centers that are located strategically around the state (www.envtraining.org). He has also been assisting the development of curriculum in the areas of Pollution Prevention, Energy Efficiency and Geospatial Technologies while working with industry representatives, unions and educators statewide. Dr. Della Valle has developed and managed major statewide grants for the National Science Foundation's, preserving the Legacy program and the California Base Closures initiative by the Department of Defense. Dr. Della Valle is a Professor of Earth and Geospatial Sciences at Napa Valley College and has held research positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Phillips Petroleum Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Mitch Delmage (Session IV)
Mitch Delmage is a graduate of Indiana State University with degrees in Biological Science and Environmental Health. Mr. Delmage was an Officer in the U. S. Public Health Service and worked for the National Institutes for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) before coming to the then California Waste Management Board in 1988. As part of his NIOSH training, he was certified in Biohazard Laboratory Procedures at Johns Hopkins. He helped design and implement AB939, and helped establish or manage many of the Board's most successful programs, including early AB939 statewide implementation training, CalMAX, WRAP, RMDZ, the Used Oil & HHW grant and certification programs, and Waste Tire enforcement and grant programs. Mitch is now a manager in the Local Assistance & Market Development Branch overseeing the nine counties of the Bay Area. On his current assignment list is overseeing the Zone Incentive Fund program, web CEQA tools for Zones, and developing a new Zone designation/renewal/expansion application.
Kathy Frevert (Session I)
Kathy Frevert serves as a team leader for Product Stewardship at the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). In 2007 the product stewardship team was charged with implementing CalRecycle’s strategic directive that seeks statutory authority to foster “cradle-to-cradle” producer responsibility and to develop producer-financed and producer-managed systems for product discards. The team now embarks on implementing two new recycling laws for carpet and paint. Previously, Kathy facilitated activities for the State’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Task Force (2005-2007) and Sustainability Building Task Force (2000-2004), an inter-agency task force that worked on the state's first LEED green building projects. In her spare time she enjoys family outings, the outdoors, dancing, and painting.
Jacques Franco (Session III)
Jacques Franco has worked in the environmental management field for over twenty years. He’s a member the Climate Change and Technologies group at Cal Recycle. His responsibilities include biomass to energy and fuels conversion technologies, research, assessment and development. Before coming to the Cal Recycle, Mr. Franco worked as a business and technology transfer consultant. His work included technology transfer, market research and business development projects. At the California Department of Food and Agriculture he started and managed the Fertilizer Research and Education program (FREP). Jacques was responsible for technology development and transfer to reduce nitrate groundwater contamination related to fertilizer use. Mr. Franco is a graduate of the University of California - Davis, School of Management. He earned a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology from the same institution and holds a B.S. in Environmental Horticulture. He has authored and edited over forty technical and peer reviewed publications.
Maureen Hart (Session II)
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!!!!!
Jim LaTanner (Session III)
James LaTanner is a graduate from California State University, Sacramento and Golden Gate University, Sacramento in Business Administration Finance. Mr. LaTanner has worked at CalRecycle since 1995, primarily supervising the Recycling Market Development Revolving Loan Program. Prior to the state, James worked in the private banking industry for 17 years as a corporate loan officer.
Georgina W Sikorski
Georgina Sikorski is the Executive Director for the Carpet America Recovery Effort, also known as CARE. CARE is a nationwide, voluntary, 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to divert carpet from landfills and reuse or recycle carpet back into consumer products.
Under her leadership, CARE has grown from about 50 members to over 340 members, and increased the number of companies engaged in carpet recycling by over 40% since 2009. Since 2002, CARE diverted over 2 Billion lbs of carpet diverted from landfills across the United States.
In September, 2010, California passed AB 2398 legislation, to increase carpet recycling and diversion. CARE has been designated as the Stewardship Organization for AB 2398. Georgina is leading the team that is managing the California program on behalf of the carpet industry.
Ms. Sikorski joined CARE as the Executive Director in 2009. Prior to CARE, she was the Marketing Director for Antron® at DuPont/INVISTA for five years. Ms. Sikorski was previously the Senior Marketing Director at Solae, a Nestle Purina Company. She has also served on the Marketing Committee for the US Green Building Council. Ms. Sikorski has an MBA from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree in Biology from Saint Louis University.
Tabetha Willmon (Session VI)
Tabetha Willmon is a graduate of UC Davis with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Biology and Management (1993). She has been working to create positive change and environmental sustainability for over 20 years. Since 2008, Ms. Willmon has worked for the California Air Resources Board, in both the Office of Climate Change and Research Division, to implement the AB 32 Scoping Plan, California’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Her focus is on the role local government plays in helping California to achieve the AB 32 goals. She has helped coordinate education and outreach strategies for local governments, as well as develop guidance and tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to her tenure at ARB, Ms. Willmon was with the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s Office of Local Assistance for over 16 years. There she provided regulatory oversight, technical assistance and guidance to California’s cities and counties on the development and implementation of solid waste management diversion and recycling plans and programs.