Charged with developing and implementing policies and programs to achieve an 80% waste diversion rate, including leading planning and reporting, and representing the District in regional, national and international multi-stakeholder initiatives. Reported to the Deputy Director. Managed an office of six employees, directly managed a budget of ~$1.1 million, and supervised management of contracts with an annual spend of ~$3 million. • Secured Mayor’s commitment to C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group’s Advancing Zero Waste Declaration. The District was one of twenty-eight global cities to pledge to meet established zero waste targets.• Increased recycling rate by 20% and reduced residential recycling contamination by 38% in five years.• Introduced foodservice packaging to list of items required to be recycled. Partnered with the Foodservice Packaging Institute to support the launch.• Secured $300k Recycling Partnership grant to increase collected recycling volumes and reduce contamination in residential recycling.• Advised District of Columbia on container deposit, extended producer responsibility, pay as you throw, and single use plastics policies.• Secured $8M allocation in capital budget to build a compost facility as a result of completed compost feasibility study. • Partnered with Harvard Food Policy Clinic to develop large quantity generator wasted food recovery policy. Policy incorporated into Zero Waste Omnibus Act.• Awarded $1.2M EPA grant to improve transfer station storm water management and quality of recyclables through resurfacing tip floors.• Represented the District in EPA roundtables on how to improve the nation’s recycling system. Participated as a panelist in Senate and House of Representatives Recycling Caucus briefings.• Awarded DC Environmental Network’s 2020 Environmental Advocacy Leadership Award.

• Advised the Department of Energy and Environment Director on sustainable materials management.• Researched, drafted regulation requirements, and developed implementation timeline and plan for implementation of the Paint Stewardship Act and the Electronic Waste Extended Manufacturer Responsibility law. Programs launched in 2016 and 2017, respectively.• Conducted review and provided recommendations to legal counsel on amending regulations to allow the sale and application of class A, exceptional quality biosolids in the District. Regulatory amendment was completed.

Advised and assisted Washington’s DC’s Office of Contracting and Procurement with the development of its sustainable purchasing program which includes specifications for 90 products and services across 12 categories, represents ~$120M in District spend annually, and facilitates meeting over 15 environmental laws and 25% of Sustainable DC Plan goals. Program awarded EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year in 2015 and Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council Award in 2016.

Established New York office and contributed to annual strategic planning of national environmental non-profit focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through creating sustainable urban communities.Led Global Green’s Coalition for Resource Recovery (CoRR), an alliance of companies dedicated to accelerating resource recovery. Developed CoRR's strategic plan, including measurable outcomes and evaluation plan, and managed budget, work plan, and staff, increasing revenue by 280% in three years.Conducted pilots and related research to identify and accelerate development of scalable, transferable waste diversion programs and technologies, with a specific focus on the recovery of commercial food waste, wholesale and food service packaging.Pilots served as model for food service packaging recycling expansion to 39% of US Starbucks stores and 60% of Pret A Manger US stores.

Evaluated market opportunities, competitive landscape, and strategic and operational fit to develop plan for a new recycling business. Modeled 10-year financial projections. Plan informed launch of GreenOps Recycling, a rewards based recycling program and kiosk.

Recommended strategy, scope, and development process for Wal-Mart's first sustainability report. Presented recommendations to the CEO.

Launched and oversaw the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, an industry workgroup dedicated to realizing sustainable packaging through supply chain collaboration. The coalition now has over 200 corporate members and is lauded as one of the most influential groups in packaging.Chaired focus group to define SPC's vision, mission, and goals, resulting in seed funding from: Dow, MeadWestvaco, Nike, PepsiCo, Starbucks, and Unilever.Leveraged member company influence and media channels to increase membership from ten to thirty organizations and revenues from ~$90k to ~$230k in its first year.Identified, outlined, and secured support for foundational projects including a definition of sustainable packaging, design criteria, and assessment tool. Awarded $50k grant from USEPA for definition project.Selected and trained new director and project manager who grew the SPC from 30 to 200 member companies.

Developed sustainability training curricula for business executives and product development teams. Curriculum presented at EnvironDesign, Green by Design Symposium, and to Fortune 500 client companies.Codified supply chain chemical and material environmental health assessment methodology to facilitate training. Evaluated recycling drivers and opportunities for an automotive client.Assisted with the development and implementation of the Cradle to Cradle Design Challenge for E-Commerce Shipping Packaging and Logistics, sponsored by U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste.Analyzed market for green roofs in the U.S., including city incentives and zoning policies, and participated in developing business plan for a startup.Identified and researched emerging sustainability issues and technologies for the founding owner, Bill McDonough, and Fortune 500 client companies.Selected as one of six charter staff members at GreenBlue.