Lee Lawson, President & CEO

Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance 
Lee Lawson has served as the President and CEO of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance since 2012. The Alliance leads all economic development efforts for one of the fastest-growing Counties in the U.S., Baldwin County, AL. Those efforts include marketing the county to corporate decision-makers, aligning its workforce development efforts, and working with existing businesses and industries to help catalyze their growth.

Before accepting the position at the Alliance, Lee worked as an economic development representative for PowerSouth Energy Cooperative from 2008-2012. During his time at PowerSouth, Lawson managed PowerSouth’s domestic and foreign economic development efforts for its 39 County Alabama service territory. Lawson has also held positions with the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority in Birmingham and the Madison Chamber of Commerce in Madison, Alabama.

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​Dylan de Thomas, VP of Public Policy & Government Affairs

Recycling Partnership
Dylan leads the public policy & government affairs team at The Recycling Partnership, directing advocacy efforts for the organization at the local, state, and federal levels. While at The Partnership, Dylan has worked with all of the teams across the organization, serving as a spokesperson and stakeholder representative in numerous settings to communicate, collaborate, and find consensus on complex issues. Prior to joining The Partnership, Dylan worked for Resource Recycling for a decade, directing and producing content for three publications and three conferences covering different aspects of the recycling industry.

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​Fran Trautmann

Glass Half Full, CEO

Fran was born and raised in Carencro, Louisiana, where she witnessed Louisiana's coastal erosion crisis and lack of recycling options. While a senior at Tulane University, she co-founded Glass Half Full alongside Max Steitz to tackle these two issues. Glass Half Full's mission is to recycle glass into sand for coastal restoration, construction, disaster relief, and more. After graduating with honors in Chemical Engineering in 2020, she continued to pursue Glass Half Full full-time. She now serves as the CEO, forging new partnerships, expanding operations, and leading coastal restoration efforts.

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Leigh Shaffer

Birmingham Recycling and Recovery

Leigh has worked as the sales manager at Birmingham Recycling and Recovery since November 2015.  She is also currently serving as the vice president on the Alabama Recycling Coalition's executive board.  Leigh worked previously for Auburn University as the recycling coordinator for the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department.  Auburn is also her alma mater where she earned a bachelor's degree before leaving the south after college to explore living and working in national parks in California and Hawaii.  From there she spent seven years in Seattle as an office manager, yoga instructor, pet sitter and nature lover.  After taking a year off to travel the US and Ireland, Leigh returned to Alabama in 2008 and is happy to be warm again and nearer to family in her hometown, Mobile.​​​ 

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​Terri Graham

Baldwin County, Solid Waste Director
Terri is currently the Director of The Solid Waste Disposal Authority of Baldwin County,
Alabama. Previously, Terri served as the Development Environmental Director for the
Solid Waste Department of the Baldwin County Commission since 2013. She has been
employed with the Department since 2007. Terri led all aspects of the Solid Waste
Department, including the new innovative Material Recovery Facility that will be
opening in 2024. She serves on many different boards, including SWANA (Solid Waste
Association of North America). Terri received her BSBA in Finance from Auburn
University. She is the wife of John Graham, and the mom to three beautiful daughters:
Taylor, Maddie and Jordyn.

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​​​​ Lauren Grace Johnson

Alabama Department of Environmental Management 

Lauren Grace Johnson is an Environmental Scientist in the Materials Management Section at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). Lauren Grace attended Huntingdon College and graduated with a BS in Biochemistry. She has worked as a project manager in the State's Brownfield Redevelopment Program and Voluntary Cleanup Program. She has recently transitioned from the Scrap Tire Compliance Program to Recycling Compliance and Grants Program.

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​Stephanie Baker
KW Plastics Recycling Division Troy, AL
stephanie@kwplastics.com | www.kwplastics.com

As the Director of Market Development for KW Plastics Recycling Division, Stephanie speaks to the economic advantages and opportunities for plastics recycling. A hometown girl from KW Plastics’ headquarter operations in Troy, Alabama, Stephanie represents the world’s largest plastics recycler of HDPE and PP in projects surrounding sustainability, packaging design and increasing quality supply throughout North America. Stephanie’s experience includes establishing closed loop recycling programs, beyond bottle expansion initiatives, policy, communications, economic development, strategic planning and community affairs. Professionally, Stephanie is a member ISRI, serves on APR’s Communications and Public Affairs Committee. Stephanie was named a “Woman Breaking the Mold” by Plastics News and was selected in 2020 as user advocate for U.S. Census Bureau’s The Opportunity Project (TOP). Previously, she served as Chairman of the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) Board of Directors and SERDC 120: a voluntary initiative to explore public-private partnerships and strategic investments to boost recovery in the Southeast, which resulted in The Recycling Partnership. She is a member of the Alabama Leadership Initiative Class II and was named a “Mover and Shaper” by Business Alabama magazine. Stephanie is serving in her second term on the Troy City Council and was recently elected President Pro Tempore.

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Alyssa Kuhn, Sustainable Materials Management & Brownfields Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 4
Alyssa Kuhn works as a Sustainable Materials Management and Brownfields Project Manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 4. Prior to the EPA, Alyssa has worked with the private sector, local, and state governments: Orange County, Florida, and State of Florida, respectively. She has a bachelor’s from the University of Central Florida and a Masters in Natural Resources and Global Sustainability from Virginia Tech. Alyssa is the SWIFR for States Region 4 Lead and the Brownfields state of Florida lead, she also works on competitive grant processes and various other projects.

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Emma Dufresne, Program Manager
Live Thrive
Emma Dufresne is a program manager at Live Thrive. Born and raised in Charleston, S.C., Emma's love for the outdoors and sustainability began in the low country. Whether she was in the marsh watching fiddler crabs run on the pluff mud, going camping in a local state park, or swimming at the beach, her parents were always adamant that she understood the importance of protecting the beauty of the nature around them.

Higher education brought her to Atlanta, where she attended Agnes Scott College, graduating in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and sociology and a minor in environmental sustainability studies. After graduation, Emma worked as a sustainability fellow in Agnes Scott's Center for Sustainability, managing student projects, communications, and waste diversion education. She became familiar with the organization's work through Agnes Scott's partnership with Live Thrive's Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM).

Passionate about Live Thrive's mission, Emma joined the organization in 2021. Her first project was to manage a year-long recycling program to improve infrastructure and education at multi-family properties in metro Atlanta. For the past two years, she has continued multi-family programming work in addition to writing and managing grants. She also manages educational programming, which includes hosting facility tours and lunch-and-learns for schools, community, civic and corporate groups; volunteer orientations; the annual Kids Day event; the CHaRM Corporate Challenge; and the newest addition to programming, the STE(A)M Certification Grant Program.

Emma lives in Atlanta with her partner and two cats. When she’s not working or spending time with family and friends, you can find her on the track with Atlanta Roller Derby.

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Byron Geiger, Head of Operations
Indorama Ventures Sustainable Solutions
Byron Geiger has been in the PET recycling/processing industry for more than 37 years. Throughout Byron’s career, he has worked closely with industry groups to advance the recycling industry and has been a leader in advocating for recycling as a whole. Byron is currently Head of Operations with Indorama Ventures Sustainable Solutions and is responsible for the recycling operations in the Americas. He is based in Athens, Alabama and has been with the company for 5 years. In his current role, Byron oversees and is responsible for Indorama’s 3 recycling plants in the US, 1 in Mexico, as well as 1 in Brazil.

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Haywood Dozier

Waste Recycling Inc.
Haywood Dozier started with Mount Scrap Material in 1988.  Since then, Mount Scrap Material merged with Waste Recycling Inc. and now has 4 plants in Alabama, Montgomery, Opelika, Tuscaloosa, and Anniston.

Haywood’s primary duties have been to develop business with Municipalities, manufacturing plants, retail businesses and anybody that wanted to recycle (and even those that didn’t).

Haywood has been a member of the Alabama Recycling Coalition since it began in 1992 and has served as President and Vice President multiple times. He presently serves as Vice President and chairman of the membership committee.

Haywood has been married to his high school sweetheart, Cindy, for 49 years and has two sons and five grandchildren. He enjoys hunting, fishing, the beach and working on his farm.

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Charmayne N. Watson, Account Manager, ARC Treasurer
Greif
Charmayne N. Watson is the current treasurer of the Alabama Recycling Coalition and a 1993 graduate of Troy State University with a degree in Business Administration / Marketing. With over 30 years’ experience in the recycling industry; she is employed with Greif - Recycling, as an account manager in Mobile Alabama. Her territory includes all areas of the United States with a primary focus in the Southern Region. Charmayne is very active in her community and volunteers within Greif. She currently serves as treasurer of Keep Mobile Beautiful, and Secretary of BEE @ Greif a Colleague Resource Group. She is an active member with Mobile Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, where she has a lifetime commitment to serve in the community.

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​Virginia Bear Bannister, ARC President
President, Alabama Beverage Association
Virginia currently serves as President of The Alabama Beverage Association, working on her 14th year in this role. She leads the association’s governmental and public affairs efforts, serving as the association’s chief lobbyist as well as the primary contact with the media and other external governmental and non-governmental entities. The Alabama Beverage
Association is the trade association for Alabama’s non-alcoholic beverage industry whose membership includes all of the Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper Keurig bottlers in the state of Alabama.

Virginia has 30 years of public affairs experience. She started her public policy career in Washington, D.C. where she worked for three years and then moved back to Alabama in 1997 as a reporter and producer covering politics and business for Alabama Public Television. Virginia went on to work for the Business Council of Alabama as manager of governmental affairs and later served as vice-president for governmental affairs at AmSouth Bank and then
Regions Financial Corporation (following a merger). Virginia has also worked as a consultant for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, the advocacy arm of the American Cancer Society.  A native of Montgomery, Virginia earned a B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina and a M.A. in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C.

Virginia currently serves as a board member and officer for the Alabama Council of Association Executives (ACAE) and as the current chair of the Alabama Recycling Coalition. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery, Class XXII. She previously served on the vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Montgomery. She is a former member of the Junior League of Montgomery and formerly served on the board of directors for Montgomery Landmarks Foundation. Virginia has also served on the board of directors for the Montgomery chapter of Kid One and continues to serve as a volunteer for MACOA’s meals on wheels program. Virginia and her husband Porter live in Montgomery with their doodle dog, Bonnie.

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Scott Story, Operations & Compliance Manager
City of Huntsville Solid Waste Disposal Authority
Scott Story is the Operations & Compliance Manager for the City of Huntsville Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA).  In this role, he manages the day-to-day activities associated with solid waste landfill and the household hazardous waste (HHW) facility.  Scott joined SWDA in 2022 after 26 years of service at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).  While at ADEM, he worked in various areas of the Department, including the Industrial Hazardous Waste Branch, the Industrial Water (NPDES) Branch, and lastly the Solid Waste Branch.  The last several years at the Department, Scott was the Solid Waste Branch Chief where he managed the permitting, compliance and enforcement of solid waste and coal combustion residual (CCR) facilities along with the State’s recycling, beneficial use and scrap tire programs.  Scott is a registered Professional Engineer with bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University in Montgomery.  He and his wife Courtney have two children (Matthew-21 and Claudia-15), and currently reside in Millbrook, Alabama.

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Catrina Cook, Environmental Services Director

City of Auburn

Catrina holds both master and bachelor degrees from Auburn University in Public
Administration. Catrina received executive education certificates of completion from Harvard
University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the University of Virginia’s Leading,
Education, and Developing Program (LEAD) through the Weldon Cooper Center for Public
Service.
Catrina is the Environmental Services Director for the City of Auburn. A lifelong Auburn resident,
Catrina began her career as an intern in the City’s Environmental Services Department.
Catrina’s interest in serving her hometown was sparked during a class at Auburn University. As
she began Auburn’s graduate program in public administration, she took the first step in her now
26-year stint with the City by signing up to educate Auburn City Schools students about the
City’s recycling and sustainability program. A year later, she was promoted to the department’s
administrative assistant and realized the breadth of impact Environmental Services has. During
her tenure with the City of Auburn, she has served as Environmental Services Assistant
Director, Division Manager Right of Way Maintenance and as the Environmental Services
Assistant. Cook’s leadership within City of Auburn has ushered many changes most recently
she is acknowledged for implementing a new fleet management solution that allows the
department to track City vehicles, monitor engine diagnostics and help optimize collection
routes all to increase efficiencies and save taxpayer dollars.
Catrina is married to Royrickers and has two adult children, Olivia and Preston.

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Blake Pruitt, Chief of Materials Management Section 

Alabama Department of Environmental Management

Blake Pruitt began her career at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management in 2004 in Land Division in the scrap tire program. In 2009 she transferred to the recycling group where she handled registrations, along with the Alabama Recycling Fund grant program. In 2014 she transferred to waste approvals, handling approvals for special waste and hazardous waste disposal. In 2019 she was promoted to Chief of the Special Services Unit in ADEM’s water division, handling NPDES permits and compliance for small sand and gravel borrow pits and the pesticide permit, along with managing complaints for the Water Division. In 2024 she was named Chief of the Materials Management Sections, where she now oversees the scrap tire, recycling, and beneficial use programs.

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