• About
• Registration
• Program
• Attendees
• Speakers
• Presentations
• Tours
• Sponsors/Exhibitors
• Young Professionals
• Accommodations
• Socials and Entertainment
• Symposium Committee Contacts

38th Annual SWANA Northwest Regional Symposium

April 18-20, 2023
Tulalip Resort Hotel

Each spring the Evergreen (WA and MT), Beaver (OR and ID), and Pacific (BC and Yukon) chapters hold a joint Northwest Symposium. Join solid waste industry professionals from a wide variety of specialized fields, where members come to exchange information and learn from technical experts.

The SWANA Evergreen Chapter is among the more active and diversely represented chapters in the nation. We have a positive reputation among members, neighboring chapters and the national organization for promoting innovation, supporting education, and taking on challenging technical and policy initiatives.

Our Board of Directors reflects who you are through its representation of public officials, engineering professionals, and commercial operators and haulers. Our members, sponsors and surrounding communities benefit from the energy we commit toward taking on tomorrow’s resource challenges.

Registration

We have reached capacity!
All registration, including walk-in registration, is closed.

Program

Tuesday

Tours (separate cost) to T-Mobile Park, Lumen Field, Georgetown Brewery and the Everett Landfill Redevelopment. (Morning refreshments and lunch included)

Join Sponsors and attendees at the Sponsor Social in the Ballroom from 4:30-7:30 PM.

A Young Professionals Mentor Match Event will follow from 7:30-8:30 PM.

Wednesday/Thursday

The symposium program will include sessions on:

• Organics Management Planning
• Aging Transfer Facilities Planning
• Waste Systems’ Financial Impacts (zero waste and funding opportunities)
• Emerging Landfill Industry Trends (PFAS, liner, leachate, and landfill gas)
• Sustainability, Recycling, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Download the Symposium Program PDF (subject to changes).

Attendees

Want to know who’s attending?

Join these other solid waste industry professionals for networking, tours, technical sessions, keynote speakers, social events, and entertainment. 

Scholarship Winners

Saré Campbell

Washington Service Corps

Environmental Outreach Coordinator

Read Saré’s Bio

Saré Campbell serves with Washington Service Corps as an environmental outreach coordinator in Clark County, WA. She attended college at Montana State University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Earth Science. During undergrad, Saré conducted three years of geochronology research and volunteered with a local non-profit promoting educational campaigns to reduce single-use plastic use around the community. Currently, with Clark County Public Health, she supports the solid waste environmental outreach team. Saré works with local schools to help install waste sorting systems and educate students about composting, and she conducts outreach to transition Clark County businesses to utilize municipal compost. She has enjoyed learning about the many layers of solid waste management through her service with AmeriCorps and is very grateful to meet more of the community during the NW Regional Symposium.

Joey Teresi

University of Washington

Graduate Student

Read Joey’s Bio

Joey is a current graduate student at the University of Washington pursuing a masters degree in Environmental Health Sciences. Before resuming his academic career, he was employed in the environmental consulting industry for nearly four years. He performed a variety of tasks including hazardous material surveys, indoor air quality assessments, groundwater monitoring well compliance sampling, abatement and remediation oversight activities, and Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments. Joey’s general interests include environmental geology, environmental health, water resource management, renewable resources, environmental monitoring and compliance, sustainable communities, and environmental justice.

Anna Seweryniak

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Graduate Student

Read Anna’s Bio

In her current role as an intern for Seattle Public Utilities, Anna works to improve recycling and composting across multifamily properties in the city. She is also wrapping up her Master’s in Public Administration at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. As part of this program, she and her consulting team are collaborating with the Washington State Department of Health to collect and analyze drinking water rates and shutoffs across the state. Anna’s areas of interest include environmental policy, social justice, sustainable food systems, program management, and accountability. After graduation, she hopes to continue working towards a circular economy and alignment of consumer behavior with overarching sustainability goals. In her free time, you can find Anna with a cup of coffee and a puzzle, hiking up or snowboarding down mountains, or training her dog.

Ivette Pinochet

University of Washington

Graduate Student

Read Ivette’s Bio

Ivette is a chemical engineer with over ten years of experience in the consulting business, primarily focused on the mining industry. She spent five years in engineering design and five years in customer-facing technical sales roles at companies like Jacobs and Brass. Her passion for environmental responsibility has driven her to pursue a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, where she is currently in her final year. Throughout her studies, she has had the privilege of working alongside exceptional mentors and has been given the opportunity to lead a project exploring sustainable methods of removing toxic contaminants from landfill water. This project has taught her the importance of leadership, creativity, and resilience in finding new technologies that positively impact communities. Ivette is excited to continue her career in water treatment processes and apply her expertise to contributing to a more sustainable world.

Noell Evans

AmeriCorps

VISTA

Read Noell’s Bio

Noell grew up in Northern Virginia and went to university in Virginia as well to get a degree in international affairs. She recently moved out to Montana to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA and work on various sustainability projects. She is extremely passionate about issues pertaining to environmental stewardship. Our environment is a limited resource, and as such it is important that we work to maintain it. That is why Noell is particularly interested in effective waste management strategies. Taking steps to reduce overall waste production through techniques such as recycling, upcycling, and reduced consumption are all crucial for keeping our environment clean and healthy. After her service term, Noell plans to continue to collaborate with local governments to implement sustainable waste management measures in communities across America.

Henry Canafax

AmeriCorps

VISTA

Read Henry’s Bio

Henry is currently serving a 10.5-month long AmeriCorps service term with Clark County Public Health in Vancouver, Washington. In his position as the Environmental Outreach Coordinator for the Green Neighbors Program, he does residential outreach regarding waste reduction, recycling, composting, etc. Environmental sustainability is a topic near and dear to his heart, which is part of the reason he enjoys his current position so much. Henry graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in Global Resource Systems and Environmental Studies, as well as a minor in Agronomy.

Speakers

Keynote Breakfast Speaker

Wednesday, April 19th

Richard Coupland III, Vice President, Municipal Sales — Republic Services

Read Richard’s Bio

Mr. Coupland is the vice president of Municipal Sales for Republic Services, responsible for partnerships with approximately 2000 municipalities across the country. His team provides consultative support to their Municipal partners, to understand and navigate changes in the industry, as well as emerging trends and best practices.

Richard joined Republic Services in 2015, following a 20 year career in the defense industry with Fortune 100 companies including General Dynamics and Motorola.

Richard received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute, and his Masters degree in Business Administration from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Keynote Lunch Speaker

Wednesday, April 19th

Kate O’Neill, Professor and Associate Dean – UC Berkley

Read Kate’s Bio

Kate O’Neill Is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California at Berkeley and holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University. She is known for her work on global environmental politics and governance and the global political economy of waste. She has been featured on NPR shows such as Fresh Air, Here and Now and Marketplace, and quoted in the Economist and other venues on waste and recycling. Her most recent book, Waste, was published by Polity Press in 2019. It looks at how waste has become a globalized resource. It also highlights associated risks – and the governance challenges this new global waste economy poses to authorities from city governments all the way up to the UN. The book includes cases on China and the plastic scrap trade, waste work and labor, the global political economy of electronic waste and food waste, and the circular economy. Professor O’Neill has also written a book on global environmental politics (The Environment and International Relations, from Cambridge University Press) as well as numerous articles. At UC Berkeley, she is the Associate Dean of Instruction and Student Affairs at the Rausser College of Natural Resources.

Keynote Breakfast Speaker

Thursday, April 20th

Alli Kingfisher, Organics and Food Center Supervisor – Washington Department of Ecology

Read Alli’s Bio

Alli Kingfisher is Washington State Department of Ecology’s Organics and Food Center Unit Supervisor. She has 20 years of experience working on a wide range of sustainable materials management policies, projects, and initiatives including post-consumer recycled content requirements, plastic packaging, and extended producer responsibility. Alli has a passion for working across sectors to find common ground and practicable solutions. Alli holds an MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. Alli is always game for a discussion on policy, the circular economy, or the plans for your next adventure. Please reach out to her.

Keynote Lunch Speaker

Thursday, April 20th

David McCary, Assistant City Manager – City of San Antonio. 

Read David’s Bio

David McCary is a past board member of Texas SWANA and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators. He was also a 2021 recipient of the SWANA professional achievement award. With 30-plus years of professional experience in the field of solid waste management, he is a liberator and mentor of sanitation workers and leaders around the country. He has directed collection operations for four major cities across the United States with great success. Cities like Houston, Texas; Durham, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida and San Antonio, Texas have all saved millions of tax and rate payers’ dollars through the advancement of automated collection technologies and innovation from planning and research development initiatives. McCary’s greatest accomplishment that he is most proud of is that he was able to achieve these savings from each of these cities without one employee being laid off. Because of his passion as a leader and mentor, he has advanced the careers of eight mentees who today are municipal directors across the country and overseas. He believes that employees are the greatest asset and that all employees should be empowered to master their craft.

Presentation PDFs

The Symposium presentations are now available in PDF format. You can find them here.

Tours (space is limited)

$100 fee — The tours are a separate item and not included with the symposium registration.

Our tours on April 18, 2023 include stops at: 

• T-Mobile Park 
• Lumen Field
• Georgetown Brewery
• Everett Landfill Redevelopment Project 

Download the Tour Information Flier.

Sponsors/Exhibitors

Your company or organization has the opportunity to showcase itself to hundreds of solid waste management professionals by sponsoring at the upcoming 2023 SWANA Northwest Regional Symposium in Tulalip, Washington. The symposium attracts delegates representing public and private sector organizations in the Pacific Northwest solid waste industry.

Exhibitor booths are sold out!

Thank you sponsors!

Platinum Level

Gold Level

Silver Level

Bronze Level

Meal Sponsors

Charging Station Sponsor

Technical Session Sponsors

Friends of SWANA

Sponsor a Student

Young Professionals

Young Professionals Mentor Match Event

Have you ever been caught in a situation where you have a question that seems too dumb to ask your Project Manager or Client? Do you ever want to pick the brains of industry experts but have no idea where to start? Do you work in a setting where you’re the only employee with less than 10 or 20 years of experience? Are you curious who the most fun people are to drink with this evening?? All of these questions and more will be answered Tuesday night at 7:30 pm at the 2023 SWANA Northwest Regional Symposium’s Young Professional Mentor Match Event! Grab some drinks (must be 21 to attend) and swing on over after Tuesday night’s Social for our high energy speed-dating style mentor match event. You will get the opportunity to speak with several industry experts, meet other regional YPs, and open doors for future relationships and opportunities. Our goal is to provide YPs a stress-free opportunity to meet industry experts to develop mentorship opportunities, develop friendships with other regional YPs, and have an awesome after-party!

Accommodations

Tulalip Resort Hotel

The 2023 SWANA Northwest Regional Symposium will be held at the beautiful Tulalip Resort Hotel.

$139 plus tax for Deluxe Queen or King (Mon-Thurs) Symposium-rate Deluxe Queen and King rooms have all been booked and are no longer available.
$179 plus tax for Resort King (Mon-Thurs)
$199 plus tax for Queen or King (Fri-Sat)
(For guests who want to extend their stay for the weekend)

You may make reservations by phone (mention SWANA for group rates)
Hotel reservations number: 1-866-716-7162
(Online reservations at group code rates are not functioning at this time)

Socials and Entertainment

In addition to learning and networking, we love to have a great time. Don’t miss these opportunities for an evening of amazing food, drinks and fun.

Tuesday, April 18
Sponsor Social and Young Professionals Mentor Match Event

Everyone’s invited to the Sponsor Social from 4:30 – 7:30 in the Ballroom where you’ll enjoy complimentary drinks and food while networking with Sponsor Exhibitors and other attendees. Following the Sponsor Social, keep the party going by joining the Young Professionals Mixer.

Wednesday, April 19
Banquet and Entertainment

Our banquets are known for incredible food and amazing entertainment! You’ll enjoy close-up magic from Nate Jester during our no-host cocktail hour from 5:00-6:00 pm and again for a full show during the banquet from 6:00-8:00 pm.

Nate Jester is an award-winning Seattle-based Magician specializing in magic, mind reading, and comedy. Nate has devoted countless hours to mastering sleight-of-hand magic and stage illusions. His love for the art began with a single deck of cards more than 28 years ago. His professional abilities and personable character emanate throughout each performance. His impeccable talent has established him as one of the nation’s leading magical entertainers. With a list of clients including Microsoft, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Intel, Google, Facebook, and Nintendo, Nate’s reputation as the Ace of Illusions clearly speaks for itself.

Symposium Committee Contacts

Your Symposium Committee is dedicated to planning an exceptional event. If you have any questions or comments, please contact them.

• Symposium Chair
  Karam Singh | 321-370-3173
• Speakers
  Matthew Hobson | 210-439-8702
• Sponsorships
  Lewis Griffith | 253-573-2420
• Symposium Coordinator
  Jeannie Balducci Wolf | 425-348-1440

Contact the Committee

Past Northwest Regional Symposia