SWANA congratulates the recipients of the 2025 SWANA Awards in the categories of: Professional Achievement; Young Professionals; Communication, Education & Marketing; Landfill Gas & Biogas; Waste Conversion & Energy Recovery; and Safety. 听Recognized as among the industry鈥檚 most prestigious awards, SWANA鈥檚 awards honor innovation, dedication, and leadership in the waste and resource management industry.
鈥淐ongratulations to all the award recipients and thank you to those who submitted applications. We are proud of these individuals and organizations and very much look forward to celebrating them at RCon鈩�,鈥� shared SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE. The awardees will be recognized at SWANA鈥檚 new annual conference,鈥疪Con鈩� 2025, held November 12-15 in Columbus, Ohio.鈥疭WANA鈥檚 Award Ceremony will celebrate the recipients for fostering solutions to propel their work and their communities forward.
“I always look forward to the SWANA Awards because they give us the opportunity to celebrate the dedication and innovation of our members and organizations across the industry,鈥� said Elizabeth Roe, President of SWANA. 鈥淏y sharing the stories of these award recipients, we not only honor their achievements but also inspire others.鈥�
Congratulations to the 2025 SWANA Award Recipients:听
Professional Achievement Awards听
SWANA recognizes individuals for going above and beyond in serving the waste and resource management industry and their outstanding contributions to SWANA.
The Robert L. Lawrence Distinguished Service Award is the highest accolade from SWANA in recognition of service to the industry, employer, and general public.
- Robert L. Lawrence Distinguished Service Award: Marc Rogoff, Senior Consultant, Geosyntec Consultants
- Professional Achievement Award for a Private Sector Member: Michelle Langdon, Senior Project Manager, Great West Engineering
- Professional Achievement Award for a Public Sector Member: James 鈥淢ike鈥� Thornton, Director, Coffee County Environmental Services
Young Professional of the Year Awards听
This award is presented to exemplary Young Professional members annually for their excellent performance and dedication to the waste and resource management industry.
- Young Professional of the Year: Sebastian Langford, Environmental Engineer, City of Huntsville Solid Waste Disposal Authority听
- Young Professional of the Year: Allison Rathsack, Lead Project Engineer, Dane County Department of Waste + Renewables
- Young Professional of the Year: Hailey Tatum, Engineering Project Manager, WM
- Young Professional of the Year: Christopher鈥疶oevs, PE, Facility Engineer, Chester County Solid Waste Authority, Pennsylvania
Communication, Education, & Marketing Technical Division Awards
- Game Changing Tools: City of Loveland, Colorado
- Outstanding Awareness Campaign: City of Alexandria, Virginia
- Outstanding Social Media Campaign:听Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Salinas, California
Landfill Gas & Biogas Technical Division Awards
- Eternal Flame:听Bettye Heerdink, Software and Field Technician Support, LANDTEC/QED Environmental Systems
- Eternal Flame:听Leonard 鈥淪kip鈥� Shupp, Regional Manager Landfill Gas Operations, Blue Flame Crew
- Distinguished Individual Achievement:听David Kaminski, Senior Vice President, QED Environmental
Waste Conversion & Energy Recovery Technical Division Awards
- Trailblazer Distinguished Individual Achievement: Greg Gesell, Senior Solid Waste Engineer, HDR
Sustainable Materials Management Technical Division Awards
- Organizational Award:听City of St. Peters, Missouri
- Young Professional Impact: Jon Schroeder, Sustainable Materials Management Specialist, Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), University of Minnesota
- Distinguished Individual Achievement:听Maia Corbitt, President, Texans for Clean Water
Planning & Management Technical Division Awards听
- Distinguished Individual Achievement: Robert Smouse, Senior Manager of Alternative Fuel, Cemex听
Safety Awards
- Best Safety Innovation:听City of Goodyear, Arizona听
- Best Safety Training Program: OC Waste & Recycling, County of Orange, California
- Biggest Safety Improvement: North Texas Municipal Water District听
- Workplace Wellness: Pinellas County Solid Waste, Pinellas County, Florida听听