2025 SWANA Award Recipients Announced

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): 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.  Recognized as among the industry’s most prestigious awards, SWANA’s awards honor innovation, dedication, and leadership in the waste and resource management industry.

“Congratulations 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™,” shared SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE. The awardees will be recognized at SWANA’s new annual conference, RCon™ 2025, held November 12-15 in Columbus, Ohio. SWANA’s 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,” said Elizabeth Roe, President of SWANA. “By sharing the stories of these award recipients, we not only honor their achievements but also inspire others.”

Congratulations to the 2025 SWANA Award Recipients: 

Professional Achievement Awards 

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 “Mike” Thornton, Director, Coffee County Environmental Services

Young Professional of the Year Awards 

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 

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 Toevs, 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: Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Salinas, California

Landfill Gas & Biogas Technical Division Awards

Eternal Flame: Bettye Heerdink, Software and Field Technician Support, LANDTEC/QED Environmental Systems

Eternal Flame: Leonard “Skip” Shupp, Regional Manager Landfill Gas Operations, Blue Flame Crew

Distinguished Individual Achievement: 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: 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: Maia Corbitt, President, Texans for Clean Water

Planning & Management Technical Division Awards 

Distinguished Individual Achievement: Robert Smouse, Senior Manager of Alternative Fuel, Cemex 

Safety Awards

Best Safety Innovation: City of Goodyear, Arizona 

Best Safety Training Program: OC Waste & Recycling, County of Orange, California

Biggest Safety Improvement: North Texas Municipal Water District 

Workplace Wellness: Pinellas County Solid Waste, Pinellas County, Florida  

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com