Southern California
Conversion Technology
Speaker Bios
Click on a speakers name to see their bio!
Agenda
7:30 – 8:30 AM
|
Registration / Breakfast / Media Check-In | Continental Breakfast Sponsored by Hitachi Zosen Inova USA, LLC. |
| 8:30 – 8:45 AM | Welcome and Opening Remarks | Shari Afshari, LACDPW |
| 8:45 – 10:00 AM | Panel: Conversion Technologies and Best Practices Throughout the World |
Moderator: Eugene Tseng, UCLA
|
| 10:00 – 10:15 | BREAK | Coffee, Juice, and Water available |
| 10:15 – 11:30 | Panel: Environmental Findings from CT Studies and Projects |
Moderator:
Coby Skye, LACDPW
|
| 11:30 – 12:00pm | AFTERNOON KEYNOTE | Ethan Elkind, UC Berkeley |
12:00 – 1:00pm
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LUNCH | Lunch Sponsored by Bioenergy Producers Association |
| 1:00 – 2:15pm | Panel: Conversion Technologies and Sustainability |
Moderator:
Bonny Bentzin, UCLA Office of Sustainability
|
| 2:15 – 2:30 | BREAK | Coffee, Juice, and Water available |
| 2:30 – 4:00 | Panel: CA Projects, Permitting, and Legislation |
Moderator:
Gary Petersen, Environmental Problem Solving Enterprises
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| 4:00 – 4:15 | Closing Remarks/Questions | Coby Skye, LACDPW |
4:15 – 5:30
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Reception and Concurrent Technical Session |
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Keynote Speaker
Ethan Elkind
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Shari Afshari
Shari Afshari has been with Los Angeles County for 36 years. Currently, she serves as a Deputy Director for Los Angeles County Public Works over Environmental Services. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the environmentally sustainable management of solid waste and recycling for over one million unincorporated area residents and 20,000 commercial accounts; operation and maintenance of sewer infrastructure for a population of over 2 million people within the County Unincorporated area and a total of 39 cities;
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Moderators
Bonny Bentzin
Bonny Bentzin is Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer at UCLA. As a key member of the leadership team for sustainability she manages sustainability across the university and working to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments to create a world class living laboratory for sustainability.
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Gary Petersen
Gary Petersen is a partner in Environmental Problem Solving Enterprises, which he co-founded in 1997. The firm specializes in advancing environmentally preferable products and services, including the development of renewable energy and fuels, emerging green technologies, and sustainable design and development.
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Coby Skye
Coby Skye is a Senior Civil Engineer working for the Environmental Programs Division of the Los Angeles County Public Works. Mr. Skye received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering from Polytechnic University as well as a Masters in Public Administration from California State University at Long Beach, and is a registered Civil Engineer in California.
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Eugene Tseng
Eugene Tseng is an Environmental Engineer / Attorney with 44 years of design, regulatory, and construction experience with MRFs, transfer stations, and Alternative Technology Facilities. He holds various process patents on new construction materials made from the recycled waste stream. Dr. Tseng is an Engineering professor at UCLA Extension’s Recycling and MSW Management Program and also a law Professor with the University of West L.A. School of Law.
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Panelists
Christine Arbogast
Christine Arbogast, PE, Vice President, Solid Waste Division, Tetra Tech BAS. Ms. Arbogast has over 30 years of civil engineering and solid waste planning experience in environmental and waste management projects. She has specialized experience in directing long-term strategic planning studies for public solid waste management systems and has managed the development of expansion and master development plans for large regional landfills.
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Karen Bertram
Karen Bertram is CEO/President of Integrated Energy LLC, a Veteran-Woman Owned Company, specializing in the commercial development of Waste Conversion Technologies. Ms. Bertram has over 16 years experience in the development and commercialization of Waste Conversion technologies in California.
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Frank Campbell
Mr. Campbell co-founded Interstate Waste Technologies (IWT) in 1990. He is a member of the Board of Directors and President. IWT develops waste to energy projects incorporating Thermoselect high temperature gasification technologies. Energy is produced in the form of alternative fuels or electricity.
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Tim Cesarek
Craig M. Cookson
Craig Cookson is the Director of Sustainability and Recycling for the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council, a trade association representing the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. Craig is responsible for leading the Plastics Division’s strategic national initiatives to increase the recycling of plastics, advance opportunities for energy recovery, and promote awareness of plastics’ role in providing sustainable solutions to society’s greatest challenges.
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Jacques Franco
With over twenty-five years of work experience in environmental science in California, Jacques is a Science and Policy Fellow at the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy.
At CalRecycle, he was the lead technical staff for urban biomass to fuels and energy conversion technologies. Jacques was responsible for emerging technology assessment, research and analysis and provided technical support to jurisdictions and other stakeholders deploying waste conversion projects in California.
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Mike Gatto
Mike Gatto, a lifelong resident of the district he represents, has always felt a calling to improve how government works for California's hard-working residents. Mike graduated from UCLA with a degree in history, and then put himself through Loyola Law School at night, graduating magna cum laude, while working full-time as a congressional Chief of Staff.
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Mark McDannel
Kenny Miyagi
Paul Relis
Paul Relis is Senior Vice President of CR&R Incorporated. He and his colleague, Mike Silva, have led CR&R’s development of its new anaerobic digester (AD) business platform for the company. Paul’s corporate focus has been on policy, regulations and legislation and grants related to anaerobic digestion both statewide and nationally.
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David Schneider
David Schneider is Sr. Business Development Manager for Anaergia, a leader technology and development firm for organics recycling infrastructure. David has been with Anaergia nearly 5 years and has over 15 years’ experience in the renewable and industrial project development in California.
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Bob Shaw
Rob White
As a demonstrated innovator and collaborator, Rob White is the Chief Strategist of Sierra Energy, a waste gasification and renewable energy company. Named a White House “Champion of Change for Local Innovation”, Mr. White has been recognized by regional, national and international organizations for his work on economic development, regional innovation clusters and partnership with federal agencies.
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Evan Williams
Evan is a co-founder and the President of Cambrian Energy Development LLC that has developed more than 50 landfill gas-to-energy and digester gas-to-energy projects since 1980, including the largest RNG project in the US at the McCommas Bluff Landfill in Dallas, Texas. He has participated in more than $1 billion in financings for renewable energy projects. He serves as Chairman of the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, a policy trade organization for participants in the renewable (i.e. pipeline quality) natural gas industry.
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Greg Wolffe
Greg Wolffe, a Principal Scientist at Yorke, has over 25 years of experience in air quality consulting and research. He has worked with California agencies, including the California Energy Commission (CEC) and Public Utilities Commission, on power generation licensing and utility service projects.
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