2026 Summit

From EPR & equitable glass recycling to leveraging AI and driving sustainability initiatives, our summit has sessions to inspire real-world change. Whether you are looking for inspiration, useful connections, or strategies you can apply right away, our Summit is designed to make every moment count.

View agenda.

Click here to view our sessions and speakers.

Nik Balachandran is an electrical engineer-turned-entrepreneur who found his passion to keep trash out of the environment after encountering it during open water swimming and hiking expeditions all around the world. He founded Zabble in 2016 to help organizations reach zero waste by championing a novel waste measurement process and software platform using artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline operations and engage stakeholders. Nik is a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor, a former board member of the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) and actively participates in local beach cleanups and zero waste advocacy.

Phoebe Breckenridge is Director of Partnerships with Oak View Group, where she helps brands tell their stories through sports and live entertainment venues. Based in Augusta, her work spans sponsorship strategy, brand activation and community engagement, including collaboration across the state of Georgia in OVG’s five home markets. She focuses on connecting partners with venue audiences in ways that bring their messages to life and demonstrate their commitments to the communities they serve.

Madison Crockett is a Registered Dietitian and the Assistant Director of Nutrition and Sustainability with Eagle Dining Services at Georgia Southern University. In her role, she leads initiatives that promote sustainable dining practices while supporting student health and well-being. As a Georgia native, Madison is passionate about advancing sustainability efforts in her home state through education, collaboration with local partners, and implementing practical solutions.

Gael Doyle is the Communications Coordinator for the City of Decatur’s Parks & Recreation Department, where she develops marketing, communications and community engagement strategies that connect residents with programs, parks, and public initiatives. Since joining the City in 2021, Gael has worked across a range of community-focused projects, including sustainability, active transportation, Safe Routes to School, and special events. She brings a creative, hands-on approach to public engagement, with a particular interest in making community initiatives accessible, interactive, and fun. In 2026, Gael was honored with the City of Decatur’s Thomas O. Davis Award for her commitment to public service, creativity, and connecting with the community.

Allison Ericson became the City of Decatur’s first Urban Naturalist in 2023, bringing over 20 years of experience as a naturalist and program director at multiple nature centers. In her role, she helps maintain Decatur’s natural areas with a primary focus on removing invasive plant species, installing native plants, and supporting volunteer-driven beautification projects in neighborhood greenspaces.

Allison is actively involved in planning and maintaining the city’s green infrastructure and collaborates closely with other Public Works divisions, Parks and Recreation, and Legacy Decatur. She will also lead the City’s new initiative as an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Passionate about connecting people with nature, Allison hosts monthly hikes and works to create and preserve spaces of refuge and community for residents. Outside of work, she enjoys working in the yard, traveling, and hanging with friends and family.

Danny Glymph is a Regional Sales Manager-Southeast and Mid-Atlantic for Better Earth.  Danny is a veteran sales professional with a successful career spanning 45 years in consumer products and packaging sales with progressively increasing roles.  In his career, he has worked for and represented such companies as Scott Paper, Minute Maid, Ore-Ida, Con-Agra, Georgia Pacific, Pactiv, EMI Yoshi and now Better Earth.  He has held positions ranging from Sales Rep to Vice President of Sales.   Danny is actively involved in his church and enjoys running, playing golf and spending time with his wife, Suzy, as well as his children and grandchildren.

Amy Hartline is the Recycling and Education Program Coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority and Executive Director of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful. Her work combines recycling education, community outreach, and creative marketing to make recycling more accessible and engaging. She has received awards from Keep America Beautiful, Rivers Alive, and the SWANA GA chapter. She lives with her husband, their rescue dog, and their six-month-old son, whose current musical preference is Judas Priest so if you spot her driving around after the conference expect to hear some heavy metal playing.

Natalie Johnston-Russell is Executive Director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, where she leads statewide efforts to create cleaner, greener, and more beautiful communities. Under her leadership, the foundation supports a network of more than 70 local affiliates and works with partners across Georgia to advance litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, and community beautification. Natalie also serves on the national board of directors of Keep America Beautiful. With more than two decades of nonprofit leadership experience, she brings expertise in volunteer engagement, fundraising, organizational strategy, and community outreach.

Natalie holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Alabama and lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two teenage children.

Sarah Knapp is the manager of the Recovered Materials Unit for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, where she manages the Solid Waste Trust Fund Grant Program, contracts for state-wide scrap tire abatement and abandoned landfill closure and permitting of material recovery facilities. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and minor in Public Administration, and is a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP BD+C) and an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). Sarah is passionate about saving the environment, reducing waste, and educating and inspiring others.

Josh Mastromatto is the co-founder and CEO of Rego, an AI-powered waste auditing and analytics company founded in Philadelphia in 2020. As a TRUE Certified Zero Waste Advisor and former professional athlete, Josh brings a unique combination of discipline, performance analytics, and systems thinking to solving complex waste challenges. After retiring from professional sports, he recognized that the same data-driven principles used to measure performance on the field could be applied to measuring, predicting, and preventing waste in cities, schools, and commercial offices.

Bill Moore is president of Moore & Associates, an international consulting firm that provides a range of strategic services and research to global recycling organizations. Bill has had a fifty-year career as an environmental business professional. Prior to establishing his own consulting firm, Bill held a series of positions in the chemical, solid waste, paper, and recycling industries.  This included Director of Recycling for Waste Management, Inc., where he was responsible for the startup of the “Recycle America” program, the largest introduction of recycling services in the United States. Earlier in his career, Bill was a hazardous and groundwater waste expert and was at the forefront of the US manufacturing industry’s move for waste reduction through process optimization. Bill’s unique knowledge base includes all aspects of the global supply and demand of recovered paper, where he is currently considered the leading expert.

Over the last 30 years, Moore & Associates has served over 500 clients on more than 800 projects on recycling engagements.  Bill is a sought-after speaker throughout the world on subjects related to global recycling and the business side of environmental issues. He is highly published in the recycling field having authored more than fifty articles over the last thirty-five years.

Veronica Roof is the Solid Waste Planning Lead at HDR. She has managed studies and developed waste and recycling strategies for local, state, and federal agencies and other institutions nationwide. Veronica brings a combination of operational, financial, and legal expertise to develop and implement tailored strategies guiding progress and achievement of program goals. Veronica is active in the solid waste and recycling industry nationally and locally. Currently, Veronica serves on the Solid Waste Association of North America Communication, Education & Marketing Technical Division, and is a Solid Waste Committee Member for the American Public Works Association and Board Member for the SWANA Georgia Chapter. In addition, she is a licensed attorney in the State of Georgia and a member of the Environmental Law Section and Local Government Section of the State Bar of Georgia.

Deric Rosenbaum is the President and CTO of Groucho’s Deli and a multi-unit franchise owner.  Deric has 25+ years of experience in foodservice operations, distribution logistics, and franchise growth. He leads the brand’s tech strategy, building a unified commerce ecosystem with open, bi-directional APIs and partner-first integrations that improve guest experience and outcomes, all while enhancing operational performance.

Lena Sassone is the Program Manager of the Recovered Materials & Abatement Program.  Lena has been with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division since 2018. The Recovered Materials &Abatement Program houses the Recovered Materials Unit which handles the regulatory oversight of solid waste handling facilities that divert waste from landfills including compost and anaerobic digestion operations, and other beneficial waste processing operations. The program also administers Georgia’s Solid Waste Trust Fund Grant Program for recycling and waste diversion grants. Lena is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources She is an active member of the GRC, the Georgia Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America, the Georgia Composting Council and the Region 4 representative for the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials.

Star Scott is the founder and manager of the Sustainable Science and Green Labs program at the University of Georgia. She has a background in conservation-driven research and is a deep believer in the interconnectivity of all living things.  Star is dedicated to making the research enterprise more sustainable and equitable, and is currently focused on resource conservation, landfill diversion, systems-level solutions, environmental and social justice, and sustainable procurement.

She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL), is a Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium fellow, a founding member of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council’s Laboratory Guidance Action Team and a certified human rights consultant. Star is a recipient of the I2SL Phil Wirdzek Emerging Leaders award, as well as the I2SL International Outstanding Green Labs program award.

Hunter Scully is a Sustainability Manager with Oak View Group, where he helps sports and live entertainment venues turn sustainability goals into practical operational programs. His work spans portfolio-wide sustainability strategy and implementation, including energy and water efficiency, waste reduction and circularity, data and reporting, and partner engagement. A TRUE Advisor based in Georgia, Hunter is especially interested in solutions that make sustainability realistic, measurable, and valuable for venue operators.

Michael Snipes is the Solid Waste Director of the Laurens County Solid Waste Management Authority.  He is a 1989 graduate of Southern Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He began his career in manufacturing as a process engineer before moving into the environmental field as a project manager for an environmental contractor. Michael began his career in solid waste in 2005 when he was hired by the Laurens County Solid Waste Management Authority as their Director. He is responsible for their Old Macon Road Landfill, a 650-acre facility that includes MSW, C&D and Inert landfills as well as a composting operation. Their composting operation is one of two biosolids composting facilities located on a landfill in Georgia and the only Georgia landfill permitted to compost animal mortalities. He is also responsible for their recycling operation which serves Laurens and surrounding counties and includes a sorting/baling operation located in East Dublin.

Michael is a Certified Landfill Operator (Georgia) and a SWANA Certified Manager of “Composting Programs” and “Integrated Solid Waste Management Systems”. In 2009, the Old Macon Road Landfill received the SWANA Silver Excellence Award for Landfill Management and 1st place for Waste Reduction and Recycling from Keep Georgia Beautiful. In 2013, they were awarded the SWANA Gold Excellence Award for Composting.

Michael has been a SWANA member since 2005 and has served on the board of directors since 2010. He currently serves as Past President, having previously served as Secretary, Vice-President and President. He also served the Compost Rules Stakeholders Committee and the Solid Waste Trust Fund Stakeholders Committee. He serves on the Legislative committee for SWANA and the Advocacy Committee for the Georgia Composting Council.

Stephanie Stuckey is Chief Growth Officer of Stuckey’s, a highway oasis serving pecan log rolls and fun to generations of Americans. Founded in 1937 by her grandfather, W.S. Stuckey, Sr., in Eastman, Georgia, Stuckey’s grew to over 350 stores nationwide by its peak in the 1970s. The company declined under a series of outside corporate owners but began its revival in 2019 when Stephanie and her partners reacquired the brand.

In January 2021, the Stuckey’s team acquired a manufacturing facility in Wrens, GA, and has since been reinventing the brand as a pecan snack and candy company, selling to retailers nationwide.

Stephanie earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. She has worked as a trial lawyer, served seven terms as a state representative, led sustainability initiatives as Director of Sustainability for Atlanta, and taught at the University of Georgia School of Law. Her achievements include being named one of the Most Admired CEOs of 2022 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, being listed among Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians, and graduating from Leadership Atlanta.

Her book, UnStuck: Rebirth of an American Icon, published in 2024, chronicles her journey reviving Stuckey’s and has been positively reviewed by the Wall Street Journal and Georgia Public Broadcasting, among others.

Mason Towe is the Waste Reduction Manager at the University of Georgia. He supervises the Waste Reduction Services team, UGA’s on-campus solid waste department, which provides waste, recycling, and compost collection services on campus, as well as strategic planning for campus-wide Waste Reduction goals, policies, infrastructure, and education. Prior to UGA, Mason worked for the Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division as an expert in recycling, compost, and other waste reduction education and outreach. Mason has served on the Georgia Recycling Coalition (GRC) Board of Directors for the past six years (as VP, President, and Secretary). He has been a member of SWANA GA for ten years, beginning as a student member, and now serves on the Georgia Chapter Board of Directors. Mason graduated from UGA in 2016 with degrees in Economics and Sociology. He is certified as a Georgia Master Composter and TRUE Zero Waste Advisor.

Mendie White is the Sustainability Officer for Gwinnett County. She has over 20 years of experience in public service, primarily in municipal government. In her role as the County’s first Sustainability Officer, she leads environmental initiatives focused on waste reduction, recycling, and community sustainability. Mendie holds a BS in Biology and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Texas. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends, and she can be found working in her pollinator garden on the weekends.

Dinetria Wilson is the Recycling Supervisor at Georgia State University, where she has been serving for the past two years. In her role, she leads a team of six individuals responsible for managing the collection of 13 streams of recyclables across the university’s six campuses, which collectively cover 21 million square feet. With a community comprising approximately 60,000 faculty, staff, and students, Dinetria oversees the sorting and transportation of more than 700 tons of materials diverted from landfills on an annual basis.

>>Attendee registration 

Cancellation Policy
Conference registration may be canceled with a full refund (less a $75 processing fee) any time before October 1st, provided written notification is received by GRC. No refunds will be made after this date. Refunds will be mailed after the conference. Registration fees may be transferred to another individual before October 1st, only if written notice is provided to GRC.

Click here to see a list of hotels near The Kroc Center. All conference sessions will be held at The Kroc Center.

All sessions will be held at The Kroc Center. The venue is located at:

1833 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30904

The campus is nestled along the Augusta Canal. Free parking is available in the main parking lot.

35th Anniversary Party (Wednesday Evening)

If you registered for the Wednesday Night Reception at Edgar’s Above Broad, it is located at:

699 Broad Street
Third Floor (ENTER BUILDING THROUGH 7TH STREET ENTRANCE)
Augusta, GA 30904

Gloria Hardegree Scholarship

Congratulations to the 2026 Gloria Hardegree Scholarship Recipient Colleen Sanjurjo with Keep North Fulton Beautiful! Colleen received a free registration to the 2026 Summit & Annual Meeting in Augusta.

Connie Burns Scholarship

Congratulations to the 2026 Connie Burns Scholarship recipient Corbin Frech!  Corbin is an undergraduate student at the University of North Georgia majoring in interdisciplinary studies concentrating on business and natural sciences.

For more information about the scholarship, click here.

Please review the Better Together Statement from our organization.