SWANA to Compile and Document History
SWANA Growth | Past Presidents | Past Award Winners

SWANA to Compile and Document History The Executive Committee (EC) has decided to undertake an organized and systematic effort to acknowledge the achievements of SWANA, and document its growth and history.The EC is requesting that each Chapter designate a veteran Chapter-member as Project Contact who will work with the SWANA team to identify individuals who played a key role in the establishment of their Chapter and to gather papers, documents, materials, artifacts, etc., for a historical collection to be established by SWANA in its archives.  This effort will need the assistance of all SWANA Chapters and many members as SWANA researches and documents its history.  Much of the information may be anecdotal and will be gained through interviews.  All donated items and other material will become the property of SWANA. SWANA Growth In 1961 a small group of local government solid waste program supervisors in the Los Angeles basin formed the Governmental Refuse Collection and Disposal Association (GRCDA) to provide a means for solid waste professionals to share information and promote training.

SWANA Team and Contact Information Associate Director Kathy Callaghan will lead this effort for SWANA and Lanny Hickman has volunteered to assist in collecting and compiling information.  SWANA Manager of Marketing and Communications, Bob Wolfe, will manage the on-line and technical aspects of the project. You can contact the project team at history@swana.org.

By 1978 GRCDA had grown to about 900 members in 10 chapters in various western states and parts of Canada and hired its first Executive Director, Lanny Hickman. July 1st of that year, GRCDA established its first permanent office at 16th & K. Street, NW. In the summer of 1981, GRCDA moved their offices to Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC,  In 1992 GRCDA changed its name to the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) to reflect how the field had broadened from refuse collection and disposal to all aspects of municipal solid waste management.  When Lanny Hickman retired in 1996, John H. Skinner, Ph.D., was selected as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer.

Having grown and broadened its membership of public sector and private sector municipal solid waste management professionals, SWANA is now the largest member based solid waste association in the world with 45 Chapters, in the U.S, Canada and the Caribbean and over 8,200 members.

SWANA’s prominent and nationally acclaimed technical conferences and training programs cover all aspects of integrated municipal solid waste management, and the Association is a major policy and technical representative of solid waste management practioneers, executives, companies and government organizations.    

SWANA International Past Presidents

2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994

Laurie Batchelder Adams Tom Parker Andy Quigley Rick Mauck Allen Lynch Nancy Nevil Mark Bryant Jack Friedline Steve Viny Mark Hammond Steve Maguin Durwood Curling Herb Flosdorf John Abernethy Curt Kemppainen

1992-1993 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1980-1982 1979 1978-1979 1976-1977 1975

N.C. Vasuki Walter Brodowski Denny Kerton Bob Bruhn Pam Day Ken Smith Phil Richmond Jim Considine Peter Wong Gary Vroman Tim Hunt Bob Epler Bill Larson Bob Lawrence Tom King

1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966* 1965* 1964* 1963* 1962*

Harry Frisby Willie Case Jerry Fairbanks Clarence Price Jim Cornelius Jacob Mynederse Art Bonnell Bob Lawrence Les Haug Clarence Dean/Ed Steparek Earl Records John Gaul Frank Machado Grant Flint

* Although SWANA was organized as GRCDA in 1961, it did not incorporate as an international organization until 1966.  The Presidents listed were Presidents of the Southern California Chapter and provided much of the leadership in the early years to create GRCDA as an association of municipal solid waste management professionals.