FY27 Incoming SWANA Board of Directors Officers

Lynsey K. Baer, P.E., BCEE, SC
Chief of Engineering
Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA)

Lynsey Baer has more than 20 years of experience in solid waste management as a civil engineer professional and since December 2020 has served as the DSWA Chief of Engineering, with responsibility for the $160 million capital improvement program, landfill gas system operations, landfill gas to energy contracts and regularly compliance. She began her professional career as an Engineering Intern with the DSWA and after being hired full-time as an Engineering Technician, worked her way steadily through various roles in the organization, gaining experience managing projects and facilities and overseeing work groups.

Baer joined SWANA and the Mid Atlantic Chapter in 2006. She was one of the original participants in SWANA’s Young Professionals Initiative serving as a founding member of the YP Steering Committee, representing YPs in then-Region 4 and to the International Board, and to the Landfill Management Technical Division. .

Baer has a Bachelors in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Civil Engineering, Cum Laude with a concentration in Geotechnical Engineering, both from the University of Delaware. She is a Professional Engineer and in 2014 became a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer from the State of Delaware American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. She is SWANA MOLO certified and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, International Solid Waste Association, a STEM advocate for the state of Delaware, and a Woman in Engineering Mentor and guest lecturer for the University of Delaware and Villanova University.

Kevin Roche
Chief Executive Officer
ecomaine

Kevin Roche has over 30 years of experience in the solid waste and resource recovery industry and has been a member of SWANA for 20 years. Roche joined ecomaine as CEO and General Manager in 2004. In partnership with the Board of Director’s, ecomaine transformed into a highly recognized leader in the industry in the State of Maine and in North America. Roche has reported to a 27-member Board of Directors and managed a staff of 100 employees. He has served in multiple SWANA governance and leadership roles at the chapter and international board level. Most recently, Roche was elected as the Region 8 Director in 2021, which includes the New York and New England chapters. Roche enjoys working collaboratively through tough challenges with stakeholders and finding common ground while appreciating differences. He leads with the SWANA Strategic Plan in mind with emphasis placed on improving safety, becoming climate champions, becoming employer of choice, and strengthening the infrastructure and financial viability of SWANA.

John Welch, P.E.
Director
Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables

John Welch is the Director of the Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables. He has a BS from UW Madison in Civil & Environmental Engineering and is a registered PE in Wisconsin. He and his staff oversee operations of one active and two closed landfills; a C&D MRF; a year-round HHW facility; a landfill gas-to-energy system; and a landfill gas RNG facility.

Recent and current projects have focused on sustainability, renewable biogas utilization and moving toward responsible resource management. Past projects include a community manure digester, a food digester feasibility study, a landfill expansion, construction and start-up of the C&D MRF, and numerous biogas utilization projects. In addition, he has helped lead the County’s conversion to CNG and development of its RNG facility, which converts landfill gas to CNG vehicle fuel.

John is also involved in numerous professional organizations, and he sits on the Boards for WCSWMA, and SWANA. For SWANA, John is his chapter President, Chapter representative to the SWANA Advisory Council, and a past member of the YP Steering Team.

Hailey Tatum
Project Manager, Organics Engineering
WM

Hailey Tatum is an Engineering Project Manager with WM and a licensed Engineer-in-Training, with more than 12 years of experience in the solid waste industry. Her background spans engineering, operations, sustainability, and business development, providing a well-rounded, systems-level perspective. She currently supports organics and biosolids initiatives, leading project planning, feasibility analysis, and cross-functional collaboration to advance sustainable infrastructure solutions.

Hailey has been an active leader in the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Young Professionals community for nearly a decade. She has served as a YP Regional Representative, Chapter Liaison in both the Washington Evergreen and Colorado Chapters, and YP Director. In these roles, she has led national initiatives, organized programming for SWANA conferences, co-chaired the International Student Design Competition, and developed the SWANA YP Awards and Recognition Program. She is a member of both the Rocky Mountain and Evergreen Chapters.

Hailey holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Gonzaga University and is completing her MBA with a focus on Sustainable Business at Colorado State University. She is also an Envision Sustainability Professional and holds SWANA’s Manager of Landfill Operations certification.

Elizabeth Roe
President
ECO Partners, Inc.

Elizabeth Roe owns and manages Eco Partners, an environmental education firm that supports SWANA members throughout Indiana, California, and other US states with customized newsletters and other specialized local communications.

She has been a SWANA member and contributor for more than 20 years. Her involvement in and understanding of the association are extensive because of engagement as an event exhibitor; chapter sponsor; co-host alongside SWANA CEO in the inaugural RCon™; participant in the host committee for SWANA's previous WASTECON; leader in three technical divisions; speaker and moderator at a variety of national, regional, and local events; advisor on the development of the Zero Waste Principles & Practices course; mentor in the Mentor Match Program; and topic leader in developing the 2023 SWANA strategic plan. After chairing the Advisory Board, Roe was elected to the Board of Directors. She currently serves as SWANA President and chairs the Membership Committee. She is a current member of both the Arizona Chapter and the Indiana Hoosier Chapter.

Roe holds an M.A. in American Literature with a minor in US History from Indiana University and a B.A. Summa Cum Laude in English Literature and Language Arts/Secondary Education from Bethel College. She is SWANA-certified on Zero Waste Principles.