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2024 Professional Achievement Award Winners
SWANA is proud to recognize the winners of the 2024 Professional Achievement Awards and to thank them for their contributions to solid waste management, public health, and environmental protection.
Robert L. Lawrence Distinguished Service Award
This award is SWANA's highest accolade, given to a SWANA member or non-member in recognition of service and activity beyond normal responsibilities to the industry, employer and general public.
2024
Robert Gardner, Senior Vice President, SCS Engineers
Gardner has had a profound impact on the industry through his client work and SWANA participation — serving on various committees and as a division director, foundation member and trustee. He has cultivated the use of solid waste master planning for more efficient and sustainable operations, coinciding with his support to move the industry toward sustainable materials management and circular economies before they became the standard practice. Gardner has spoken repeatedly on how to make sustainability affordable and practical, and he started SCS’s Economic Analyses and Modeling group to support its clients. Cities nationwide profited from SCS Financial Modeling by evaluating expenditures and projecting long-term conditions for major waste management programs. Gardner has been with SCS Engineers since 1980, oversees its solid waste consulting practice, and serves on the firm's board of directors.
Professional Achievement
This award recognizes SWANA members for their valuable and distinguished contributions to SWANA, the individual’s employing organization and the general public.
Professional Achievement Award for a Public Sector Member
2024
Chuck Magee, Public Works Manager, Kern County Public Works
Magee has demonstrated commitment to and innovation in multiple aspects of the solid waste industry with an emphasis on recycling. Since 1990, he implemented programs to reduce the amount of waste being buried and to maximize the amount of material being diverted or recycled. In addition, he started an oil recycling program and later expanded it to minimize hazardous waste being inappropriately disposed. He has collaborated with the media, schools, businesses, and community groups to promote sustainability and acquire grants and other funding. An active member of SWANA, he has been on the Central Sierra Chapter Board since 2010 and was a member of the Legislative Task Force for six years.
Professional Achievement
This award recognizes SWANA members for their valuable and distinguished contributions to SWANA, the individual’s employing organization and the general public.
Professional Achievement Award for a Private Sector Member
2024
Colleen Foster, Senior Associate, HF&H Consultants
Foster's efforts and passion show through her volunteer time, advocacy and more. She recently chaired the sold-out, record-breaking Western Regional Symposium. As California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) vice president and president, she spearheaded and drafted the SWANA/CRRA Zero Waste Principles and Practices Certification and serves as an instructor for the course. A SWANA member since 2012, she attended multiple SWANA conferences. In addition, she has a multitude of certifications, participated in California Environmental Research Trips, has been a leader in several professional organizations, and has won several awards.
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