A New Year’s Message from SWANA President Tammy Hayes

Dear SWANA Members:

The arrival of a new year is a perfect time to reflect on how everything is going and what you want to accomplish in the coming months. As I am halfway through my SWANA presidency, I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year and provide my take on how things are going at SWANA and what we can look forward to.

For some, change can be a stress-filled time, but I am excited about all the changes we're making at SWANA. Working with a new CEO/executive director this past year — someone who is an association professional and an expert at running organizations like ours — has been a great, eye-opening experience. Under the guidance of Amy Lestition Burke, we have taken big steps toward streamlining our processes and policies. These new procedures make it much easier for the board to be more agile, get things accomplished quickly, and respond to the times. Now when we see a great opportunity for SWANA, we can jump on it. The board is learning a lot from Amy about how an association should run.

I’m still on a high from the huge success at WASTECON®. I loved our members’ enthusiasm and the great energy at the event. People I didn’t even know were stopping me all that week to tell me what a great conference it had been for them. I also enjoyed meeting all the first-time attendees and people from different parts of the world.

A highlight from WASTECON was the big reveal of SWANA’s all-new, re-imagined event called RCon™ (November 12–15, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio). Amy and the SWANA staff worked so hard to make that special for us, and lots of folks told me, “Now that’s how you do a reveal!” We had pyrotechnics, music, dancing, T-shirt giveaways, and more. Everyone enjoyed being a part of that.

And now the work begins. It is so exciting to be collaborating with the SWANA team and board members as we work toward the goals laid out in our strategic plan. RCon is the biggest thing SWANA has going in 2025, and we are focused on making it even better than WASTECON. I want RCon to be the best conference I've ever been to. I would like it to be that for everybody. I’m sure you have been to a conference where they did one really great thing that stood out to you. We need your feedback and input so that RCon can incorporate all those little things that make a good experience into one great experience.

Serving as your president has been the highlight of my career. When you throw your hat in the ring and get elected as SWANA secretary, you know that one day you will be president — so the journey really starts there. If you are interested in making lifelong friendships and growing your leadership skills, I cannot encourage you enough to pursue this path. The call for FY2026 nominations for SWANA secretary is happening now, and the deadline is February 5. And if board service isn’t for you, there are so many opportunities to get involved with RCon and SWANA.

When it comes to professional success — for you as an individual and for your company — participation is key. Whether you are an emerging leader looking to expand your network of colleagues and mentors or whether you are a seasoned solid waste and resource management professional looking to give back to the industry you love, there are opportunities to participate in SWANA at every level. For those who have already volunteered at SWANA, my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to you! I hope you will keep with us because we can’t do any of this without you.

I was asked recently what I want to accomplish this year to consider my presidency a success. If I look at SWANA in five years and all the changes we are making now are not only lasting but evolving, I will consider my service a success. Let’s do this together. Let’s evolve SWANA this year and make the kind of lasting changes that will make a difference to the association’s future.

This is your association. It's not mine, and it doesn't belong to the board. It doesn't belong to the SWANA staff. It belongs to all its members, right? The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. If you feel more comfortable starting small, get involved at your local SWANA chapter. Get involved in one of the SWANA technical divisions. Your participation will make a difference in our industry and in other people’s careers, and that’s a wonderfully satisfying resolution for the new year.

Tammy Hayes can be reached at HayesT@cdmsmith.com.