A Message from SWANA's FY26 Outgoing Board President

Reflecting on a year of progress, connection, and momentum, SWANA Outgoing FY26 Board President Elizabeth Roe shared this message with her fellow SWANA members:

As I reflect on the past year serving as President of SWANA, and my many years in volunteer leadership, I am filled with gratitude for this extraordinary professional community and for the members who make SWANA such a meaningful part of our industry. 

Looking back on my time as President, I am proud of all that SWANA has offered to our members and excited by the momentum we have built together. 

In 2025, we launched the first-ever RCon™, which was a tremendous success for the organization and for our attendees. RCon brought together 1,700 professionals from across the industry. It provided new experiences through a sold-out exhibit hall and more than 100 learning sessions, including technical sessions, keynote talks, poster presentations, roundtable discussions, and experiential learning tours.  

I personally enjoyed spending time with colleagues and making new connections, while also learning in technical sessions and exploring the exhibit hall. I look forward to RCon 2026 in St. Louis, which will bring even more new experiences to attendees.  

This past year, we also expanded SWANA’s safety offerings, including SWANA Safety Coffee Chats, an in-person SWANA Safety Workshop, the SWANA Safety Tips and Tricks e-book, the Collaborative Just Culture® trainingprogram, a re-energized SWANA Safety Committee, a new Safety Award category recognizing individual achievement, and more. 

Through trainings, webinars, Technical Division meetings, and countless opportunities to connect, SWANA continues to be your professional home for the issues that matter most across North America. 

My career in this industry has been devoted to advancing waste and resource management programs at the local level and, more specifically, helping residents and businesses understand how to participate in those programs successfully. Along the way, SWANA has been an amazing professional community for me, and I hope it is for you as well.  

We are often competitors “out there,” but within SWANA, we are colleagues and friends. We support one another, work together toward common goals and solutions, and share both the challenges and the laughter that come with this important work. 

SWANA has been a partner to all of us. The professionals who came before us welcomed and mentored us, and it is up to us to continue what they built. 

As I conclude my presidency, I would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to my fellow board members who supported me and to the SWANA staff team who keep things running every day. I am grateful to the SWANA Technical Divisions, who gave me my first leadership roles in SWANA, as well as my two “home” chapters: the Indiana Hoosier Chapter, where I spent most of my work life, and the Arizona Chapter, where I now live and work. Both chapters have been important parts of my SWANA journey. 

Thank you to each of you for your membership and your commitment to strengthening the waste and resource management profession. It has been an honor to serve this community, and I look forward to all that we will continue to accomplish together. 
 
Sincerely, 

Elizabeth Roe