2025 SWANA Awards Recipients Announced
September 17, 2025 — Silver Spring, MD
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) congratulates the recipients of the 2025 SWANA Awards in the categories of: Professional Achievement; Young Professionals; Communication, Education & Marketing; Landfill Gas & Biogas; Waste Conversion & Energy Recovery; and Safety.
Recognized as among the industry’s most prestigious awards, SWANA’s awards honor innovation, dedication, and leadership in the waste and resource management industry.
“Congratulations to all the award recipients and thank you to those who submitted applications. We are proud of these individuals and organizations and very much look forward to celebrating them at RCon™,” shared SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE.
The awardees will be recognized at SWANA’s new annual conference, RCon™ 2025, held November 12-15 in Columbus, Ohio. SWANA’s Award Ceremony will celebrate the recipients for fostering solutions to propel their work and their communities forward.
"I always look forward to the SWANA Awards because they give us the opportunity to celebrate the dedication and innovation of our members and organizations across the industry,” said Elizabeth Roe, President of SWANA. “By sharing the stories of these award recipients, we not only honor their achievements but also inspire others.”
Congratulations to the 2025 SWANA Award Recipients:
Professional Achievement Awards
SWANA recognizes individuals for going above and beyond in serving the waste and resource management industry and their outstanding contributions to SWANA.
The Robert L. Lawrence Distinguished Service Award is the highest accolade from SWANA in recognition of service to the industry, employer, and general public.
- Robert L. Lawrence Distinguished Service Award: Marc Rogoff, Senior Consultant, Geosyntec Consultants
- Professional Achievement Award for a Private Sector Member: Michelle Langdon, Senior Project Manager, Great West Engineering
- Professional Achievement Award for a Public Sector Member: James “Mike” Thornton, Director, Coffee County Environmental Services
Young Professional of the Year Awards
This award is presented to exemplary Young Professional members annually for their excellent performance and dedication to the waste and resource management industry.
- Young Professional of the Year: Sebastian Langford, Environmental Engineer, City of Huntsville Solid Waste Disposal Authority
- Young Professional of the Year: Allison Rathsack, Lead Project Engineer, Dane County Department of Waste + Renewables
- Young Professional of the Year: Hailey Tatum, Engineering Project Manager, WM
- Young Professional of the Year: Christopher Toevs, PE, Facility Engineer, Chester County Solid Waste Authority, Pennsylvania
Communication, Education, & Marketing Technical Division Awards
- Game Changing Tools: City of Loveland, Colorado
- Outstanding Awareness Campaign: City of Alexandria, Virginia
- Outstanding Social Media Campaign: Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Salinas, California
Landfill Gas & Biogas Technical Division Awards
- Eternal Flame: Bettye Heerdink, Software and Field Technician Support, LANDTEC/QED Environmental Systems
- Eternal Flame: Leonard “Skip” Shupp, Regional Manager Landfill Gas Operations, Blue Flame Crew
- Distinguished Individual Achievement: David Kaminski, Senior Vice President, QED Environmental
Waste Conversion & Energy Recovery Technical Division Awards
- Trailblazer Distinguished Individual Achievement: Greg Gesell, Senior Solid Waste Engineer, HDR
Sustainable Materials Management Technical Division Awards
- Organizational Award: City of St. Peters, Missouri
- Young Professional Impact: Jon Schroeder, Sustainable Materials Management Specialist, Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), University of Minnesota
- Distinguished Individual Achievement: Maia Corbitt, President, Texans for Clean Water
Planning & Management Technical Division Awards
- Distinguished Individual Achievement: Robert Smouse, Senior Manager of Alternative Fuel, Cemex
Safety Awards
- Best Safety Innovation: City of Goodyear, Arizona
- Best Safety Training Program: OC Waste & Recycling, County of Orange, California
- Biggest Safety Improvement: North Texas Municipal Water District
- Workplace Wellness: Pinellas County Government, Pinellas County, Florida
For more information on the award recipients, visit the SWANA Awards webpage.
About SWANA
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is an organization of more than 10,000 public and private sector professionals committed to advancing from solid waste management to resource management through their shared emphasis on education, advocacy, and research. For more than 60 years, SWANA has been the leading association in the solid waste management field. SWANA serves industry professionals through technical conferences, certifications, publications, and a large offering of technical training courses.
Media Contact
Kristyn OldendorfDirector of Public Policy
(240) 494-2237
marketing@swana.org
