Bio coming soon!
Speaker bio coming soon.
Mike is Lead for Circular Economy at Google where he is responsible for leading the organization to eliminate waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and drive the development and use of safer chemistry and healthy materials across their operations, products, and supply chains and enable others to do the same. While at Google, Mike also led the product sustainability and environmental compliance team in their consumer hardware division.
Prior to Google, Mike led safer chemistry and biocompatibility initiatives at Apple and product sustainability for Haworth Inc, a global contract office furniture manufacturer. Mike has worked in the green building and product design space for 15 years including with renowned green architect Bill McDonough.
Mike holds a BS in Chemistry from Villanova University. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Healthy Building Network, he also serves on advisory boards for several organizations including the Green Science Policy Institute, ChemForward, and Materiom.org. Mike previously served as a sustainability advisor to the Department of Homeland Security and National Institute of Building Sciences.
Suzanne is the voice and the vision of Shelton Group. Drawing on her extensive experience in energy and the environment – and 25+ years in the marketing and advertising industry – Suzanne provides high-level strategic insights for our clients and guidance for our research and creative departments. She regularly speaks at conferences around the country, including Sustainable Brands, Fortune Brainstorm E and the International Builders’ Show, and serves as a guest columnist for publications like Fast Company, Green Builder and GreenBiz.com.
From corporate to government and nonprofit sustainability initiatives, Sarah has spent her career collaborating for good. As the Vice President of Circular Ventures for The Recycling Partnership, Sarah specializes in building action-oriented collaborations to accelerate the circular economy which has included launching the Circular Economy Accelerator, U.S. Plastics Pact, Pathway to Circularity, and more with her stellar team and partners. Having spent time leading sustainable packaging initiatives at Coca-Cola as well as managing sustainability initiatives for Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, Sarah understands the power of public-private collaboration and is passionate about maximizing partnerships for positive change.
Billy Rice leads ALPLA Inc.’s sustainability efforts across 16 plants in North America. With focus on reducing scope 1-3 emissions, his efforts align with the company’s global pledge to increase sustainable practices and influence customer decisions for the more conscious buyer. His implementation of strategy includes innovative operational processes, cultivating company culture while increasing value for stakeholders and advocating for honest change within the packaging industry. He previously led the strategy and implementation of sustainability programs in collaboration with key stakeholders for Pembina Pipeline Corporation and serves as an advisory board member for generating awareness and promoting equity and inclusion for indigenous communities.
Billy is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional and holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Georgia along with Master’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Georgia and Development Practice from Emory University.
Kris Kaar is a senior consultant at Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) with 30 years of experience in research, planning, communication, and program management in solid waste and recycling programs. For the past 10 years, Kaar has worked with the Carton Council and developed an expertise in adding cartons to existing recycling programs and expanding access to recycling for cartons. to RRS, her career included public and private sector consulting, municipal client support at an independent material recovery facility, and direct municipal experience implementing a composting program, managing the city’s waste and recycling collection contact, and developing the first permanent household hazardous waste collection drop-off site in Illinois.
Joe Dages helps clients successfully navigate the complex US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements that apply to food, food additives, and food contact materials. He advises companies on all aspects of the premarket review requirements and pathways to market for these materials, as well as post-market compliance, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), labeling, marketing, risk, and litigation avoidance issues. In addition, he provides advice to clients seeking to establish the compliance of their products in other jurisdictions, including Canada, the European Union, and South America.
Joe's practice is increasingly focused on the regulation of biopolymers and other sustainable packaging materials used in contact with food. He also helps companies that manufacture materials used in the production of animal food and feed in bringing their products to market.
Prior to and during law school, Joe worked in government relations and international affairs for a leading trade association representing the food, beverage, and consumer product industry. He leverages this background to assist trade association clients address challenging policy and legal issues. He has authored numerous amicus briefs on behalf of trade association clients.
Andrea began her career working in labs, first as a research assistant with the Institute for Genomic Research and then with Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. Her undergraduate degree is in Biology from University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia. After attending law school at George Washington University, she was an attorney for many years with Emord & Associates PC in the Washington, D.C. area, representing clients regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (and related agencies). After leaving private practice, Andrea was Legal Counsel with Celltex Therapeutics, a ground-breaking stem cell company in Houston, TX. Next, Andrea was Regulatory Director, Associate General Counsel with Innophos, Inc, a manufacturing company supplying ingredients to the food, dietary supplement, pharmaceutical and technical industries around the globe. Currently Andrea is Food Law Counsel with Campbell Soup Company working primarily with its Quality, Regulatory, R&D, and Marketing teams on some of the most iconic brands in the United States.
Citeo is the company in charge of the Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for household packaging and for graphic & printed paper in France, working with 20 000 packers and fillers, 900 local municipalities and 300 recyclers. The annual turnover is around 850 M€ per year for both activity.
He joined the public policy affairs department of Citeo in 2018, after experiences in the high administration and advisory firm for the public sector. He works very closely with all the actors of the packaging value chain in particular on the Circular Economy Package, the european plastics strategy, the circular plastic alliance, the national pacts on plastic packaging, the new circular economy action plan within the European green deal and EPR projects around the world.
He’s also lecturer on circular economy and european affairs for the university of Paris and ESSEC - international business school.
He graduated from the University Paris Dauphine (Master in Law and Regulatory Markets) and from the College of Europe (LL.M in EU law).
Mark Beamesderfer, Packaging Services Director, Metsӓ Board, Americas, has over 24 years of experience in design, prepress, print, and converting. Starting out in books, directories, and STM journals, his career moved him to Singapore and China in 2004 where he transitioned over to packaging and has started up green field packaging operations prior to joining Metsӓ Board in 2011 in its Shanghai, China location. There, Mark started up Metsӓ Board’s global packaging design service. He relocated back to the USA in 2015 where he is currently expanding the company’s design capabilities in its Norwalk, CT. office.
Scott Byrne serves as the Assistant Director of Global Sustainability at Sonoco, a global packaging solutions leader, committed to improving the lives of customers, teammates and communities. With his extensive background in all aspects of environmental management and sustainability, Byrne helps ensure Sonoco is on the cutting edge of sustainability initiatives.
As the Vice President of the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment (AMERIPEN) Board of Directors, Byrne works to further the organization’s goal of leading the packaging industry through advocacy based on science. Prior to joining Sonoco, Byrne was the Market Sustainability Manager for the US and Canada at Tetra Pak, where he was responsible for the implementation of sustainability programs and driving positive stakeholder engagement as the Director of Government Affairs at the Carton Council of North America, a recycling-focused industry group.
Byrne holds a master’s degree in environmental management and sustainability from the Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, as well as a Juris Doctor from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Florida Bar. Byrne received his bachelor’s degree in business economics and public policy from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, in Bloomington, Indiana. When not working, Scott enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and son and their two miniature schnauzers.
Bio coming soon!
Speaker bio coming soon.
Shannon Pinc is the Circular Economy Specialist for NatureWorks, a global biopolymer supplier. Her interest in managing natural resources led her to complete a bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Catherine’s University and a master’s degree in Bioproducts & Biosystems Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Her primary role is to partner with stakeholders across the entire value chain to move to a more circular system of managing products made with NatureWorks biopolymers.
