2026 Board Candidates

Northern District

Kelly Schoonmaker - I am a Senior Program Manager at StopWaste, where I have worked for over 15 years to support compost market development. In that role, I collaborate closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including local jurisdictions and other public agencies, composters, and compost users of all scales. My work focuses on education, policy, and research. I also work on advocacy—for example, helping to convene jurisdictions and composters to develop AB2346, which created flexibility in meeting SB1383 procurement targets. I have served on CORC since 2013, and have truly benefited from the group’s collective knowledge, thoughtful discussions, and relentless dissection of issues. Now I feel like it’s time to contribute more to CRRA, which is why I’m running for the board, where I would bring subject matter expertise in organics, along with the ability to work collaboratively and creatively. (WATCH KELLY’S VIDEO HERE)

Central District

Jerame Renteria - Graduating with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture in 2011 from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, I understand how critical recycled C&D materials are to the landscape contracting industry. Without strong end markets, recycling efforts will lose their impact. With more than 10 years at GreenWaste, I have extensive experience in recycled commodities markets and material flow management for inert materials, organic products, and msw/single stream recyclables including Class II Base Rock, Soil Amendments, Compost and Single stream recyclables. I currently serve as Director of Strategic Accounts focusing on partnerships that reinforce GreenWaste’s commitment to responsible materials management and recycling. I helped develop GreenWaste's landscape materials yard, now offering over 100 certified products. My dual perspective on inbound recycling streams and outbound product demand is a unique contribution to the CRRA Board and CRRA's mission. (WATCH JERAME'S VIDEO HERE)

Mia Robinson - Mia is an environmental professional with four years of experience supporting waste reduction, recycling, and community education initiatives. She began her career with the City of Woodland’s Environmental Services Team, where she spent three years working in the public sector and gained a strong foundation in environmental operations, program support, and community engagement. Mia currently works with WM as a Recycling Education Representative on the Public Sector team. In this role, she focuses on outreach and education efforts that help residents and businesses understand proper recycling and waste reduction practices, while also gaining insight into the operational and hauling side of the waste industry. She is passionate about serving her community and has coordinated a local bulky waste event, in addition to volunteering regularly. Mia brings a collaborative, motivated approach to her work and values opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to regional resource recovery efforts. (WATCH MIA’S VIDEO HERE)

Southern District

Richard Ludt - Richard Ludt is Director of Environmental Affairs at Interior Removal Specialist, Inc., an interior demolition contractor. He oversees compliance with California’s complex solid waste regulations and manages recycling efforts for construction debris, including e-waste, ceiling tiles, carpeting, and more than 250 million pounds of drywall. Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, his team has donated over 8,000 tons of furniture, cabinetry, and materials that would have otherwise gone to landfills. He led the permitting of the company’s construction and demolition processing facility in South Gate and continues to develop new markets for recovered materials. The company is also pursuing the addition of Municipal Solid Waste to its permit. Richard previously served nine years as Corporate Director of Recycling and Material Recovery for SWANA, six years on the Los Angeles USGBC Board, and six years with the Construction and Demolition Recycling Association, where he chaired the Legislative Committee. (WATCH RICHARD’S VIDEO HERE)

Lori Mendez - Lori Mendez is an attorney and environmental, ocean, and zero waste advocate with over 35 years of civil litigation experience and leadership in public policy and community-based initiatives. A 2018 graduate student of UC San Diego’s (SIO) Master of Advanced Studies program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, she developed a zero-waste plan for SIO. She serves as Secretary of Zero Waste San Diego and Legal Counsel to the Save the Albatross Coalition and has held leadership roles with Clean Seas Coalition and Breathe Free San Diego, advancing strategies to reduce single-use plastics and plastic pollution and protect upstream, coastal, and ocean ecosystems. She brings governance experience from Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, the SNAP-San Diego Board of Directors, and the San Diego County Bar Association, where she has chaired multiple committees, including the Animal Law Section. She integrates legal expertise, advocacy, and leadership to support aligned mission-driven organizations. (WATCH LORI’S VIDEO HERE)

Olivia Sanchez - Dr. Olivia Sanchez is a Program Manager at the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), where she leads solid waste, recycling, and sustainability initiatives to help local jurisdictions meet state mandates. With more than 25 years of experience in local government, she has worked across program development, legislative compliance, public outreach, and regional collaboration. She also serves as a lecturer at CSU, San Bernardino, teaching Sustainability Policy and Management, preparing the next generation of public-sector leaders. Olivia previously served on the CRRA Board of Directors in 2009, when the policy landscape looked quite different. With the rapid evolution of legislation, she is seeking to return to the Board to help navigate the growing complexity facing CRRA members. She brings both institutional knowledge and a forward-looking perspective, grounded in practical implementation, multidisciplinary coordination, and a commitment to advancing sustainable materials management across Southern California. (WATCH OLIVIA’S VIDEO HERE)

Each year, we have the CRRA Board of Directors and Technical Council Executive Committee election process which will begin after the Spring Members meeting. This year, nominations for elections will start on Thursday, March 26, 2026 and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026. This webpage is for current CRRA members in good standing who are interested in serving in these capacities, including both the corresponding responsibilities and time commitment.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

To become a Board Member, you must be a member in good standing, and support the mission, goals and objectives of the Association.

• About the Organization

• Mission and Vision

• Current Leadership

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

• Bylaws (you must be logged into your CRRA member portal to access)

• Internal Policy (you must be logged into your CRRA member portal to access)

There are nine (9) CRRA Board of Directors, three Directors are elected from each District.

1. Northern District – Comprised of the Counties of: Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yuba, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Solano, and Sonoma.

2. Central District – Comprised of the Counties of: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Ventura, Santa Barbara , San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, and San Mateo.

3. Southern District – Comprised of the Counties of: San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Diego, Imperial, Orange, and Los Angeles.

The term for each Board Member is three (3) years with a term limit of three (3) full consecutive terms or a total of nine (9) years on the Board. After one 3-year term, a Board member will need to run again in the election process and receive the most votes for that district in order to continue on as a Board member for another three (3) years.

New Board Members are officially seated and begin their term at the Members Meeting during the annual conference. New Board Members will have an on-boarding meeting with the Executive Director, who will provide all of the necessary information (e.g. budget, internal policies) and walk through expectations.

Overall Time Commitment: This depends on the number of committees you are involved in and how many additional activities you want to participate in. Most Board Members contribute 5 to 8 hours a month. CRRA has a contracted Executive Director and Conference Planner, and two full-time staff who serve the Board and manage all day-to-day activities.

Should you have questions or need more information, please contact Tracie Bills, (408) 406-1991 or Tracie@crra.com.  

CRRA BOARD COMMITTEES

AWARDS COMMITTEE: This committee is to establish an awards program for the CRRA. Responsibilities include developing the categories including descriptions for each, manage the process alongside CRRA administrators in sending out the request for nominations, review the submittals, vote on and notify the recipients for the award, and any other duties required to complete a successful awards process. This committee meets as needed and generally in the Spring.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM COMMITTEE: This committee is responsible for developing the list of potential topics for the conference program, facilitate the call for papers, review the submissions and decide upon those that should be accepted, and develop the program for the CRRA Conference. Meetings are held monthly. (THIS IS A CLOSED GROUP AND ANY ADDITIONAL MEMBERS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS/CONFERENCE MANAGER)

DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION (DEI) COMMITTEE: This committee was established in 2022 and remained with the same people as our DEI mission and strategic plan. The Board will now open this up each year to members of CRRA to participate in. This committee reviews all documents and moves forward the strategic plan to continue inclusiveness with all that we do. More information on this committee will be added soon.

LEGISLATIVE POLICY COMMITTEE: Lead the policy committee to discuss legislation and other policy related issues, provide feedback to the board and members, and send position letters to CalRecycle, legislators, etc. This committee meets every month. (THIS IS A CLOSED GROUP AND ANY ADDITIONAL MEMBERS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: This committee works to increase membership numbers and to provide implementation on concepts that add value and benefits to our members. This committee meets every month.

CRRA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - OFFICERS

The officers of this corporation shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as the Board of Directors may appoint. One person, other than the President, may hold more than one of these offices. Officers must be chosen from the members of the Board of Directors. The offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer may, in the discretion of the Board, rotate during the year between members of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Director who has most recently served as President, in the event that said Director’s term has expired and the Director has declined to seek re-election, shall be eligible to serve a one-year term as the Immediate Past President. In the event that the office of Immediate Past President is filled, the person holding this office shall be eligible to vote on all matters which come before the Board.

PRESIDENT: Subject to the control of the Board of Directors, the President shall preside at all meetings of the members and Directors and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed from to time by the Board of Directors.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Subject to the control of the Board of Directors, the Vice-President shall preside in the President’s absence and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed from to time by the Board of Directors.

SECRETARY: The Secretary shall oversee the 1) keeping of a full and complete record of the proceedings of the Board of Directors, 2) issuing such notices as may be necessary or proper, 3) keeping of the records of the Association, 4) conduct of all elections, and 5) discharge other duties of the office as prescribed by the Board of Directors.

TREASURER: The Treasurer shall oversee: 1) the receipt and safekeeping of all funds of the Association; 2) the designation of those individuals authorized by the Board to make payments on behalf of the Association; 3) the delivery of monthly and year-end financial statements to the Board. The Treasurer shall have other such powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: The Immediate Past President shall provide continuity to the affairs of the corporation and shall assist the newly elected President in representing CRRA. The Immediate Past President shall have other such powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Board. The Board of Directors shall endeavor to select officers who will represent all three districts based upon individual qualifications. The Executive Committee shall meet as necessary and shall transact the business of the Corporation between meetings of the Board. The Executive Committee shall have, and may exercise the powers of the Board in the interim between Board meetings, except that the Executive Committee shall not have the power to adopt the budget or to take any action which is contrary to, or a substantial departure from, the direction established by the Board or which represents a major change in the affairs, business, or mission of the Corporation. The Executive Committee shall report on actions taken to the Board. The President shall be the Chairperson of the Executive Committee. (Approved by member vote July 15, 2016)

2026 Election/Campaigning Timeline:

Thursday, March 26 - Nomination period opens

Saturday, April 25 - Nomination period closes

Friday, May 1 - Candidate campaigning may begin

Week of May 4 - “Meet the Candidates” webinar for membership

Friday, May 8 - Voting Opens. Members in good standing will receive an email with directions on how to access the online Board of Directors voting tool

Saturday, June 6 - Close of voting period, 11:59 PM 

Monday, June 15 - Board candidates will be notified of results

Tuesday, June 23 - Board elects the designated candidates to the Board at the Board Meeting

Monday, July 6 - Election results will be announced to CRRA membership

Tuesday, September 1 - New Board Members seated at the Annual Members Meeting