What happens to your trash and recycling after it leaves the curb? How can associations rebuild trust with members, sponsors, and stakeholders? And what does it take to launch a brand-new conference?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Amy Lestition Burke, CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). Amy discusses:

• SWANA’s mission to advance from waste management to resource management and how the organization represents municipalities, private haulers, engineers, and industry professionals across North America, the Caribbean, and Guam.
• The complex logistics of waste and recycling management, including collection, sorting, composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy solutions.
• Her transition to the CEO role as the first woman and first leader not from the waste industry, and how she immersed herself in the field through 30+ site visits and chapter meetings.
• How SWANA updated its strategic goals to prioritize safety, improve industry-wide collaboration, and position itself as a leader in resource management.
• The critical role SWANA plays in educating the public and government officials on hazardous waste, lithium-ion battery disposal, and the impact of improperly discarded materials.
• SWANA’s membership growth and efforts to better support and engage its 47 chapters.
• How Amy and her team have worked to rebuild trust with members, sponsors, and exhibitors through active listening, consistent communication, and results-driven changes.
• The decision to sunset SWANA’s existing conferences, SOAR and WasteCon, and replace them with a brand-new, rebranded event: RCon.
• The process of renaming and redesigning RCon, including crowdsourcing the name and focusing on an experience-driven event model that reflects SWANA’s mission.
• How she is helping staff, leadership, and members embrace change and view it as an opportunity for growth and innovation.

References:

• SWANA Website
• RCon™ 2025