NWRA Promotes Three in Reorganization

Darrell Smith, president and CEO of the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), has announced the promotion of three individuals to chiefs within the organization. Anne Germain has been promoted to chief operating officer, Jim Riley has been promoted to chief counsel and Kirk Sander has been promoted to chief of staff.

Germain will serve as chief operating officer and senior vice president of regulatory affairs. She arrived at NWRA in 2013 and is currently serving as the vice president of technical and regulatory affairs. She will be given additional responsibilities in operations and financial administration.

Riley assumes the position of chief counsel and senior vice president of government affairs. He has been vice president of federal affairs and deputy general counsel for NWRA since January 2018. In his new role, he will be the top in-house attorney for the association and oversee both federal and state government affairs.

Sander has been elevated to the role of chief of staff and vice president of safety and standards. Since August 2018, he has served as the vice president of safety and standards. As chief of staff, he will work closely with Smith to improve efficiency and expand the reach and engagement of the association.

"Anne, Jim and Kirk have demonstrated exceptional leadership and are well-deserving of their new roles," said Smith in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to develop NWRA into a world-class advocacy operation with these fine individuals on my team."

Germain is a board-certified environmental engineer and a Delaware registered professional engineer. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and obtained her master's from University of Delaware. Germain is a veteran of the waste and recycling industry with nearly 30 years' experience. She came to NWRA after 19 years with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority.

In addition to being a registered lobbyist, Riley is an attorney admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, New York and Massachusetts as well as before the United States Supreme Court. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and received his law degree from the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. Riley came to NWRA from the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association, where he spent 16 years in its government affairs division.

Sander previously served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and has worked in the White House, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He possesses a bachelor's degree in environmental geoscience from Slippery Rock University and a master's degree in environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida.