NRRA Names New Executive Director

The Board of Trustees for the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) announced they have selected Reagan Bissonnette of Concord, N.H., to serve as NRRA’s next executive director.

Bissonnette is currently the senior director of Easement Stewardship & Counsel at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, one of the country’s largest land conservation organizations. Prior to joining the Forest Society, she was a corporate attorney at Ropes & Gray LLP, a global Boston-based law firm.

The NRRA is a nonprofit in New England focused on waste reduction and recycling. Since its founding in 1981, NRRA’s membership has grown to include more than 400 municipalities, individuals and businesses in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and southern Maine. As part of its work, NRRA serves its members—and the public at large—by helping municipalities manage their waste and recyclable materials, while engaging in advocacy and education on waste reduction and recycling to help make New England more sustainable.

“The NRRA has a long history of serving New England by helping municipalities and their residents conserve our scarce resources,” said Bissonnette in a statement. “I am deeply honored to be leading the NRRA into the future as the public and municipalities face considerable challenges concerning how to recover and recycle the resources we use daily. I believe that effective waste management and resource recovery is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. I look forward to working with municipalities and their residents throughout New England to help meet these challenges, which I believe present opportunities for growth and innovation.”

Bissonnette joins NRRA with a background in nonprofit management and the law. While at the Forest Society, Bissonnette has led one of the organization’s largest departments, advised the Forest Society on legal matters and leveraged technology to support the organization’s mission. As a corporate attorney at Ropes & Gray, Bissonnette worked on complex mergers and acquisitions and advised for-profit and nonprofit clients on best practices in corporate governance.

NRRA’s outgoing Executive Director Mike Durfor announced earlier this year that he would retire from his position at the NRRA after 10 years growing the organization.

“At each step of the hiring process, the Selection Committee of the Board found even more layers of Reagan’s qualifications and aptitude for this important position,” said Duncan Watson, NRRA board president and the assistant director of public works for the city of Keene, in a statement. “Reagan brings a unique breadth of experience, from nonprofit management to a personal passion for waste reduction. We have no doubt that she will continue Mike Durfor’s excellent leadership and help New England communities meet the unique challenges that exist in the resource recovery and waste management industries today.”

Bissonnette received her law degree from Boston College Law School and a degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis. She will join the NRRA effective Monday, June 10.