The individuals below represent the first e-Stewards Leadership Council which was established in 2010 and held its first meeting in February 2011.  The Council was formed by a nomination and self-nomination process which resulted in a large pool of candidates.  Members were then systematically chosen considering geography, company size,  and the type of companies and organizations represented.

Members of the e-Stewards Leadership Council represent all e-Stewards stakeholders by providing recommendations to BAN in the areas of technical and business issues, policy expertise, marketing and at times and as appropriate, undertake promotional efforts and advocacy.The Leadership Council is an advisory body to BAN, responsible for advising and promoting the e-Stewards program.  The Council is not responsible for the governance or fiduciary responsibilities of BAN.

The Council includes three subsidiary bodies: A Technical Committee, a Promotional Committee and a Membership Committee.

Members meet at least once per calendar year in a face-to-face meeting and by conference call three times a year and at other times as deemed necessary.

Any entity wishing to serve on the Leadership Council can formally communicate this to BAN at inform@ban.org, which will then communicate this to the Leadership Council Membership Committee.

2013 e-Stewards® Leadership Council

e-Stewards Recycler Representatives:

Joel is the founder and CEO of Capstone Wireless, a leading provider of e-waste management services focused on the cellular industry. Joel is an information technology executive who has worked in the cellular industry for over 10 years. Prior to founding Capstone Wireless, Joel worked at Software Spectrum where he created and ran their mobile services group in the North America and Europe. During his time at Software Spectrum, Joel grew the mobile services group to become one of the largest producing partners for our wireless carrier partners and consulted on wireless data projects for several Fortune 100 companies. Joel was in the Marine Corps Reserve for 8 years serving has his respective unit’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Warfare Defense chief. Joel graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Management Information Systems and represents e-recyclers on the Leadership Council.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the e-Stewards Leadership Council and look forward to working with our fellow e-Stewards members to make this program the most sought after standard of the electronics recycling industry.”

Bob has been a community activist in the Kansas City area of 20 years. He has taken on a number of causes; environmental, education, arts, urban sprawl and youth sports. After a 20 year corporate career, Bob left behind the suit and tie to join The Surplus Exchange. His first assignment at TSE was to launch their eWaste Program. The program doubled intake in under 5 years. More importantly, the program based its operations on responsible and sustainable e-recycling even before much of the industry began to shift to that direction. Bob is now the Deputy Director of The Surplus Exchange and represents electronics recyclers on the Leadership Council.

“Community and children are very important to me. I want to leave future generations with a safe healthy planet”

Mick is the President and founder of WeRecycle! LLC, which he founded in January, 2003. Under his direction, WeRecycle! has built a reputation as an industry leader that emphasizes high standards for environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

He has been an expert panelist and speaker on a variety of industry topics, including responsible recycling, data security, and legislative programs. Mick has more than 20 years of experience in the environmental industry. Prior to WeRecycle!, he was an Environmental, Health, and Safety professional in the consulting and manufacturing fields. Mick graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a BS Degree in Environmental Engineering in 1991. He obtained his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2001. Mick is also a licensed Professional Environmental Engineer in the State of Connecticut and is representing electronics recyclers on the Leadership Council.
“e-Stewards Certification is changing the world of electronics recycling with a strong, transparent standard and I am proud to support this critical effort.”

Aaron Blum is the Co-Founder of Electronic Recyclers International, Inc., which was founded in 2005. Aaron has helped direct ERI from one facility in 2005 to seven facilities nationwide doing over 100 million lbs of e-Waste recycling per year. He has over 10 years experience in e-Waste recycling industry.

Aaron has spoke on a variety of panels over the years with relation to e-Waste recycling and the downstream processing of electronics. He graduated from the University of San Diego, with a Bachelors degree in Business and an emphasis on finance in 2002. He represents electronics recyclers on the Leadership Council.

“I am humbled to the have the opportunity to sit on the Leadership Council and represent other e-Stewards recyclers.”

Todd Zegers leads all of CloudBlue’s direct and channel sales, partnerships and marketing efforts. Todd has been in the IT industry for over 15 years, with 10 years of experience specifically focused on asset recovery and disposal. Prior to joining CloudBlue, Todd served as President of Green Asset Disposal, where he led the development of its infrastructure and business model to grow the company until its acquisition by CloudBlue. Previously, Todd brought his expertise in the IT distribution and Value-Added Reseller space to Insight Enterprises where, as a business development executive, he was a top revenue producer for five years. His collective experience in these facets of the IT industry give him a well-rounded perspective of the asset refresh and decommission needs of enterprise companies. Todd was a Marketing and Communications major at Arizona State University.

e-Stewards Enterprise Representatives:

Stephanie focuses on external engagement for Wells Fargo’s Environmental Affairs – responsibilities include communications, reporting, marketing and stakeholder engagement — and she oversees Wells Fargo’s greenhouse gas emissions accounting.

She’s been helping drive positive change, including supporting issues such as resource management, healthcare, education and the environment, for over 15 years. Prior to joining Wells Fargo she managed charitable giving initiatives for Mitsubishi Motors N.A., media relations for Harris Bank in Chicago, and day-to-day operations for particular California-based political campaigns.

Stephanie has a BA in Social Science, Interdisciplinary Studies from San Francisco State University and an MBA from DePaul University. She represents enterprises on the Leadership Council.

“The e-Stewards Enterprise program is simply about good risk management on three important fronts: environment, information security and reputation. It also simplifies our communications and reporting efforts by leaving no ambiguity about our intent, which is to ensure that none of our e-waste ends up in places where it does not belong, especially in the hands of children.”

Johnson Choo works at LG Electronics as a manager with the Standards and Environmental Affairs team. He oversees the electronics take-back program in the US, including ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements; managing LG’s product stewardship program to implement e-Steward and R2 corporate policy; serving as the primary interface with e-waste recyclers, including conducting on-site audits; and, managing consumer awareness and corporate reporting efforts. Johnson has worked for LG Electronics for 10 years, originally in Korea and now in the US. He has achieved Six Sigma Black Belt status, and has experience working in various departments ranging from product R&D and development to product planning and technical support. Johnson’s diverse experiences along multiple phases of the value chain have contributed to his in-depth knowledge and a keen understanding of the importance of reducing waste at the various stages of a product’s life cycle.

“Manufacturers should take responsibility for the environment, we must reduce e-Waste. Our focus should be on not only properly recycling after a product is used but also on designing with reducing waste in mind.”

Reed Kaiser leads the asset management team at the Apollo Group (parent company of University of Phoenix, Institute of Professional Development, among other private education providers), which is now among the top 100 greenest of the largest United States companies, according to Newsweek magazine. Newsweek compiled Green Rankings of the 500 largest U.S. companies this year and placed Apollo at number 83, a full 100 places ahead of where it ranked two years ago. Reed is a Certified IT Asset Manager, Certified Software Asset Manager, and a Certified Hardware Asset Manager Professional (all from the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers).

“The e-Stewards Initiative provides businesses and consumers with a first-of-its-kind certification process to identify the truly responsible electronics recyclers.”

Other Organization Representatives:

Lisa has been with the King County, WA Solid Waste Division since 1989 and has worked on electronics recycling and product stewardship issues since 1996. In 2000, she started the Take it Back Network, a network of businesses and non-profit organizations that collect unwanted electronic products from the public for reuse or recycling. Lisa was involved in the development the WA electronic product recycling legislation that passed in 2006. The law, which requires electronics manufacturers to fund and implement a take-back program has resulted in the successful E-Cycle Washington program. Lisa is the co-chair of the Northwest Product Stewardship Council and a member of various subcommittees including: Electronics, Policy, Mercury-containing products, Pharmaceuticals, and Packaging. Prior to her employment with King County, Lisa worked for the City of Seattle on the creation of the multi-agency Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health and a Masters in Public Administration and represents government agencies on the Leadership Council.

“King County is taking a leadership position by requiring that all of our agencies use e-Stewards recyclers to manage our unwanted electronic equipment. We hope that other cities and counties will around the country to do the same. “

Sego is a Principal Planner with Snohomish County in Washington State. Sego has an extensive background in product stewardship and electronic product management. He represented local governments as one of 15 government negotiators in the National Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative and has been instrumental in developing local, state and national policies, pilots and programs related to electronics. He helped develop the local Take it Back Network for local governments and worked with national retailers on major electronics take-back pilot programs. Sego was instrumental in the drafting and passage of Washington State’s landmark producer responsibility bill for electronics (2006). He is a founding steering committee member of the Northwest Product Stewardship Council, chairs its Policy Subcommittee, and is a founding counselor of the U.S. Green Electronics Council. Sego is also a voting participant in the IEEE process to establish environmental standards for televisions and imaging devices and represents the government sector on the Leadership Council.

“For years local governments have been frustrated in their struggle to ensure responsible recycling of collected electronics. The e-Stewards programs provide local governments with a much-needed tool. I am grateful to be contributing to the continued development and success of the e-Stewards programs.”

Martin Tull is the Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. He oversees all environmental impact reduction strategies, strategic alliances and membership programs. Martin led the formation and growth of the Alliance from the founding six pro sports teams to nearly 150 teams and venues today. In addition to leadership roles at the Northwest Earth Institute and as a Director of Sustainable Technology, he previously served in senior leadership positions in the outdoor recreation industry and has been an elite rock climber and instructor for over 20 years.

Martin serves as a volunteer on the Oregon Global Warming Commission Communication Committee and on the National Advisory Board of Climate Solutions. He was recently recognized as a 2011 Pivotal Leader, received the Portland Business Journal 40 under 40 award, and was awarded the 2012 Better Bricks Emerging Leader award.