Board of Directors
Clair Ryan - President
Recycling Program Coordinator, Kane County
Clair began as the Recycling Program Coordinator for Kane County’s Department of Water and Environmental Resources in January of 2022. In this role, she is responsible for maintaining and implementing the County’s Solid Waste Plan, planning and implementing recycling events, and for public outreach and education. While relatively new to the materials management field, Clair has long been interested in recycling and the fate of our collective “stuff” as a citizen, and is quickly learning the details and players.
Gina Peshek- Vice President
Account Manager, Helping Hands
Gina has been in the recycling business since 2016. Working with one of the largest waste, recycling companies for paper, cardboard and plastics. Her passion for a more green environment, she chose to work in the textile industry. She is now working with Helping Hands since 2019. Helping non for profit charities and other organizations by doing her part to keep reusable textiles out of the landfills.
Aaron Harmon - Treasurer
Director of Single Stream Recycling and Maintenance at Midwest Fiber Recycling
Aaron is Director of Single Stream Recycling and Maintenance at Midwest Fiber Recycling. Midwest Fiber specializes in providing unique and cost-effective customized recycling solutions for printers, distribution facilities, warehouses, manufacturing, plastic molders and any other generators of large amounts of waste. Aaron attended Eastern Illinois University and received a Bachelors in Industrial Technology (2006) and Masters in Technology Management (2007). He gained seven years of Maintenance and Reliability experience in manufacturing before starting his career in recycling in February 2015. He has served many roles throughout Midwest Fiber before becoming director in 2018. When he is not working, he enjoys time with his wife and four kids. He also enjoys outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.
Anthony Tindall - Secretary
Solid Waste Coordinator, Cook County: Department of Environment and Sustainability
Anthony Daniel Tindall was appointed Solid Waste Coordinator for Cook County in July 2022. In this role, Anthony is responsible for the implementation, coordination, and monitoring of the County’s Solid Waste and Recycling Plans. He also coordinates solid waste planning efforts for Cook County municipalities, is the liaison with EPA officials, and manages a team of environmental control inspection personnel. Previously, Anthony worked for nine years as the Policy & Sustainability Manager for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Anthony also worked at the Francis W. Parker School, the University of Chicago, and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. Anthony received his Master of Public Administration degree from DePaul University. Anthony is on the national advisory board for the Union of Concerned Scientists and is the current Vice Chairman of the IL Department of Natural Resources-Advisory Board.
Barb Day - Director
Long time member of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County
Past recipient of their Volunteer of the Year award, editor of their newsletter and now retired. Barb resides in Peoria County. She is a member of the IRF Communications Committee with a grass roots background and desire to do more to improve waste reduction and recycling throughout Illinois.
Luke Fikejs - Director
South Suburban Charm Center
Luke has been honored to be the Director of the Illinois Recycling Association for many years. An avid outdoorsman, Luke loves spending weekends with his family on their property in western Illinois.
Rebecca Cottrell - Director
Sustainability Coordinator for Peoria County Government
Becca Cottrell serves as Sustainability Coordinator for Peoria County Government. The focus of her position is internal energy efficiency projects, energy management and solid waste management for the County. She led the team of county staff and community members to draft internal sustainability plan for facilities and operations, managing all supporting energy efficiency and natural resource conservation projects, tracking and education, including complete PV offset of two buildings later this year. She has written and received several competitive grants for energy efficiency improvements in County facilities. Most recently the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG). As the Sustainability Coordinator for Peoria County Government she encompasses Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) Coordinator, Co-chair of the Central Illinois Regional Food Council, and Solid Waste Coordinator. Solid waste duties are similar to other IRF members, including recycling, composting, conducting special collections, and measuring results and overall reach of programs.
Erica Helms - Director
Environmental Services Manager for the Village of Oak Park
Erica is the Environmental Services Manager for the Village of Oak Park, where she manages residential garbage, recycling, and compost programs, and coordinates forward-thinking projects and policies related to solid waste. Her previous roles at the Village include Farmers’ Market Manager and Sustainability Fellow. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from UNCW and a master’s degree in Environmental Planning and Policy from UIC. Erica began working in the solid waste sector as an intern at a small recycling company in 2009 and continued to manage waste diversion and cleanup programs at music festivals and other large outdoor events for 11 years. Highly driven and solution-oriented by nature, Erica has strong passions for community engagement, environmental stewardship, urban agriculture, and geology. Her favorite hobbies include reading, traveling, and beach combing, and she hopes to learn something new every day.
Mark Molitor - Board Member
Vice President Post Collection Operations for LRS
Elisabeth Reed - Director
Director of Sustainability, Illinois State University
Ron Tazelaar - Director
Owner, TAZ Holdings, LLC
Justin Woycke - Director
Vice President, WipeCo, Inc.
Brian Zimmerman - Director
Brian is a Waste Management professional with 10 years of experience in the field. Brian received a Bachelor of Science in Waste Management from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point which was his introduction to tackling waste problems. Since graduating Brian has spent time working on waste-related issues in diverse applications and work environments. Brian spent some time working for Stericycle helping healthcare systems manage the wide-ranging waste streams in compliant and effective manners. Brian also has spent time working for the Solid Waste Agency of Central Ohio (SWACO) working on developing business waste diversion programming. He currently works at the City of Evanston managing their external waste collection contracts and franchises as well as helping create education outreach materials and programming to help the City progress in its waste-related goals.