The Board of Directors is made up of passionate volunteers. Please take a moment to learn about them and reach out if you have any questions.
To learn more about the NCCC Board Member Roles and Responsibilities, please view this document.
Leadership and Committees
Executives: Muriel Williman | Gary Bilbro | Kate Sullivan
Committees
Access & Advisory: Chair Gary Bilbro
Outreach & Education: Chair Erika Fye
Marketing & Communications: Chair Kate Sullivan
Compost Operations Training Course: Co-Chairs Muriel Williman | Gary Gittere
Muriel Williman, Board President
Email | LinkedIn
Muriel Williman has been a Solid Waste professional for 25 years, focusing on waste reduction and material management through recycling and composting practices and markets. She worked for 18 years in Orange County NC, leading the state with 64% waste reduction through comprehensive waste reduction programs and communications, especially composting: indoors and out, for events, in businesses, local government, and commercial collections. She has influenced local and regional programs, practices and policy to incorporate food waste reduction and composting strategies. She is now Senior Assistant Solid Waste Manager for the City of Durham, NC where she oversees the daily operation of the City’s Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling Center which holds a regional Transfer Station, Convenience Center, and Type 1 composting facility.
Gary Gittere, Past Board President
Email | LinkedIn
Gary Gittere heads sales and marketing for McGill Premium Compost Products, drawing from over 15 years of regional and national sales managerial & marketing expertise to expand McGill’s 20-year competency. Gary is charged with leading McGill’s compost market development team as the company prepares to open additional industrial-scale compost manufacturing facilities. He has focused on the development and presentation of technical training programs for professionals in the turfgrass, landscaping, agriculture, and environmental industries, including engineers and specification writers tasked with the development and management of programs for stormwater and erosion control in the NC, VA, and SC markets.
Kate Sullivan, Board Treasurer, Communications & Marketing Committee Chair
Email
Kate has been in the composting industry for 8 years. She has held roles in business development, where she was responsible for finding and securing new feedstocks, and compost sales, where she managed customer accounts and promoted compost use. In her current role at McGill, Kate is responsible for siting and developing new compost facilities. Kate is on the NC Composting Council’s Board of Directors and serves on the US Composting Council’s Chapter Advisory Committee. She recently earned her MBA from UNC Wilmington and lives in Clayton with her husband and two rescue hounds.
Gary Bilbro, Board Secretary, Advisory & Access Committee Chair
Email | LinkedIn
Gary Bilbro is a recycling professional with experience working with organics diversion, composting, waste-to-energy, curbside recycling, construction & demolition recycling and consulting with public, private and non-profit associations within the industry. Gary currently works for EcoSafe Zero Waste, which provides programs for waste generators to divert organics from their waste stream with a goal of producing contaminate free material for composters and making zero waste to landfill possible. Gary has worked to enhance the recycling of fats, oils and grease, industrial sludges and waste water. The diversion of waste to landfill is his passion. He is working on his first book on the subject entitled “How Recycling Changed the World”. Gary lives in North Carolina with his wife and two dogs, “the kids”. He enjoys reading, writing, walking and Golf. His ultimate goal: “To bring life back to our soils while ending the need for landfills”.
Dr. Janel Louise Ohletz, Board Member
Email | LinkedIn
Janel grew up in rural New Hampshire on a small family farm with a market garden and barn animals of every genre. Janel was a USDA National Needs Fellow in the Crop and Soil Science Department at NC State University where she earned her PhD in Soil Science. Her research focused on nutrient management in high-yielding field corn using machine learning and remote sensing technology to gain a better understanding of dynamics in soil fertility. She has M.S. in Agricultural Science and a B.S in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems from the University of New Hampshire. She is deeply committed to working toward a more sustainable and
equitable ecosystem through use of regenerative and climate mitigation strategies. Janel is also a classically trained chef, and prior to earning her degrees, she worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years. She believes in making an impact by being part of the conversation, whether that be to advocate for changes in our food and agricultural systems or presenting at Sustainable and Organic focused conferences with her message that good food starts by building from the ground up.
Robert Satterfield, Board Member
Email
Since starting with Atlas Organics in November of 2018 Robert Satterfield has moved from being a compost facility operator to a successful salesperson covering markets in both NC and FL. As an early member of the Durham team, Robert established a foundation of manufacturing knowledge including heavy equipment safety and maintenance, feedstock mixtures, temperature monitoring, and finished product processing. In 2019 Robert transferred this skillset into compost sales as he continued to develop brand awareness and usage across agriculture, professional landscape and home gardening sectors in the Triangle region. In addition to serving NC customers he also leads sales in the FL market working to support Atlas Organics’ Indian River County Facility in Vero Beach, FL.
Karl Warkomski, Board Member
Email | LinkedIn
Karl Warkomski has been actively involved in the composting and waste reduction sector since 1994. He is currently the General Manager of the Tar River Trading Post, LLC a Louisburg-based company specializing in bioconversion technologies, composting systems and off-grid supplies. He also teaches workshops on Black Soldier Fly cultivation to help small farmers reduce their chicken and fish feed expenses while additionally diverting food waste from landfills. Karl manages all aspects of manufacturing, distribution and sales out of the North Carolina office. He is an avid gardener and holds degrees from University of California, Irvine and University of Southern California.
Erika Fye, Board Member, Education & Outreach Committee Chair
Email | LinkedIn
Erika Fye works at the Southeast branch of Energy Foundation where she assists in grant-making and strategic communications to nonprofits focused on climate change and environmental justice work. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2019 with a B.S. in Environmental Technology and Management and minors in Environmental Sciences and Environmental Toxicology. She has experience with both backyard and industrial composting from her personal efforts to reduce waste and involvement in EcoVillage while at NC State. During her time on the Composting Council, Erika has focused on educating individuals on how to correctly participate in zero-waste events and best practices for composting at home.
We thank all the past members of the multiple iterations of this nonprofit organization for their commitments, ideas, and actions to make this a better state for composting!
Founding Members of the North Carolina Composting Council
Frank Franciosi, Rhonda Sherman, and Craig Coker.
Past Board Members of the North Carolina Composting Council
Amy Brooks, Jim Davis, Frank Franciosi, Analis Fulghum, Bianca Howard, John Janes, Jim Lanier, Noah Marsh, Jorge Montezuma PE, Lyndell Pate, Kathryn (Kat) Pohlman, Glen Roberts, Shane Roberts, Brian Rosa, Margaret Ross, Mike Rowland, Adam Schwartz, Rhonda Sherman, Eric Wallace, Ed Wright
Past Members of the Carolina Recycling Association – NC Organics Recycling Council (Prior to 2007)
Frank Franciosi, Rhonda Sherman, Ron Alexander, Cindy Salter, and Tom Glendinning.
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