Board Members

Board seats are up for election annually. The terms are three years and the Board of Directors meets on a monthly basis - usually in the morning on the first Thursday of the month. Board Members may attend the meeting in person or by phone. Each Board Member must be a dues-paying member of the Minnesota Composting Council one year prior to being elected to the Board, and must be a member of the USCC throughout the Board term.

Nominations are accepted in early October each year. MNCC members vote on the nominees in mid-October, and new and/or returning Board Members are announced in November each year.

Contact the Board or Board Members directly by filling out our Contact Us form.


​Executive Committee

Marcus Zbinden, Carver County - Chairperson
Marcus has worked in the Solid Waste industry for the past 20 years. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a degree in Resource Management he began working as a Recycling Coordinator for Gallagher's Service, an independent hauler in the Twin Cities. In 1992 he took a position with Carver County as an Environmental Specialist where he continues to work with recycling, composting and other solid waste programs. In 1999, he received a Masters of Liberal Studies degree from the University of Minnesota and he is currently Vice Chair of the Minnesota Composting Council and Chair of the Recycling Association of Minnesota.
Kris Coperine - Vice Chair
Kris has more than 15 years' experience in the sustainability field, working in both the private and public sectors. Kris has a BA in Geography from the University of Minnesota, an International MBA from the University of Denver, and a certificate in Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies from the University of Cambridge. She is an accredited LEED Green Associate, a Certified Associate in Project Management, a certified TRUE Waste Advisor, and a certified GPRO instructor for Urban Green. Her background includes commercial property management, universal waste recycling, and business development, as well as restaurant, grocery, and retail. 
Ginny Black  ​- Past Chair
Ginny is a retired Organics Recycling Specialist who used to work at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In her job, Ginny provided technical assistance to compost facility operators and promoted markets for finished compost. She provided education to citizens to help them make informed decisions and take actions that conserve resources and prevent pollution to benefit the environment, economy, and society. 
Kellie Kish, City of Minneapolis  ​- Treasurer
Kellie is the Secretary of the Minnesota Composting Council. She worked for Carver and Anoka Counties as well as the Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) prior to joining the City of Minneapolis in April 2013. Her BA degree is from the University of Minnesota in Global Studies, Environmental Science, Natural Resources and Policy Management. She has played a major role in planning, studying and collecting data on composting Source Separated Organics at the Carver County Compost Project and in the City of Minneapolis' organics recycling program roll-out.
Nick Rich-Vetsch, Carbontec, Inc. - Secretary
​Nick is a licensed Professional Engineer and certified advisor in the TRUE Zero Waste program working as a Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Project Manager. He earned his Bachelor of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, during which time he participated on the Soil Judging team and fostered a passion for soil science. His drive to promote increased utilization of recovered and recycled materials in project design are invaluable skills in compost market development, waste diversion programs, facility optimization and compliance, specialized waste composition studies, odor monitoring and mitigation, PFAS and other contaminant management, and researching emerging technologies for alternative waste management. 
Jake Duame, SET/Waste Management - At Large
Jake’s role at SET is to oversee quality control and environmental compliance at all SET composting sites, including the organics processing facility in Rosemount, MN. He also manages the compost sampling and analysis program, coordinates with regional organics recycling stakeholders, and provides ongoing outreach and education to municipal partners, organic waste generators, haulers, and the public.

Board Members

Dori Decker, Western Lake Superior Sanitary District
Dori joined WLSSD in 2021 as an Environmental Program Coordinator. Her current responsibilities include development and coordination of programs, community outreach and education, communications and marketing, and compliance assistance in the areas of Organics Recycling and Pollution Prevention. Dori has applied her degrees in Biology (B.S.), Teaching Life Science, Grades 5-12 (B.A.S.) and Neuroscience (M.S.) to her career as an educator for over 30 years. Prior to working at WLSSD, Dori was a Health Educator, Wellness Coordinator, and Adjunct Instructor at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Kala Fisher, City of St. Louis Park
Kala is the Public Service Superintendent for the City of St. Louis Park. Kala coordinates residential recycling and organics recycling programs for the city. She has also served in similar roles at the county and regional level in both Florida and Minnesota. Her career experiences includes working with commercial composters, haulers, educators, businesses, schools, and residents to expand organics recycling and promote the use of compost. Kala has worked with stakeholders on issues surrounding certified compostable foodservice packaging during the development of the cIty's Zero Waste Packaging Ordinance. Kala is a graduate of St. Cloud State University where she received a BS in Environmental Studies.
Chuck Joswiak, Bioenergy Devco
Chuck is the Senior Commercial Director at Bioenergy Devco where he is integral to advancing the production of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) across the country from organic waste streams, as well as overseeing the ongoing processing of digestate material resulting from the RNG production process. Chuck previously served two terms on the MNCC Board prior to taking a leave due to a new job opportunity within the organics management industry and did a nine-year tenure at Specialized Environmental Technologies Inc/WM. Over the last 24 years, he has lent his expertise to numerous projects involving the use of compost materials in soils, and stormwater systems, collaborating with MNDot, municipalities, landscape architects, and engineers. Additionally, he played a key role in designing projects and crafting specifications for the utilization of compost.
Dustin Montey, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Organics Recycling Facility (SMSC ORF), Dakota Prairie
Dustin is the Assistant Manager at the SMSC Organics Recycling Facility in Shakopee, one of the largest composting facilities in the state of Minnesota. Dustin has worked with SMSC for the past 7 years, managing compost operations, colored mulch production, off-site wood grinding, sales, and delivery of products. In his position, Dustin has coordinated the production and sale of hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of compost to residential and commercial customers. Prior to working with SMSC, Dustin served for 5 years in the United States Marine Corps. 
Aric Olsen, Vonco
Aric is the Director of Environmental Compliance at Vonco where he has been involved with Vonco’s composting facility from 2014 to present. Vonco currently operates a yard debris composting facility and is making plans to operate a source separated organics composting facility to support metro county food waste collection programs. His role at Vonco includes tracking and attempting to influence solid waste related policy and composting related rule making. Aric earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from North Dakota State University and a Master of Science Degree in Geology from Utah State University where my studies focused on hydrogeology. He has been a State Licensed Professional Geologist (Minnesota and Wyoming) since 2008 and am certified as a LEED AP and recently attended the Midwest Compost School.
​​Nathan Reinbold​, Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management
​Nathan is the Environmental Programs Manager for Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management – a 7 county regional Waste-to-Energy and Materials Recovery system. He coordinates and oversees waste reduction/reuse, recycling, household hazardous waste, industrial solid waste program, stormwater plan, organics management, events recycling, plate to garden events, business recycling grants, facility planning, ordinances, waste designation, hauler engagement, and community outreach. He has been involved with the Recycling Assoc of MN, hosting MN GreenCorps members, REC (Recycling Education) Steering Committee, MN Products Stewardship Council, and youth Groundwater/Conservation Days. Pope/Douglas started their organics recycling collection program in 2016 and Glacial Ridge Compost Facility in 2020.  Reinbold earned his degree in Environmental Studies/Geography from the University of MN – Duluth.  Nathan has 20 years’ experience working for tribal and county environmental programs.

Staff​

Mary Cich, Minnesota Composting Council
Mary was hired as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Composting Council in June of 2024 after more than three years as a contractor with the organization. She has a strong background in the non-profit sector and has more than a decade of experience with events production and logistics. She has maintained a strong connection to the earth through outdoor activities, gardening and her backyard compost pile. There has never been a time where her focus has not been on the health of the soil in her own backyard ecosystem, building her first compost bin with her dad out of recycled pallets when she was in her teens.
Zaria Romero, 2024-25 Minnesota GreenCorps Member
Zaria is a Minnesota GreenCorps Member serving at Carver County where she is working on projects related to Waste Reduction and Recycling. She graduated from UW-Madison in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology and Psychology. In her sophomore year, she started a project on campus called the “Badger Move-Out” project to combat the over one million pounds of material that gets sent to the landfill each August move-out in Madison. This project worked to promote donations of usable items over landfilling to create a more circular economy. She has been involved in projects related to waste reduction, environmental education, sustainable behavior change, and food scraps initiatives.