Dive Brief:

• Mary O'Brien, chief marketing officer of Ponte Vedra, FL-based Advanced Disposal, was named  a "woman of influence" by the Jacksonville Business Journal, which noted "her professional accolades as a woman in the male-dominated environmental services industry as well as for her dedication to various community initiatives."
• A few of O'Brien's duties involve marketing, branding, municipal market development, advertising, government and public relations. Advanced Disposal says O'Brien is the only female C-suite member among the five largest solid waste entities in the U.S. 
• "I never thought I would grow up to become a garbage lady, but it has been a career of a lifetime," says O'Brien. "Every day, I am inspired by the hard-working men and women of Advanced Disposal and all those in the environmental services industry, and it is my goal to build admiration and respect for these environmental heroes who leave our communities clean and green."

Dive Insight:

From more than 100 nominations the publication named 24 honorees. The growing Advanced Disposal is a leader in the industry, and just announced plans to go public. O'Brien has been instrumental during that growth, using digital marketing, new market research, database management, volume growth and industry networking in her role.