Name: Amy Lestition Burke
New title: Executive director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America
Previous title: Vice president of industry solutions for the Consumer Brands Association
SWANA is a 10,000-member professional association for public and private sector waste companies. Lestition Burke will oversee the strategic direction of the organization and build partnerships and memberships, SWANA announced Wednesday. She will start on Nov. 9.
Lestition Burke “will usher in a new vision of innovation at SWANA” and help advance its mission to promote “sustainable and environmentally responsible solid waste management practices,” the organization said in a statement.
“It is an honor to lead SWANA and represent an industry that impacts communities every day,” she said in a statement, adding that she looks forward to helping “lead its transformation from solid waste management to resource management.”
Lestition Burke joins SWANA from CBA, where she worked with partners on sustainability issues for about two years. She previously served as the executive director of two other associations: the Special Libraries Association and Association Media & Publishing.
David Biderman, SWANA’s previous CEO and executive director since 2015, departed the role in March. At that time, SWANA’s board of directors said they and Biderman agreed that it was an “opportune time for new leadership” due to the evolving waste industry and SWANA’s “changing vision” for its new strategic plan.
Lestition Burke’s “outstanding record of leadership and association knowledge” made her the right fit for SWANA’s lead role, and she has a track record of growing partnerships and increasing revenue, the organization said. Lestition Burke also “understands how to work with Boards of Directors on policy, strategy, and governance” and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to SWANA.
Lestition Burke’s “understanding of industry sustainability initiatives will provide new leadership to SWANA and further strengthen our association and its position in solid waste and resource management," said Art Mercer, SWANA board president.
