Conference Keynote Speaker Bios

Biography: Garth T. Hickle

Garth T. Hickle is the product stewardship team leader with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). He has been with the MPCA since 1996 working on product stewardship for various products including packaging, electronics and carpet.

Abstract

Summary of Minnesota’s and other state efforts to support product stewardship and promote the procurement of products with post-consumer carpet.

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Biography: Matthew (Matt) Hale

Director, Office of Solid Waste (OSW), Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mr. Hale is responsible for managing EPA's programs governing hazardous and solid waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Before becoming Office Director, Mr. Hale served as Deputy Office Director. Prior to being elevated to the front office, Mr. Hale served as the Director of the Permits and State Programs Division (PSPD) within OSW. There, he was responsible for implementing the RCRA program throughout the country. Before joining OSW, Mr. Hale was with EPA's Office of Toxic Substances, assigned to the new chemicals program. Mr. Hale holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and PhD in history from the University of Maryland.

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Biography: Robert Cassidy

Robert Cassidy is Editor-in-Chief of Building Design & Construction, a Reed Business Information publication serving 75,150 architects, engineers, contractors, building owners, and real estate executives. At Reed, his magazines have won four Jesse H. Neal Awards (referred to as the "Pulitzer" of business journalism) from American Business Media and numerous citations from the Construction Writers Association, which also named BD+C’s web site, BDCnetwork.com, its 2006 “Web Site of the Year.”

A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Rob earned a master's in urban studies at Yale. In 1979, he helped co-found the Friends of the Chicago River and served as its first chairperson from 1979-1982. In 1982, he was named “Open Lander of the Year” by Chicago’s Open Lands Society for his work with the Friends of the Chicago River.

Rob has worked as a city planner, as editor of the American Planning Association magazine “Planning,” and as Chicago bureau chief for Medical Economics magazine. He is the author of three books, including “Livable Cities” and a biography of Margaret Mead.

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Biography: Werner H. Braun

Werner Braun is the President of The Carpet and Rug Institute.  CRI is the national trade association representing   manufacturers that produce floor covering materials.  During his thirty-one years (1967 – 1998) with the Dow Chemical Company, he served in a variety of positions from Human Health Research Analytical Chemist to Public Policy Advocate.  Following retirement from Dow, Mr. Braun served as Senior Director, International Affairs, Chlorine Chemistry Council of the Chemical Manufacturers Association before joining CRI in April 2000.

He serves on the External Advisory Board of the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Board of the International Society of Cleaning Technicians, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation.  He is involved in many community activities, including the Rotary Club and the Alzheimer’s Association.

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