Staff & Board of Directors | SERI - Sustainable Electronics Recycling International

Staff

Corey Dehmey

Executive Director

Corey Dehmey is the Executive Director of SERI and also serves on the organization's Board of Directors. He has worked in various roles in the Electronics Recovery industry since 2008. Corey holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Computer and Information Systems and spent 12 years in the IT industry before transitioning to electronics recovery.

Sean De Vries

R2 Director

Sean@SustainableElectronics.org

Sean De Vries is the R2 Director. Sean provides provide technical expertise and guidance for the application and implementation of the R2 Standard, and educates various stakeholder groups about R2 requirements. Sean also leads the R2 Development process, working closely with the R2 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) as they review and propose changes to the R2 Standard. Sean brings considerable experience in standards development and oversight for the electronics reuse and recycling industry -- including serving on the R2 TAC prior to joining SERI.

Formerly, Sean was the Director of the Recycler Qualification Office (RQO), an organization established to audit and approve reuse and recycling organizations for the industry-led end-of-life electronics recycling programs across Canada. He also led the development process for the Electronics Reuse and Refurbishing Program (ERRP) and the Recycler Qualification Program (RQP). Sean was also active in the development and implementation of the provincial electronics stewardship programs and served as the inaugural Chair of the Board of Directors for the four not-for-profit stewardship organizations.

Patty Osterberg

Education & Outreach Director

patty@sustainableelectronics.org

As a marketing consultant for small and mid-sized businesses, Patty has helped clients across multiple industries to identify and communicate more effectively with their target audiences. Her entrepreneurial experience starting and selling two businesses provides her insight into the challenges that small and medium sized businesses face. Patty’s primary role is to provide support to R2 Certified partners and to help educate businesses, government agencies and consumers about the need for responsible recycling and the value of working with R2 Certified companies.

Sharada Rao

Quality Director

sharada@sustainableelectronics.org

Sharada Rao is the Director of Quality for SERI and her responsibilities include developing and implementing a full scale Quality Assurance/Quality Control program for the organization. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science. Sharada has worked for a well-known certification body, Perry Johnson Registrars (PJR), for almost ten years prior to her tenure at SERI. At PJR, she gained vast experience in managing programs like ISO 14001, BS 18001, R2, RIOS, E-stewards and RC14001/RCMS for its offices worldwide. Prior to her tenure at PJR, she worked for 2 years as an environmental consultant for a company specializing in waste minimization and energy conservation projects in Bangalore, India.

Katrina Davies

Business Manager

Katrina@SustainableElectronics.org

In addition to her many responsibilities as Business Manager for SERI, Katrina is the main point of contact for all R2 licenses, invoices, and changes in contact or company information for R2 certified facilities. Katrina has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Eastern University and worked as a business school instructor, a hospital program coordinator, and a church administrator prior to joining SERI.

Board of Directors

Clare Lindsay

Chair

Clare Lindsay recently retired from the United States Environmental Protection Agency after more than twenty years. At EPA, she served as a senior policy advisor on waste, resource conservation, and materials management. As part of her portfolio, she spent several years working on issues related to electronics recycling.

Cintia Gates

Cintia Gates is the E-waste and Recycling Manager for Microsoft Corporation, where she manages all aspects of the Americas government mandated take-back programs, as well as global voluntary consumer recycling programs. She routinely works with trade associations and is also involved in the revision of IEEE standard. Additionally, Cintia leads the audit program of recyclers that manage end-of-life material. Previously, she was the Latin America Takeback Manager for Dell Inc. Cintia is trilingual in Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Rick Goss

Rick Goss is President and Founder of Green Cognition, LLC. From 2007-2018, Rick served as the Senior Vice President for Environment and Sustainability at the Information Technology Industry Council. Rick directed the development and implementation of policy and advocacy strategies related to electronics product design, green procurement and stewardship, renewable energy, and supply chain priorities including conflict minerals. Prior to his time at ITI, he was VP of Environmental Affairs for the Electronic Industries Alliance.

Garth Hickle

Garth Hickle is on the board of directors of the Global Product Stewardship Council and previously led the product stewardship program for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He is a Senior Lecturer and Visiting Scholar at the University of Minnesota, and an independent consultant working in the areas of environmental sustainability and the circular economy. Garth holds a PhD in Industrial Ecology and Sustainability from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and a M.S.E.L. from Vermont Law School.

Venky Murthy

Venky Murthy is a leading expert in the international electronics recycling industry and has 20 years of experience in the establishment of e-waste recycling technologies, process management, precious metals refining, close loop pollution control policy support, and ISO standards. Venky holds an M.Sc., in Industrial Chemistry, M.Tech., in Process Metallurgy and MBA in International Marketing. Currently founder & Managing Director of Vans Chemistry PTE LTD based in Singapore.

Oladele Osibanjo

Professor Oladele Osibanjo is a retired Professor of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria with over 40 years of experience in environmental science. Prof. Osibanjo is the former Executive Director of the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training & Technology Transfer for the African Region until his retirement in December, 2015, and also served as Co-chair of PACE -- the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment. He was a past National President Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN), and pioneer National President Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON). Prof. Osibanjo is also the current National President Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON) which is a national member of International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).

Katharina Kummer Peiry

Dr. Katharina Kummer Peiry is owner and principal of Kummer EcoConsult, a Swiss-based consulting firm specializing in law and policy of sustainable materials management. She has 30 years of experience in international environmental law and policy, including five years as Executive Secretary of the Basel Convention on hazardous wastes. Katharina is the author of the standard work on the Basel Convention, International Management of Hazardous Wastes (1995), and co-editor of Waste Management and the Green Economy (2016).

Brenda Pulley

Brenda Pulley serves as the Vice President of waste reduction and recycling initiatives for the national non-profit Keep America Beautiful. Previously, she was Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications for global aluminum company Novelis, Inc., and earlier in her career she worked for the U.S. Congress and various trade associations on energy and environmental issues.

Lynn Rubinstein

Lynn Rubinstein is the Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), as well as co-founder of the Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse, and the Program Manager for the State Electronics Challenge.

Robin Wiener

Robin Wiener is President of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), a trade association representing the private, for-profit recycling industry with members in the U.S. and more than 38 countries around the world. Robin is an environmental lawyer with a background in engineering.