IFSCC’s Board of Directors Election is this May. We recently asked candidates the following and will be publishing responses as we receive them.
Looking back over the years, what is an example of how you know IFSCC has made a tangible difference?
Looking forward into the future, what do you think is the biggest challenge or shift you anticipate IFSCC needing to address?
IFSCC Members: Please keep an eye on your inboxes to cast your ballot to elect IFSCC board members this coming May. Any questions? Please email admin@illinoiscomposts.org.
Just a handful of past and present IFSCC Board Members at the 2025 Member Appreciation Event
INCUMBENT BOARD MEMBERS
Please see this prior blog post for photos and more information about the active leaders of IFSCC running for reelection.
Elizabeth Bosarge
The IFSCC brings together stakeholders from around the state who can do more together through the exchange of information and collaboration. I’m delighted to bring the higher ed experience to implementing organics collection in an urban, public university, and working with all of you to learn how we can continue to educate, work, and keep organics out of the landfill.
IFSCC had given me the tools, connections, and expertise to implement a post-consumer compost collection at my place of work and at my daughter’s school, teaching thousands of students that composting is an action even they can take to combat climate change and preserve resources.
We need to get finished compost to would-be buyers and help them understand the value. I’d like to see local governments and publicly funded institutions lead the way.
Josh Connell
IFSCC has helped to support and expand composting in Illinois over the past decade. Personally, it has encouraged me to offer residential curbside organic collection programs for my business customers and expand our service offerings. Our biggest near term challenge will be infrastructure and ensuring that we have enough outlets for compost material. Additional facility infrastructure and CapEx spend will be necessary to make sure that facilities can make a good product.
Mike DiMucci
One clear example of how IFSCC has made a tangible difference is the growing awareness and visibility around composting and organics recycling across Illinois. Over the years, we have seen an increase in International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) events, educational outreach, and public conversations about the value of composting. That growth matters because it shows that more communities, businesses, and residents are beginning to understand that yard waste and organics are among the few recyclable materials where the public can truly see the process and the results firsthand.
As a US Composting Council state chapter, IFSCC has helped strengthen that message in Illinois. We have helped connect professionals, educate the public, and build momentum for composting as a practical, local, and sustainable solution. To me, that growing recognition and the increased engagement we now see around composting is real proof that IFSCC has made an impact.
Looking ahead, I believe one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for IFSCC is continuing to increase our membership while also expanding public understanding of what compost is and why it matters. One of the strengths of IFSCC is that we are a diverse organization. We bring together compost manufacturers, food scrap recyclers, haulers, municipalities, educators, advocates, and end users. That diversity gives us a solid foundation, but we need to continue building it, so our voice becomes even stronger across Illinois.
The bigger shift I believe we need to work toward is making composting and compost use a more common household and community practice, something people see as a normal part of recycling, not a niche activity. That means growing participation, supporting stronger markets for finished compost, and helping residents, businesses, and local governments recognize organic recycling as an essential part of a more sustainable future. If IFSCC can continue to grow its membership and lead on education and market development, we will be in a strong position to move composting further into the mainstream.
Lisa Disbrow
IFSCC has been able to raise awareness of the benefits of organic composting by working with stakeholders & policy makers with supporting changes to encourage the use of compost. Educating the consumers, farmers, and homeowners on how compost can help improve soil with better water retention and aeration by adding essential
nutrients.
Both an opportunity and challenge will be how IFSCC can promote opportunities using compost over other materials and managing organics with additional food waste diversion.
I would like to continue to serve on the IFSCC Board as I believe in the mission of this organization to raise awareness of all organic composting, development of robust end markets for compost materials and developing policies that support compost businesses.
Erlene Howard
Officially retired from working full-time for The Urban Canopy, it is still my desire to support the compost community. Since being a pioneer of the food compost industry in Chicagoland and supporting IFSCC from its inception, I feel I bring a wellspring of knowledge to the efforts to expand composting throughout Illinois. I have enjoyed being the IFSCC Treasurer for 2024 & 2025 and aspire to support our great mission and continued growth.
Spencer LaBelle
The IFSCC continues to be the cornerstone of knowledge and education about composting and food scrap diversion in Illinois. Our monthly meetings are a great example of the tangible difference we are meeting a need for knowledge, collaboration, and action. We convene to learn about managing composting infrastructure, new technologies, and proposed policies that impact our industry. ICAW is another example of the way IFSCC serves to share knowledge and educate the residents of Illinois. It is evident that IFSCC is making an impact as the central hub of composting and food scrap diversion in Illinois.
IFSCC has been successful because our membership is made up of a unique and diverse group of compost facility operators, haulers, non-profits, government agencies, and educators. Our central focus is to advance diversion and composting in the State of Illinois, something that we can all rally around. As IFSCC continues to grow, there needs to be more opportunities to collaborate and discuss the entire organics management system. Focused teamwork will help us make more tangible progress in managing contamination in the organics stream, growing the network of permitted compost facilities in the State, and expanding consistent outlets for compost.
Kay McKeen (COMING SOON!)
Merleanne Rampale
IFSCC offers many resources and learning and sharing opportunities, through our website, social media, meetings (open to all), activities, and events. It’s exciting to see such a diverse group including other non-profits, facility operators, haulers, governmental agencies and institutions, community organizations, educators, and others, come together to share and exchange ideas and information, and work to expand efforts and support our shared mission.
Along with work on the board, having chaired ICAW (International Compost Awareness Week), I have witnessed the number of people we have reached through our programs and initiatives with educational and learning activities and programs, and a wide variety of events taking place all over our state. These have included demonstrations, tours, farm visits, compost giveback events, school and community garden development and expansion (utilizing compost of course!), resource booths (using our robust toolkit we’ve developed), book displays at libraries, and more. These wonderful happenings are taking place all over Illinois and additionally, we are working with and collaborating across the U.S. and around the planet with a shared annual theme, shared goals, and shared commitment to bring people together. When speaking about these themes, it’s important to note the many interrelated topics and issues, which are all rolled up together. These include soil health, conservation, climate, growing healthy food, hunger, community, biodiversity and more. From my perspective, these are some of the most important issues of our time, and it’s deeply gratifying to see so much good work being done by people from all walks of life, all ages, living in so many different communities throughout Illinois and across the globe.
And speaking of interrelated… having volunteered for many years in programs that provide meals/shelter for those experiencing homelessness, I’m very grateful and happy to see the expansion of work to garner action, support policy, and build systems/infrastructure to rescue edible food and share information on reducing wasted food from the start. I’ve also been gladly involved in helping to plan Midwest Compost School operator training which will be held for 3 days this Fall, working with a team from our neighboring state, Wisconsin. So many good things happening and it’s my hope to help continue pushing forward – together. It’s been my true pleasure to work with this coalition Board and team.
REMINDER: See this past IFSCC blog post for photos and more information about incumbents.