Our Team
Waste-Free Advocates is run by an elected Board of Directors comprised of environmental professionals, policy activists, and dedicated volunteers who are passionate about creating a zero-waste Oregon.

Brittney Wendell
President
With over a decade of experience, Brittney has been a passionate advocate for sustainability, guiding diverse industries towards zero waste and environmental excellence. Her background is in nonprofit management and fundraising and she currently works as Director of Sustainability for a small business. Brittney is on a mission to drive change by championing practices that make single-use items a thing of the past

Tara Knierim
Vice President
Brings over 10 years of experience as a policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as experience as a green entrepreneur, to her position of Vice-President for WFA. Passionate about environmental issues and frustrated by the current state of waste and recycling in this country, Tara is particularly excited about the prospect of further partnering with other organizations to Waste-Free Advocate's mission.

Haley Robinson
Treasurer
Haley has worked in Commercial Banking for the last 5 years and has served as the WFA Board Treasurer since October 2020. Haley first became passionate about environmental conservation and sustainability through her love of the outdoors, hiking and camping any chance she gets. She loves sharing her knowledge and tips about zero waste living with her friends and family.

Jessica Zahn
Secretary
Jessica has spent the last fifteen years in communications and sustainability across the energy efficiency, retail, education, and non-profit sectors. She is a certified Master Recycler and has been a board member with WFA since 2020. Jessica is passionate about food systems, creative reuse, and equitable access to waste systems.

Alaina Labak
Alaina is a Quincenturion Master Recycler (Class 64) with over 500 volunteer hours logged, Eco-Schools Network parent and PTO volunteer, Milwaukie Environmental Stewards Group volunteer and classroom reading parent at Seth Lewelling Elementary. She loves to help Oregonians on their waste-reduction journey no matter how far along by connecting them with the resources they need, by way of social media communities and in-person resource events.

Michael Freudenthal
Michael brings decades of experience in food safety, EHS, and supply chain management to his position on the board at WFA. He believe's WFA's commitment to environmentally sustainable work is critical to our community and serving on the board is an opportunity to further his decades-long focus on environmental issues.

Adrienne Wallace
Adrienne is the Sustainability Coordinator for a local construction company in Portland, Oregon with a primary focus on waste reduction and material recovery. She is extremely passionate about reducing overconsumption and finding creative ways of repairing, repurposing and upcycling goods. Adrienne recently completed her Master’s Degree in Enviromental Science and is enthusiastic about moving toward a more circular economy that prioritizes collective wellbeing and degrowth. When not working you can usually find Adrienne at a local recycling event, reading for her online Environmental Book Club, or creating homemade beauty and personal products.

Mikey Strauhal
Mikey is currently the Environmental Outreach Specialist for the Pollution Prevention Resource Center where he helps businesses with waste reduction, toxic chemical alternatives, secondary containment, and pollution prevention technical assistance. He also extensive experience in managing recycling crews and waste management systems for festivals such Lightning in a Bottle, the Oregon County Fair, and Envision Music Festival.

Zoe Serrano
Zoe currently works for Oregon Energy Fund as the Program & Communications Coordinator. Zoe is also attending Lewis and Clark Law School to obtain her Master’s degree in Environmental Law. She is enthusiastic about increasing environmental justice through policy and civic engagement. When not working or attending class, Zoe can be found working on her climate action website Cut the Crap, adventuring with her husband, or volunteering in the community.

Julia Bonnheim
Resource Director
Julia is passionate about strengthening the connections between WFA's community members and Portland's innovative businesses, nonprofits and city government. She sees enormous potential in what's possible when each of us becomes a waste-free advocate, however that might personally look. Please reach out to her with questions or ideas at director@wastefreeadvocates.org.
Alaina Labak
To be on the board of Waste-Free Advocates is to be part of a team of problem-solvers and community-builders working together as colleagues and friends each bringing our own unique skills in support of our zero-waste future.
Join Our Board!

We're always looking for new waste-free enthusiasts to join our team. It's a great opportunity to get support for a project that you have, and have monthly accountability on our collective waste-free goals. Elected positions are two years long. Together, we can make an impact. Reach out to director@wastefreeadvocates.org to learn more.