WISR Changes the Game

Thank you to Women in Solid Waste and Recycling (WISR) co-founders Rachel Oster, Erin Merrill and interim CEO, Sharon Kneiss for inviting me to create this 6-session webinar over 12 weeks. Yesterday was Day 1 and we had a full house! Thank you to my iPEC colleague Katie Bergmann, CPC, BCC, ELI-MP, for connecting us. Thank you to the 12 WISR Leaders whose candid answers to my pre-course survey gave me the deepest understanding of the experiences in this community and provided the richest context for this program.

Our six sessions integrate the four steps of the Harvard Negotiation Project—in which I was trained in 1997—with ten of my Simple Shifts to Forge Ahead Faster?. This interactive and practical program provides participants with distinctions and strategies they can put into action immediately back on the job.

The WISR story is told in detail in the October 31, 2018 article, Women in Solid Waste & Recycling Promoting Leadership Development, in WasteAdvantageMag.com.

Here are the three details I found most compelling when I was introduced to them:

1. WISR was created by Rachel Oster and Erin Merrill, who are also “the co-founders of Diversion Strategies, a full-service consulting firm in Sacramento, CA, that supports the solid waste and recycling industry’s growth. The firm’s capabilities range from permitting and development of commercial infrastructure, to government advocacy, to facility operations and support.”
2. Their vision in creating WISR is “to ensure that women have the tools and support they need to be successful leaders [as well as] diversify decision-makers” in the industry. Interim CEO, Sharon Kneiss, is “tasked with helping to build and grow the organization.”
3. All three are seasoned leaders with a wide range of experience in the industry; in WISR, they have created the first of its kind networking and leadership development for women, in an industry that has been “male-dominated since its inception.”

Stayed tuned for more exciting developments about WISR and our Negotiation Program. If you’re reading this and you would like to be a part of this vibrant and game-changing organization, reach out to Sharon Kneiss at the WISR website for more information about how to join—or start a local chapter.