Circular Action Alliance appoints new executive director in California

Circular Action Alliance (CAA), headquartered in Washington, has appointed Emily Coven as California executive director. A 30-year resident of the state, Coven brings a deep understanding of California’s waste and recycling systems to the role, CAA says. 

Coven replaces Rachel Wagoner, who was appointed to the position last December.

As CAA executive director for California, Coven will oversee the development and execution of CAA’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) program plan for California under Senate Bill 54, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. She will work closely with stakeholders across the value chain—including state and local governments, producers and industry partners—to advance a circular economy for single-use packaging and food service ware. 

“Emily’s experience in California’s municipal recycling ecosystem and her proven expertise in scaling startups will be instrumental to our work,” says CAA CEO Jeff Fielkow. “Her leadership will be key as we reinforce our foundation and build a resilient, forward-looking organization.” 

Coven is the founder and former CEO of Recyclist, a mission-driven software company that supported implementation of California’s landmark recycling and organics legislation. Under her leadership, Recyclist scaled to serve nearly half of all municipalities in the state before being acquired by Routeware in 2023. She brings more than a decade of experience building strategic partnerships with CalRecycle, local governments and industry stakeholders and is a frequent speaker at state and national waste and recycling conferences.  

“I am honored to join the CAA team and lead this critical work," Coven says. "I look forward to engaging directly with interest holders and communities across California to build a system that delivers meaningful results for Californians.” 

Earlier this month, CAA announced that it had opened the updated registration portal for all producers obligated under California’s packaging EPR law, encouraging obligated producers to complete their registration prior to Sept. 5.