The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, has introduced Darryl Walter as the organization’s new director of membership.
Walter comes to SWANA after successfully leading membership development for associations such as The Wildlife Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Actuaries, the assocaition says. Specifically, he is credited with having increased membership by more than 40 percent during his tenure at The Wildlife Society.
SWANA Executive Director David Biderman says, “I am very pleased to welcome Darryl to the SWANA team. Darryl is an experienced association professional, and we will look to him to develop new ideas and processes for how to recruit, engage and retain SWANA members.”
With SWANA reaching a record of more than 8,500 members at the close of fiscal year 2016, Walter says he plans to keep the momentum going and membership growing.
“People join associations because of professional development and networking opportunities,” says Walter. “SWANA has an established reputation in being the leading membership association for solid waste professionals in the United States and Canada, and I look forward to increasing our influence and membership throughout the industry by providing an exceptional experience for our members.”
When asked about what excites him the most about SWANA, Walter cites areas ranging from protecting the environment to safety awareness to even the people within the organization.
“The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated from the management team and staff is exceptional,” says Walter. “There is truly a team environment here and I look forward to making a positive contribution in the growth of SWANA.”
Walter holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Kent State University and has been in membership development for more than 12 years.