Local Leadership

  Ken Ryan, District Manager

  After experiencing life on both the right and left coasts during a   career in finance, Ken Ryan, district manager of Waste Management   of North County and Coast Waste Management, settled on the sunny   San Diego region 20 years ago. A 15-year employee of Waste   Management, Ken handled various controllership responsibilities for   the company before becoming district manager in Carlsbad in 2002. He also took on the roll of district manager of Waste Management of North County in Oceanside in 2005.

Ken is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, with a degree in accounting, and holds an MBA from the University of San Diego. When not busy with his duties of directing the Carlsbad and Oceanside operations, Ken enjoys swimming, running, serving as the taxi driver for his three children and being involved in community service projects. He is an active member of the Hi-Noon Carlsbad Rotary, from whom he has earned many accolades including the Rotary Rookie of the Year in 2003, Rotarian of the Year in 2004 and a place on the Board of Directors for each of the last three years. He is currently president-elect of the Hi-Noon Carlsbad Rotary.

Ken, his wife of 20 years, Suzy, and their family reside in Carlsbad.

  Lori Somers, Community and Municipal Relations   Representative

  While Lori Somers has worn a number of hats during her career, the   one constant has been her commitment to Waste Management,   where she has worked for 20 years. Beginning as a billing clerk, Lori   has assumed a number of responsibilities and roles at Waste   Management sites in San Diego, Palm Desert and Oceanside.

In 1996, Lori became recycling manager for Waste Management of North County and Coast Waste Management. In this role, she supervised the operations of the recycling centers in Oceanside, Carlsbad and Del Mar, and provided recycling outreach and educational services to the local cities served by the company. Recently, she transitioned from her position as recycling manager to community and municipal relations representative for the company's operations in Oceanside and Carlsbad.

Outside of work, Lori has been involved since 1998 with Soroptimist International of Oceanside-Carlsbad, currently serving as vice president/president-elect. In 2006, she was honored as Soroptimist of the Year by her club for her leadership and service to the organization and community. When not at work or serving her community, Lori enjoys traveling, skiing and the San Diego Chargers. She lives in Oceanside.

  Rick Kahn, Market Area Sales Manager

  Rick joined Waste Management in 2002 and became Market Area   Sales Manager for the San Diego/Orange County Market Area in   2005. Previously, he served in the same position for Los Angeles.

  Prior to joining Waste Management, Rick was with SBC/Pacific Bell for 28 years in an operations and sales capacity in Los Angeles and surrounding counties.  Rick has a wide range of experience and knowledge in both operations and sales, and is well-versed in the regulatory environment in California.

Rick oversees the sales team for the San Diego and Orange county regions, serving customers with all types of waste and recycling needs. Rick can be reached at 714-480-2344 or rkahn@wm.com.

  Charissa McAfee, Manager of Customer Experience

  Charissa McAfee joined Waste Management in 2006 in the newly   created position of Manager of Customer Experience for the San   Diego/Orange County Market Area. In this role, she works to ensure   that employees are engaged in providing exceptional service to the   company’s customers. She also manages Waste Management’s   Service Machine program, which consists of processes and standards that help the company’s local operations deliver a high level of service to its customers. In addition, Charissa performs community and municipal relations activities for the company in San Diego County.

Previously, she was the Executive Director of MADD San Diego County. She is an active volunteer and has served on numerous boards, including the North Coastal Prevention Coalition and the San Diego County Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board.

Charissa is a graduate of Covenant College at Lookout Mountain, Georgia, with a degree in sociology, and holds an MBA from California State University San Marcos. Charissa can be reached via email at cmcafee@wm.com.

Melissa Perez, Communications Manager - San Diego/Orange County Market Area

Melissa joined the Waste Management team in July 2007 bringing extensive experience in media relations, marketing, communications, collateral development, branding, community relations, broadcasting and much more. Prior to working with WM, Melissa was part of the Sharp Healthcare team and helped them to implement the highly successful Sharp Experience for customer service.

Melissa was born in Staten Island, N.Y. but now calls California home. She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Arizona State University. Melissa can be reached via email at mdummar@wm.com.