Board Members
Lydia Keenan
PRESIDENT
Lydia Keenan has been passionate about sustainability and zero waste since a young age, and has pursued both education and career paths with this focus. She graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Environmental Studies, as well as a minor in Spanish and Geography. She has worked with the Alta Environmental Center, SLCo Landfill, Utah Geological Survey, and Wasatch Resource Recovery. She currently works as a Customer Success Manager with Recyclist – a SaaS company focused on recycling compliance. Lydia enjoys hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and skiing on our fabulous public lands in Utah with her fiancée Andrew and dog Bluff. Working with URA, especially focusing on policy work, is a dream come true and she cannot wait to see what great things lie ahead for zero waste in Utah!
Jill Fletcher
SECRETARY
At a young age Jill recognized a love for the environment and all things outdoors. Jill is the Community Education Outreach Coordinator for the Trans-Jordan Landfill. Her focus of education is on waste reduction and correct recycling principals. Jill has a degree in Environmental Studies and is USEE Certified. In addition to her 10 years’ experience in the waste and recycling industry Jill is excited to serve as the Environmental Coordinator for the Utah Arts Festival. Jill and her husband live with their three children in Cottonwood Heights. They enjoy the beautiful outdoor landscape Utah has to offer, various sports, and any chance they get to cheer on their kids.
Kiley Morgan
TREASURER
Kiley is deeply committed to URA’s vision for a zero-waste future for Utah, and is inspired every day by the wonders of the natural world. She became involved at URA as a presenter for the Master Recycling program, and as a volunteer organizer for a Fix-It Clinic. She currently works as a fundraising manager at the Natural History Museum of Utah and serves on the Museum’s Green Team to advance sustainable initiatives and educate staff, volunteers, and visitors about the importance and impact of making environmentally-conscious choices.
Will Able
Will Abel is a dynamic entrepreneur from Oregon who is dedicated to helping his community become less landfill dependent through sustainable recycling. Growing up on a cattle ranch, Will learned the value of hard work and resourcefulness from an early age. With the goal of reducing waste and promoting recycling, Will founded Chuck It Junk Removal and Recycle It, LLC. These companies offer comprehensive waste management solutions for both residential and commercial clients, making it easier for them to properly dispose of and recycle their waste.
Will’s passion for the environment and his community drive him to constantly seek new and innovative ways to improve his businesses and make a positive impact towards our community’s waste needs.
Salvador Brown
Salvador Brown holds a degree in Environmental Engineering, he has worked for 11 years in his native country of Honduras to reduce environmental impacts for many international companies improving livelihoods of people in risk as well improving milling processes and waste management practices for coffee growers, developing renewable energy technologies in rural areas with an international NGO, his bilingual skills and knowledge of waste management optimize contacts and diverse audiences. As currently he works for the Salt Lake City Corporation as an Education Specialist providing educational information regarding the proper usage of yard waste, refuse and recycling programs.
Jessica Cobabe
Jessica Cobabe is the Founder of the sustainable lifestyle blog, Ecobabe Collective, Where Sustainability + Style Collide and the Co-Founder of Cobabe Creative, a Utah-based digital creative agency. As an Ethical Brand Stylist and Consultant, Jessica is passionate about empowering consumers and businesses to live more sustainably. Her journey began in Baruipur, India in 2018, where she saw the first hand effects of the fast fashion industry and knew she needed to make a change in her own life and in the messaging she shared with her community. After giving up fast-fashion, Jessica became a Remake Ambassador and uses her social platforms to promote ethical and sustainable brands as well as offer resources for people feeling the same overwhelm she had experienced at the beginning of her journey to a more sustainable life. Through activism, education and transparency during her own efforts to become more eco-friendly, Jessica hopes to inspire change from the inside out.
Jason Utgaard
Jason is the former General Manager of Momentum Recycling, where over 10+ years he expanded
curbside recycling services to thousands of homes and businesses and led several public projects,
including the deployment of art murals on public drop-off dumpsters and a “Waste Wizard” to help
residents better recycle. After starting a website that sold exclusively products made from recycled
materials, he gave a TED Talk on how to design the future using recycled materials. He was recently
recognized by Waste360 as part of their Top 40 Under 40 in the waste & recycling industry. In his free
time, you can find Jason skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer.