Board Of Directors

Michael Heimbach – Executive Director

Mr. Heimbach has been in the solid waste/recycling industry in Broward County for 17 years. He has an extremely diversified background.

He spent 8.5 years working for Broward County in both the solid waste and recycling divisions. He ran the Broward School Board Recycling program and the Broward County Office Paper Program for 4.5 years. He was an integral participant in the initial start-up of Broward County’s waste-to-energy facilities and has experience with landfill operations and flow-control issues.

Prior to joining Trash to Treasure, Mr. Heimbach ran Hallandale Beach’s solid waste program which provided direct service to the community while maintaining one of the lowest costs for service in the County.

George Gadson

George Gadson is a Duke University graduate and self-taught artist who understands the role art plays in providing quality of life and vitality to a community. Based on numerous studies that show art as a key element to breathing new life into the “soul” of a community and its residents, Gadson seeks to bring back to life the forgotten history found in many communities and capture civic memories through creative design works. Such efforts aid in rebuilding the tangible and intangible characters of the community, bring disparate groups together, create safer neighborhoods, and promote a greater sense of belonging. Gadson seeks inspiration by studying both people and nature and is well known for his powerful sculptures, his poignant depiction of the lives and telling faces of people, and moments in time through photography.

Gadson is credited with organizing and facilitating various community based surveys, focus groups, community visioning and strategic planning. Today, he is one of Florida’s most versatile and celebrated African American renaissance artists. He works independently and collaboratively with design teams of engineers, architects and construction firms to create site specific work.

Marnie Rosen

Ms. Rosen’s career is a perfectly suited to contribute to Trash to Treasure. She has a Masters Degree in Curriculum with emphasis in Environmental Education from Florida Atlantic University. She completed two stints with Broward County’s Office of Integrated Waste Management. First, helping run the Broward School Recycling Program and later returning as the Outreach/Special Events Coordinator. In between, Ms. Rosen was a science teacher in the magnet program at Broward’s North Fork Elementary. Currently, she is the Assistant Recycling Specialist for the City of Deerfield Beach.

Armed with knowledge of issues related the needs of recyclers and teachers, Ms. Rosen provides a unique perspective in assisting in directing the organization.

Chris Martin

Mr. Martin is a Regional Procurement Manager with SP Newsprint Recycling. SP, which is owned by three major media corporations, is a leading recycler of newsprint in the United States. The company also operates material recycling facilities (MRF) and markets all types of recyclable materials.

Previously, Mr. Martin worked for Smurfit-Stone Recycling in Fort Lauderdale. Smurfit-Stone is one of the largest recyclers and paper makers in the world.

When customers recognize that materials they produce may have value, they turn to Mr. Martin for guidance. Mr. Martin’s access to and understanding of these markets is invaluable to the organization.

Lisa Max

Ms. Max knows the recycling business from top to bottom. She owned and operated her own consulting firm which showed companies how to save money by recycling and other environmental strategies. Then later going out and collecting and processing it herself through her recycling company.

This was followed with experience as Director of Development at the National Audubon Society and extensive grant writing in the health care industry. As a seasoned fundraising professional, it is clear why Ms. Max was chosen to be a Board member.

MaryBeth Burton

MaryBeth Burton is Assistant Director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions. She is also committed to sustainability and educating others about implementing sustainable practices in their lives and communities. She recently worked to begin a recycling program at FAU’s downtown Ft. Lauderdale campus and is excited about becoming a board member of Trash to Treasure. Ms. Burton serves as a volunteer for the Climate Project, Al Gore’s effort to train 1,000 people across the country to increase awareness and action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is a proud member of the Broward Green League, Unity of Fort Lauderdale’s Earth Care Outreach and the Fort Lauderdale Recycle Works. Ms. Burton holds a BS Degree in Marketing from Rutgers University and a Master of Landscape Architecture Degree from North Carolina State University. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Cheryl Miller

Cheryl Miller has been the City of Deerfield Beach’s Recycling Coordinator since January 1999.

The City of Deerfield Beach's recycling program is widely recognized as being South Florida's most progressive program.  Using city crews, the City does more than just collect materials at the curb.  Business, condos, and schools participate in the program. Materials are collected using roll offs, dumpsters, roll carts and bins.  The City also provides the community with a Drop-Off Center that collects over 18 different recyclables.

Ms. Miller’s commitment was recognized by her peers when she was named Broward County's Recycler of the Year in 2005. She has championed innovative projects such as glass to beach restoration, mixed paper recycling, and records destruction/recycling.

Previously, she worked in Dallas as Recycling Coordinator from 1996-1998. 

Chloe Murru

Chloe Murru is among an ever growing segment of young people that has learned to become involved in her community at an early age. She began both in-kind and financial contributions at the age of three, when she started receiving allowance. Her donations of Christmas and Birthday gifts to homeless children were always accompanied by a charitable donation. She participated in the family fund at the local community foundation when she was 6.

But when Chloe was 8, she and her sister realized that children at their Title I school did not have enough to eat and set out to create a soup kitchen for children called Kids Café. In order to reach their goal of $5,000, they organized an art show. The Reeves Terrace Kids Café opened later that year and the art auction is still in existence today. The program is now endowed and will serve children forever.

Chloe also runs the Landings Pet Registry in her neighborhood and supports her philanthropy by pet sitting.

Our Vision:

To provide an abundant and varied source of materials in order to :

Teachers

Teachers in Broward County often spend hundreds of dollars each year to supplement their classrooms with needed creative and interactive materials for their students. We help educators by providing an inexpensive source of materials in addition to workshops to learn how to maximize the creative and educational potential of these diverse materials.

Businesses

Businesses in Broward County pay some of the highest waste disposal costs in the USA. We help businesses identify materials destined for the trash that can be creatively RE-USED instead. This helps businesses achieve significant savings by reducing their waste disposal costs. Donating tangible property is also a no cost way for businesses to support non–profit organizations in the community and benefit from tax deductions.

Artists

Artists, both professional and “crafty,” are often on the lookout for interesting materials with which to work. We offer a variety of unusual materials for common purposes, and common materials for unique creations.