Casella general counsel to hand over reins

David Schmitt, general counsel of Nasdaq-listed Casella Waste Systems for the past 14 years, plans to retire on December 31 this year.

Shelley Sayward, who is currently vice president and assistant general counsel with the company, will take on the general counsel role from January 1, 2021.

Schmitt has been senior vice president and general counsel since June 2012, having joined Casella in May 2006 as vice president and general counsel. Before that, he was president of his privately held consulting firm, and also served between 2002 and 2005 as vice president and general counsel of BioEnergy International.

Between 1995 and 2001 Schmitt was senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of retailer Bradlees, and from 1986 to 1990 he was vice president and general counsel of Wheelabrator Technologies.

Sayward also joined Casella in 2006 and has since held legal positions of increasing seniority focusing on business transactions, permitting activities, financing transactions, human resources, compliance and organizational matters. Before joining the company, she held sales and marketing roles with GlaxoSmithKline and Abbott Laboratories, in addition to a sales and managerial position with First American Financial Corporation.

Rutland, Vermont-based Casella is a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company.

‘I would like to sincerely thank David for his years of service to the company and his contributions to our success over the course of his distinguished career,’ Casella chair and CEO John Casella says in a statement. ‘David has been a trusted adviser throughout his tenure and has developed a robust and effective legal function. We all wish him the best in his retirement.

‘We are very excited [about] the promotion of Shelley as our next general counsel. She is a highly respected, hard-working and trusted member of our team who has made a significant positive contribution throughout her tenure with the company. Her promotion is a positive reflection on the company’s commitment to talent development and succession planning and will ensure continuity for our legal team. Shelley will be a great addition to our senior management team.’

‘I couldn’t be more thrilled for Shelley to take on the general counsel’s role upon my retirement at the end of December,’ Schmitt says in an announcement. ‘Shelley and I have worked closely for the last 14 years and she is an excellent lawyer, strong business partner to our operating teams and highly responsive and effective in managing legal matters.

‘My time working for Casella has been the most valuable and rewarding experience of my career. And I will always cherish being part of this great team and our efforts to drive shareholder value.’