After serving for over nine years as the Executive Director of the North Central RC&D, Kim Burge, has announced she is resigning from the position to pursue other interests. During her time at the RC&D, Burge gave guidance to the organization as it transitioned to a reuse, recy-cle vision. She was instrumental in bringing multiple recycling opportunities to communities and provided waste reduction education to those in and around the six county area.
“I loved my time spent working with each of the RC&D member groups. Bringing services that they wanted to people in the area made this a really fun, fulfilling job,” said Kim Burge. Prior to working for the RC&D, she had been responsible for major donor fundraising with a national foundation and before that, was in broadcasting. “Because of my background, I also really enjoyed working with the media providing information about finding alternative options to sending items to the landfill through recycling and reusing.”
In addition to securing grants for tire amnesty and organizing electronic recycling events, Burge established an annual paper shredding program. She organized a compost symposium where farmers, ranchers, and business leaders listened to speakers and learned about compost-ing and incorporating food waste to benefit organic farming practices. Glass recycling was also expanded in the area, as connections were made with Ripple Glass, a company out of Kansas City that collects glass and converts waste into reusable material.
On behalf of the RC&D, Kim also serves as a board member on the Nebraska Recycling Council, a statewide, nonprofit organization that advocates for recycling and composting pro-grams. She has served in that capacity since the incorporation of the Recycling Council, pro-viding a voice for and representing rural Nebraska.
Stepping away from the RC&D, Kim will expand her work as a co-owner of KVSH Radio in Valentine, Nebraska, and with her syndicated radio program, The Good Stuff. She and her husband, Mike, have three children and four grandchildren, who she looks forward to spending more time with.
Carla Stagemeyer has been appointed the new Executive Director for the North Central RC&D. She has an agricultural business degree from UNL and has worked as a vice president of a local bank and most recently, in accounting. She and her husband farm, raise cattle near Page, and have three sons. The North Central RC&D focuses on protecting natural re-sources by promoting and providing recycling opportunities. They serve the Nebraska counties of Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, and Rock, making the communities in the area better places to live and work. If you are interested in becoming a member or would like more in-formation, you can email northcentralrcd@gmail.com.