The US Composting Council (USCC) announces the mentor-mentee pairs for the 2027-2028 cohort of its annual Young Professionals (YP) Mentorship Program. With 34 pairs of mentors and mentees, this is the largest cohort in the history of the YP Mentorship Program, which dates back to 2014.
“The growth of the Mentorship Program isn’t just attributable to the USCC’s efforts,” said Linda Norris-Waldt, USCC executive director, “it has to go with the growth of the composting industry itself. There are an incredible number of people graduating college programs in soils, environmental policy, and even environmental business, who want to join our thriving industry.”
The Young Professionals Mentorship Program is an annual initiative designed to connect aspiring professionals with seasoned experts in the composting industry. The mission of the program is to foster the growth and development of the next generation of compost industry leaders by encouraging innovation, highlighting achievements, and providing networking opportunities for sustainability entrepreneurs and educators.
Mentees gain valuable insights, knowledge, and experience while building a strong professional network within the industry, and mentors have the opportunity to coach the next generation of compost professionals.
Professionals from a wide variety of industry expertise fields were encouraged to participate, including site operations; compost product marketing; zero waste planning; grants and policy; advocacy and policy; hauling and collections; outreach and education; and more.
Over the next six months, these pairs will meet on a regular basis. Mentorship pairs are encouraged to attend an in-person capstone meeting at COMPOST2027 in February 2027.