NEWMOA hires new executive director

Following an exhaustive search, The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) has announced it has chosen Martin Suuberg as its next executive director.

The organization conducted an extensive search during which 24 candidates expressed interest in the position. Given the current job market, candidate pools are smaller these days, but the NEWMOA pool was quite strong, NEWMOA says.

The board’s search consultant conducted interviews with 10 applicants, and, of those, the board’s search committee interviewed five. Ultimately, three advanced to the final round. The full Board interviewed the finalists and made their selection.

“All of the finalists were extremely strong candidates, and it is a tribute to the professionalism, expertise and strength of this organization that we were able to attract candidates of such outstanding abilities,” says Michael Wimsatt, a member of the search committee and waste management division director with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

In Suuberg, the NEWMOA says it has found a leader who, in addition to possessing those abilities, also is intimately familiar with the organization, the work it does and the community it serves. Having worked in a number of posts in the federal and state governments over several decades, he has experience in environmental law and regulation.

For the last eight years, Suuberg served as commissioner of the Massachusetts Department Environmental Protection at a time when the agency developed and implemented drinking water and contaminated site cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and enhanced efforts to address environmental justice and equity issues. Suuberg prioritized outreach to cities, towns, and all stakeholders through the challenges posed by COVID during the past several years. 

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His passion for environmental protection and public health, his vision for the organization and his commitment to reducing emerging contaminants, promoting environmental justice and taking aggressive climate action made a deep impression on the search committee and the board.

“NEWMOA is a regional forum for discussing and developing solutions to environmental issues," Suuberg says. “I am eager to join the NEWMOA team and build on the important work it is doing with the states and their partners.” 

He will begin in his new role on Jan. 23, and until that time will be working with outgoing Executive Director Terri Goldberg to ensure a smooth transition.

“Given Martin’s familiarity with the organization, we are confident that the transition will be positive, smooth and productive,” Wimsatt says. “This process has yet again demonstrated what a terrific organization NEWMOA is. From the conversations our search consultant had with so many … during the discovery phase to the thoughtful and insightful questions asked during the interviews, NEWMOA’s membership and staff continually demonstrate their expertise and dedication to our incredibly important mission.”