Waste Management Palm Desert

After experiencing life on both the right and left coasts during a career in finance, Ken Ryan, district manager of Waste Management of North County and Coast Waste Management, settled on the sunny San Diego region 25 years ago. A 22-year employee of Waste Management, Ken handled various controllership responsibilities for the company before becoming district manager in Carlsbad in 2002. He also took on the role of district manager of Waste Management of North County in Oceanside in 2005.

Ken is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, with a degree in accounting, and holds an MBA from the University of San Diego. When not busy with his duties of directing the Carlsbad and Oceanside operations, Ken enjoys swimming, running, and being involved in community service projects. He is a Past President of the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary, from whom he has earned many accolades including the Rotary Rookie of the Year in 2003, as well as Rotarian of the Year in 2004. He has served on the Board of Directors for multiple organizations including the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. Ken and his wife Suzy have three children that graduated from Carlsbad High School and are currently at University’s on both the East and West Coast.

Lori Somers
Community and Municipal Relations Representative

• While Lori Somers has worn a number of hats during her career at Waste Management, the one constant has been her commitment to Waste Management, where she has worked for 26 years. Beginning as a billing clerk, Lori has assumed a number of responsibilities and roles at Waste Management sites in San Diego, Palm Desert and Oceanside.

In 1996, Lori became recycling manager for Waste Management of North County and Coast Waste Management. In this role, she supervised the operations of the recycling centers in Oceanside, Carlsbad and Del Mar, and provided recycling outreach and educational services to the local cities served by the company. She transitioned from her position as recycling manager to community and municipal relations representative for the company's operations in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Solana Beach in 2006.