Young Professionals Group Spotlights

Shelby Hoglund

Shelby Hoglund is a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona Department of Environmental Science. Her research connects organic waste management with agricultural sustainability. As a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellow, she engages in relationships between academia and industry to bring research into practice. Currently, she studies multi-year effects of biochar and co-composted biochar on arid cropland soil health and productivity during reduced irrigation.

She is the current Chair for the Mentorship Committee, which has paired dozens of young professionals with mentors.

To apply for a mentorship/menteeship, visit the Mentor Match Program webpage.

Antoine Abou-Moussa

Antoine Abou-Moussa holds a master's in environmental engineering, a bachelor's in chemistry and a university degree in social entrepreneurship.

With more than 10 years of international experience in consulting, engineering and management of waste-related projects, Antoine is an ecopreneur, who founded an award-winning Lebanese social enterprise, Compost Baladi SAL, that specializes in the transformation of bio-waste into bio-resources by using international solutions adapted to local needs. Antoine is also co-founder of CubeX SAL, a Lebanese company that develops and supplies technologies for the recycling of liquid biowaste, and of Compost Baladi SAS, a Colombian waste management technology and consulting company.

Antoine is a member of the Mentoring Committee of the USCC Young Professionals Program. He is the Emerging Composter Committee Chair for the year 2021-2022.

Felipe Pedrazz

Felipe Pedrazzi is a biologist with a master's in geology and PhD on earth sciences/environmental studies. He worked with several environmental agencies in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. In 2010,  he founded an NGO to plant trees in public areas in Sorocaba, a city where he lives and planted more than 200,000 trees with private partnerships. In 2014, Felipe founded FAZ VERDE, to take care of green areas in closed neighborhoods. To date, it has grown into 155 hectares. He also started some community yard waste composting sites in 2010. He runs another composting facility in the countryside of São Paulo State to manage yard waste, biosolids, hatchery wastes, food scraps and manures.

In 2017, Felipe collaborated with USCC and visited a few compost facilities on the East Coast. Since then, he has been a member of the YP group and has volunteered at annual conferences. He is the current Chair for Webinar Committee, which has hosted numerous webinars on subjects like campus composting and alterative composting methods.

To join the YP Program or to learn more, visit the YPG page on the USCC website.