Washington, D.C. – Katherine Lugar, president and chief executive officer of American Beverage (AB), announced today the appointment of conservation policy strategist veteran Roberta Elias as the association’s vice president, strategic advocacy and initiatives. 

“Roberta is a proven leader with extensive expertise in the development and implementation of initiatives and strategic collaborations to achieve conservation wins,” Lugar said. “She will strengthen the beverage industry’s efforts to create a circular economy that reduces our plastic footprint and heighten our sustainability efforts overall. We are excited to have her guidance on these important issues.”  

Elias will help drive the beverage industry’s efforts to lead on innovative, forward-thinking policies to minimize plastic waste, create financially durable and equitable circularity systems, and address relevant conservation issues facing all Americans. She will be a senior member of the Department of Government & Public Affairs. 

Elias brings to American Beverage more than 20 years of experience pursuing policy solutions to key conservation challenges. She joins AB from World Wildlife Fund, the leading environmental NGO where she developed and implemented policy initiatives to address a variety of global conservation issues. Most recently, she worked with a range of partners from conservation to industry to ensure materials production and disposal systems work for communities and nature.

Elias also helped develop ocean policy initiatives for the Natural Resource Defense Council and estuary restoration programs for the NOAA Restoration Center.

“I am looking forward to working with the beverage industry as it broadens its leadership role to reduce plastic waste and promote circularity,” Elias said. “A well-structured system where government and industry are working together will produce real benefits for the public and for conservation objectives.  I’m excited to be a part of that effort at American Beverage.”

Elias holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale School of the Environment. She received bachelor’s degrees in biology and environmental studies from Binghamton University, N.Y. 

###

About American Beverage

American Beverage is the national trade organization representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States. For more information, please visit www.americanbeverage.org. For more information on our leadership initiatives, please visit www.balanceus.org and www.innovationnaturally.org.