Meleesa Johnson is the director of solid waste management for Marathon County, directing business operations and solid waste programming/facilities serving central and north-central Wisconsin.  Serving as adjunct faculty at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Soils and Waste Resources Program, Meleesa co-created the curriculum for both the introductory and advanced waste management classes.       

Meleesa is in her sixth term as president of Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin (AROW), and serves as treasurer for the Solid Waste Association of North America-Badger Chapter and for the Wisconsin Counties Solid Waste Management Association.  Recently she was appointed to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (WDNR) Waste and Materials Management Study Group, co-chairing that group and is a member of the WDNR’s PFAS Policy Advisory Group.  In 2005 Governor Doyle appointed her to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Waste Materials Recovery and Disposal.  She is the 2012 recipient of the AROW Christy Dixon Recycler of the Year Award and was awarded the 2017 UW Green Bay Environment and Business Management Institute’s Earth Caretaker Award.   

In her personal life, Meleesa is an alderperson for the city of Stevens Point and is her fifth term as president of Common Council.  She is also in her third term as supervisor for the Portage County Board.  She chairs the City’s Finance Committee and County’s Health Care Center Committee, as well as the Diversity Affairs and Inclusion Committee.