Our Team

Rob Hilton

President

Rob Hilton is the President of HF&H and one of six firm owners. Since 2002, Rob has provided a wide range of consulting services on nearly 300 projects for more than 100 public agencies. Mr. Hilton leads HF&H’s contracting team in support of more than a dozen communities each year who are either competitively procuring or negotiating solid waste collection, processing, and/or disposal contracts. Additionally, Mr. Hilton has assisted communities throughout the state in the process of developing strategic plans to achieve their high diversion or zero waste goals. Rob has presented several papers to industry organizations on the subject of how to develop sustainable funding strategies that support zero waste systems.

From 2014 to 2017, Rob served as the President of the Board of Directors of the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA).

BA Political Science/Public Administration, UC Davis

John Farnkopf

Senior Vice President - P.E.

John Farnkopf is a Senior Vice President at H&H and one of our founding partners. John has nearly 40 years of public and private experience in the utility industry, emphasizing consulting to water, wastewater, stormwater, electric, gas, and solid waste utilities. Mr. Farnkopf’s consulting activities include the following specialties: rate studies; financing studies; litigation support; regulatory analysis; resources management; fixed asset valuations and management; and design and construction.

B.S Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
B.A Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley

Laith Ezzet

Senior Vice President - CMC

Laith Ezzet is a Certified Management Consultant and Senior Vice President of our Southern California solid waste consulting practice. Mr. Ezzet has 30 years of experience as an economist and solid waste consultant and has assisted over 100 public agencies to plan, implement, and monitor their solid waste collection, recycling and disposal programs. During the course of these engagements, he has presented to or participated in more than 200 public workshops and public meetings for City Councils, Boards of Supervisors, and citizens’ advisory groups. Mr. Ezzet has served and continues to serve in important industry associations including as a member of the Board of Directors of the California Resource Recovery Association and as Director of the Southern California Founding Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America.

M.B.A Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, 1988
M.B.A course work at the London Business School, 1987
A.B cum laude, Economics, Occidental College, 1984

Rick Simonson

Senior Vice President - CMC

Rick Simonson is a Vice President at HF&H and one of six firm owners. Rick has over 20 years of experience as an auditor/accountant in various capacities. Since starting with HF&H in 2000, Mr. Simonson has performed as lead analyst on solid waste, water, wastewater, and sewer-related projects for dozens of municipalities and agencies throughout California. Rick’s responsibilities have included developing a wide range of rate structures tailored to meet diverse client needs. These include, tiered water rates structures, rate models, alternative water rate structures, increasing block rates, and other rate related models.

His other financial analysis experience includes rate comparison benchmarking analyses, customer service level assessment, and conducting other statistical studies.

B.S Business Administration, Accountancy, California State University, Sacramento
B.A Communication Studies, California State University, Sacramento

Marva Sheehan

Vice President - CPA

Marva Sheehan is a Vice President at HF&H and one of six firm owners. Ms. Sheehan has over 35 years of financial and accounting experience as a consultant and controller, including more than 20 years in the solid waste industry. Since joining HF&H in 2005, she has managed rate review projects, billing and franchise fee audits, procurement and contract negotiations, and financial and operational reviews for jurisdictions throughout Northern California. She has developed long-term financial forecasts and long-term management options for landfills and collection operations.

Prior to joining HF&H, Ms. Sheehan was a controller in the solid waste industry, participating in management of solid waste and recycling collections, MRFs, transfer stations and landfills. In this capacity, Ms. Sheehan prepared rate applications for several divisions of the company. The process included the preparation of the rate application package as well as working with the outside consultants during the review. She developed policies and procedures for jurisdictional cost allocations and participated in many franchise fee audits.

B.S Business Administration, Emphasis in Accounting, University of California, Berkeley
Certified Public Accountant – State of California

Peter Deibler

Senior Project Manager

Peter Deibler is a Senior Manager with HF&H Consultants with over 30 years of experience in the waste management field. He has a background in resource economics and has assisted dozens of public sector clients. Mr. Deibler specializes in policy, process, financial and legal issues related to diversion programs and waste management program and facility procurements and negotiations. He frequently drafts and negotiates service contracts and is well versed in the setting of fees and rates in local government. His work often involves public process and facilitating decision-making by senior staff and elected officials. He is a frequent presenter on a range of topics. He has directed or managed numerous projects related to zero waste and high diversion planning, service procurement, commercial technical assistance, household and business hazardous materials and hazardous waste reduction, contract and rate review negotiations, performance review and contract compliance, rate analysis and structuring, budget projections and planning, and cost of service analysis.

M.A Energy and Resources, University of California, Berkeley
B.A Economics, Phi Beta Kappa, Beloit College

April Hamud

Project Manager

Ms. Hamud is a Project Manager with HF&H Consultants. April began with HF&H in 2011 and has worked with dozens of clients to help them in achieving their solid waste and recycling goals. 

April’s experience includes: negotiating and drafting contracts, conducting procurements of contracts in the areas of solid waste collection, recycling, solid waste facility development and operation, and street sweeping.  She has developed financial models for the operation of county-wide disposal systems. Ms. Hamud assists clients in managing their solid waste franchise agreements, providing AB 939 compliance and diversion monitoring, and program implementation services.

April serves on the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Southern California founding chapter board as the Young Professional representative.

M.A. Economics, California State University, Fullerton
B.S. Mathematics, University of California, Riverside

Dave Hilton

Senior Project Manager

As a Project Manager with HF&H, Dave Hilton has experience in the solid waste and recycling industry involving field audits, contract analysis, procurement evaluation, rate applications, operational reviews, cost of service rate modeling, refuse vehicle impact analysis, and surveys. Additionally Dave is certified in Zero Waste Principles and Practices with both CRRA and SWANA.

With nearly a decade of experience in solid waste management consulting, Mr. Hilton has been engaged in a wide variety of projects for more than 60 public Agencies. In his time with HF&H he has been integral to numerous competitive procurements and negotiations. With a passion for ratepayer advocacy, environmental stewardship, and ensuring his clients reach their financial goals, Dave has managed dozens of cost-based rate adjustments resulting in fair and equitable rates that have continued to help clients meet their diversion goals. He is committed to delivering high quality service to clients by understanding their business needs, developing strong relationships, and consistently following-through on deliverables that exceed their expectations.

B.S., Business Administration/ Business Management, CA State University, Chico

Phil Mainolfi

Senior Project Manager

Philip Mainolfi brings over 13 years of prior financial, accounting and process automation experience, as well as seven years of diverse experience in the solid waste industry.  While in the private sector, he spent three years managing solid waste contract compliance for 46 municipalities and government agencies, developing financial models, automating financial reporting processes, designing and developing management reporting tools, and managing external audits.  Mr. Mainolfi received invaluable insight into hauler/processor operations, zero waste planning, and public outreach.  Prior to entering the solid waste industry, Mr. Mainolfi spent four years as a business analyst at Brown Brothers Harriman where he focused on process automation, procedure development, and the implementation of a centralized data ecosystem.

Haley Kunert

Project Manager

Haley Kunert is a Project Manager with HF&H. Ms. Kunert has two years of experience in sustainability services, gained while attending the University of California San Diego, and over six years with HF&H Consultants. She currently assists with the SB 1383 planning and implementation, management of solid waste franchise agreements, legislative compliance and diversion monitoring, audit services, solid waste rate reviews, contract negotiation services, contract procurements and RFPs, valuation models, program implementation services, grant management, CalRecycle annual reporting, community public education and outreach, and conducting solid waste rate studies.

B.S. in Environmental Systems, University of California San Diego, La Jolla

Hailey Gordon

Project Manager

Hailey Gordon is a Project Manager at HF&H. Hailey supports clients with a variety of solid waste and recycling projects, such as SB 1383 planning and implementation, ordinance development, sole source and competitive procurements, franchise negotiations, performance reviews, and strategic planning, billing and tonnage audits, rate application reviews for rate adjustments, and executing cost of service studies. Her background in environmental studies allows her to combine her skills as an analyst with attention to detail with the broader goals of sustainable futures that ensure clients receive unparalleled work products.

B.A. in Environmental Studies, University of California San Diego

Gabe Sasser

Project Manager, P.E., PMP

Gabe Sasser is a Project Manager in HF&H’s Northern California office. Gabe supports clients throughout California to develop cost-of-service studies and rate updates for water, wastewater, and solid waste fees and charges. Clients benefit from Gabe’s technical experience as a registered civil engineer. As a certified Project Management Professional, he is a proven communicator, conscientious of client budget and schedule. Since joining HF&H in 2019, Gabe has served our clients as an analyst and project manager for various water and wastewater rates studies, connection fee studies, and solid waste rates studies.

B.S. in Civil Engineering, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Felisia Castañeda

Project Manager

Felisia Castañeda is a Project Manager with HF&H and brought to the firm a decade of experience developing educational programming for diverse audiences in schools, businesses, and other institutions. Felisia supports our clients with AB 1826, AB 341, and SB 1383 compliance, including negotiating and drafting franchise amendments. Additionally, Felisia assists clients with drafting Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policies, creating public surveys, and developing individual action plans for clients to help implement their materials management plans. Felisia also helps clients to manage their technical assistance outreach. Felisia is a seasoned public speaker and has assisted multiple jurisdictions in creating presentations for various stakeholders including edible food generators, council members, and the general public.

B.A. in Economics, Occidental College

B.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy, Occidental College

Lindsey Lagos, CPA

Project Manager, CPA

Lindsey Lagos is a Project Manager in HF&H’s Southern California Office. Lindsey brings more than a decade of public accounting assurance experience to the HF&H Rates & Audits team.  Lindsey assists in hauler contract compliance audits, rate studies, cost of service analyses, conducting competitive solid waste procurements, contract negotiation services, and contract management.  Ms. Lagos’ primary focus in her public accounting career was financial statement audits, which included assisting clients with the adoption of new regulations. 

B.S. Accounting, Chapman University

Emily Hanson, J.D.

Senior Project Manager

Emily Hanson, a Senior Project Manager at HF&H since 2023, has nearly 25 years of leadership, business development, and communications experience in the fields of recycling and waste diversion, alternative energy, climate mitigation, and resource conservation. She has negotiated more than 50 solid waste related contracts, made presentations and/or provided public testimony to 100+ jurisdictions and multiple regulatory agencies in California, and has proven herself as an accomplished and influential leader in the waste sector. Emily’s systems-level understanding of the industry supports her drive to identify and solve overlooked opportunities, often saving jurisdictions money while protecting the public interest. 

J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law
B.A., Politics/Environmental Studies, UC Santa Cruz