GEMI Announces 2012 Board of Directors: Bill Gill, Smithfield Foods Leads GEMI

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) has announced the new Board of Directors.  

Keith Miller, GEMI's outgoing Chair and the new Chair Emeritus of the GEMI Board of Directors, who is the Corporate Sustainability Manager, 3M, stated, "It is my pleasure to announce that GEMI has elected as its Chair for 2012 Bill Gill, Assistant Vice President Environmental Affairs, Smithfield Foods, Inc.  Bill's leadership and counsel will be a tremendous asset to GEMI in 2012."

"GEMI has a truly exceptional and dedicated Board of Directors and membership, and I am honored to have been elected by them and look forward to serving as GEMI's Chair in 2012," stated Gill.

Mr. Miller added, "In addition to Bill's leadership role as the 2012 Chair of GEMI, we are very pleased to announce two new members joining the Board in 2012: Heather Tansey, Sustainability Manager, 3M, who will be the Communications and Marketing Chair; and, Lori Williams, Business Strategy Advisor, FedEx Corporation, who will be the Membership Chair."

The GEMI Board of Directors for 2012 includes:

Chair: Bill Gill, Assistant Vice President Environmental Affairs, Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Vice Chair: Neville Dias, Director, Reporting and Analysis, Carnival Corporation & plc
Finance: Bill Lechner, Vice President, EHS & Security, Scotts Miracle-Gro
Solution Tools Work Group Chair: Steve Shedroff, Global HSE Data Systems Manager, Procter & Gamble
Membership: Lori Williams, Business Strategy Advisor, FedEx Corporation
Communications: Heather Tansey, Sustainability Manager, 3M
Benchmark: Lindell Sneed, Manager, Environmental Programs, Abbott
Senior Advisory Council (SAC): Steve Schwalb, Vice President, Environmental Sustainability, Perdue Incorporated
Chair Emeritus: Keith Miller, Corporate Sustainability Manager, 3M

Steve Hellem, Executive Director of GEMI stated, "GEMI maintains its leadership role, relevance and effectiveness by carefully understanding and balancing the opportunities and challenges that always impact our member companies and their roles as EH&S and environmental sustainability leaders.  Bill Gill, as the new Chairman of GEMI and along with the new GEMI Board of Directors, continues a 20 plus year legacy of corporate leaders stepping up, moving forward and constantly striving to improve EH&S and environmental sustainability within the GEMI membership as well as the global community."

GEMI members include: 3M; Abbott; Ashland Inc.; Biogen Idec; BNSF Railway Company; Carnival Corporation & plc; ConAgra Foods; ConocoPhillips; CSX Transportation; Diversey, Inc.; DuPont; Eni spa; FedEx; Halliburton; Johnson & Johnson; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Kraft Foods Inc.; Legrand; Merck & Company, Inc.; Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Perdue Incorporated.; The Procter & Gamble Company; Scotts Miracle-Gro; Smithfield Foods, Inc.; Southern Company; and Union Pacific Railroad.

For more information about GEMI please visit GEMI's website at www.gemi.org

For More Information Contact:
Amy Goldman, GEMI, 202-296-7449

SOURCE GEMI