Our Story
Natalie Warrick had embarked on her waste-free journey a little over a year prior to deciding to create a Facebook group not long after the Covid pandemic started in April 2020. Her goal for Waste-Free Dayton was for members to encourage one another and share ideas about how to live waste-free and more sustainably, while caring for one another and for the planet.
In the fall of 2020, Natalie first met Brett Bogan, who was in the early stages of a waste-free journey with his family. They started talking more about not only sustainability, but environmental and social justice. Brett joined the WFD Facebook group in November 2020, and became more active posting and commenting in the group.
In the winter of 2021, Natalie decided to do a litter cleanup event in an area near her own neighborhood. There was a stretch of road she drove often and she could see how much trash was accumulating on the sides of the road. That cleanup led to two more cleanups in the same area in March, and at one of those cleanups, Brett posed the question to Natalie about whether she has considered taking Waste-Free Dayton to the next level, forming a nonprofit. Natalie definitely had that thought in the back of her mind during that first year, and enthusiastically replied “yes, let’s talk more about it!”. In April, Natalie brought Brett on board officially to help with the organization, and in the summer of 2021, they formally created the organization by filing all the necessary paperwork with the state, and applied for nonprofit status, which was approved in early fall.
Now WFD is in its 4th year overall, and our story continues to unfold.
Our Team
Natalie Warrick
Founder & Co-Executive Director
Natalie grew up in McKinney, TX, near Dallas. She loved playing soccer growing up, and that led her to play in college, at Cincinnati Christian University. There she met her husband, David Warrick, and graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies. They have lived in the Dayton area for 8 years. The have two cats, Luna and Leonard. You can find Natalie during the week either working at Pettibone Coffee, leading Waste-Free Dayton, or out biking with David! Some of Natalie’s favorite waste-free activities are cooking waste-free, gardening, and foraging.
Brett Bogan
Co-Executive Director
Brett is a lifelong resident of the Dayton region, born in Dayton but growing up in Troy. He attended Wright State University, and graduated with a degree in Economics. For his full-time “day” job, Brett works for the parent company of a local information solutions provider, doing incident response and data protection. Brett currently resides in Troy with his wife of 24 years, and they have one child, a first year student in college. They have many pets: two dogs, one bunny, two cats, and a bird. The entire family has a passion for caring for the environment, working to ensure their actions don’t negatively impact others, and generally trying to make the world a better place.
Fitness & Wellness Coordinator
Callie has lived in the Dayton area pretty much her whole life. She attended the University of Cincinnati (Go Bearcats!) and graduated with a degree in Dietetics. After graduating she found out she’s basically allergic to everything and while figuring out a new way of life and exploring food and nutrition she started working at a local running store and absolutely fell in love with running! Through working and running she met Brett (WFD’s Co-Executive Director) and became inspired by the work he was doing to help others and the community around him, which is how she became involved in Waste-Free Dayton. She is excited to grow this community and continue learning how to live a more sustainable life.
In her free time you can find Callie running through local neighborhoods or on the trails. She loves being outside, going to the lake, baking allergy friendly treats, and if we have Bingo nights she will definitely be there! She is also slightly obsessed with her dog, Fig. 🥰
Callie joined the team in 2022.
Callie Bohachek
Social Media Manager
Adrian is 18 years old, recently graduated high school, and has lived in the Dayton area for his entire life. A lot of time is spent with school work and activities but outside of school and especially during summer, he is doing things for Waste-Free Dayton and working to be more sustainable. Adrian enjoys drawing, singing, playing music, hiking, playing games, and spending time with my friends. He loves animals, and has dogs, rabbits, a cat, and a bird. Some other animals he likes are opossums, capybaras, axolotls, and frogs.
Some of his waste-free activities including making bread, and he is learning how to sew so he can eventually make his own clothes. He enjoys learning about sustainability and human impact on the climate, and he makes goals for the future to be more sustainable.
Adrian has volunteered with WFD since 2021 and officially joined the team in 2022.
Adrian B.
Digital Content Creator
Scarlet works on digital content for Waste-Free Dayton, mainly on YouTube. She graduated from Tippecanoe High school and attended University of Hawaii Manoa for one year, before coming back to Ohio to attend Wright State University. “I am so excited to be joining the Waste-Free Dayton team. I have been into sustainability for years. Some of my favorite low waste hobbies are thrifting and eating a plant based diet. My other interests include going to the gym and traveling (Europe this summer 😊).”
Scarlet joined the team in May 2023.
Scarlet E.
College Ambassador
As WFD’s first college ambassador, Nicolina raises awareness of Waste-Free Dayton at college, with her classmates and student organizations. She is currently a Senior at the University of Dayton majoring in Environmental Biology. She is a member of TriBeta and the Sustainability Activation Program at UD. She enjoys researching environmental issues and finding new zero waste swaps. In her free time, Nicolina enjoys hiking and spending time in nature. "I am so passionate about the environment I really want to make sure we as humans are taking care of it, and I want to play a role in helping to advocate for our planet!"
Nicolina joined the team in April 2024.
Nicolina V.
Alicia M.
Community Engagement Coordinator
Alicia has lived in Tipp City for most of her life and grew up in the greater Dayton region. She is attending The Ohio State University with a major in Business Administration specializing in Accounting and Marketing. She is also minoring in Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (otherwise known as EEDS) and participates in other sustainable groups on campus. She has a vested interest in working with a sustainability focused business to positively impact the community around her. In her free time, Alicia enjoys playing board games, watching hockey (Go Jackets!), hiking, and spending time with her roommates (cats) Juno and Declan. She cannot wait to work with Waste-Free Dayton and support the growth of sustainable living in her hometown.
Alicia joined our team in May 2024.
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Jessica has lived in the Dayton region most of her life. She attended Kent State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication Design with minors in photography, creative writing, and user experience design. She went on to continue her research at the University of Dundee in Scotland where she lived and worked for a year. She recently returned to the Dayton region and wanted to find a way to give back to the community using her skills in marketing and design. Waste Free Dayton fits with her passion for nature, sustainability, and community involvement. Her full-time job is as a Marketing and Graphic Designer, but she also takes freelance projects in the non-profit and education spheres. She is interested in using design for inclusion, accessibility, activism, and sustainability.
Jessica joined our team in April 2024.
Jessica M.
Special Events & Fundraising
Tej Joshi is the Host of Good Day Dayton on ABC22/FOX45. He has a passion for building community connections and spreading his high-energy and cheerful spirit through both his work on television and with community organizations. Through his role on Good Day Dayton, Tej highlights local businesses, community events, and the overall positivity in the Dayton region. From Miami Valley Meals to the Parkinson's Foundation of Ohio, there are many local non-profits that Tej volunteers with by hosting or MCing their events. And now, Tej is excited to have a larger role with Waste-Free Dayton and promote a more sustainable lifestyle! Socially, you can find Tej playing pickleball across the Miami Valley and hosting trivia at venues in the Centerville area..
Tej joined our team in September 2024.
Tej Joshi
Board of Directors
Natalie Warrick
Brett Bogan
Laura Chaney
Elizabeth Van Dine
Charlie Greene
Chris Hoffman