Ernie Harker

Ernie Harker is an illustrator, author, consultant, and keynote speaker who helps his clients build world-class brands using a powerful but simple framework. 

Career Highlights:

Process

Ernie has developed a process that helps business owners and brand managers create a killer brand strategy. The four steps are easier to remember when using the acronym: F.I.R.E. 

Download Ernie’s book.

Check out his website for more info!

Jessie Mahr

Jessie is the Director of Technology at EPIC. Prior to joining EPIC, she led business development and strategy for Upstream Tech, a technology start-up that uses satellite imagery to monitor and evaluate natural resources. She has also worked on programs related to regional planning for wetlands restoration and urban climate change resilience for the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and Stantec. Jessie holds a Master of Science in Water Resource Engineering and Environmental Policy from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from The University of Texas.

Chris Desai

Chrisna Jagdish Desai, known in the industry as ‘Chris Desai’ was born to a working class
family in Leicester, United Kingdom in the year 1988, to an English Mother and a Political
Refuge, Ugandan Indian / Gujarati Father. He grew up in a multicultural working-class home being exposed to the Eastern and Western culture from a very young age in his home city of Leicester. Fascinated by the natural world and exploration, he went against the grain of being studious and quickly excelled at everything outdoors, such as running, athletics, flying and sailing and was determined to explore the entire planet in his lifetime. His creative talents also
developed in these early years including literature, poetry and spoken word which was
nurtured by his mother. Through the amalgamation of these interests and cultural experiences, he began producing music and writing songs at the age of 14 about his adventures and views on life, by the age of 21 he became an industry-known recording artist and found himself signed to a major record label in London. Shortly after his music career began, he also entered the apparel world and developed a love for high fashion and couture which flourished over the next decade. After a highly successful decade in the music and fashion industry, he realized the damage that fashion was causing the planet, this was realized on a sailing trip he embarked on which lasted over 3000 miles.
When returning to land, he created an organic sustainable and ethical fashion apparel brand
called Vayyu, which would re-invent sustainable and organic fashion. Vayyu was awarded the second most ethical brand in the United Kingdom, and taking its
designs and inspiration from meditation and the esoteric knowledge that is found within.
Chris then established its own registered environmental charity called The Vayyu
Foundation, which operated The UOcean Project, the project rapidly spread across the
planet in its first 2 years and now has over 50 chapters globally and a mission statement to
remove #1BILLIONKILOS of marine/ocean plastic by 2030.

UOCEAN® 2050 represents a pioneering and practical approach to tackling
the urgent global issue of ocean plastics. As a non-profit charitable grassroots
organization, our mission is to eliminate ocean plastics on a global scale.
Through collaborative efforts with partners from various sectors, including
volunteers, individuals, communities, governments, schools, universities, and
the private sector, we aim to forge a circular economy of sustainable
behaviors that support the removal of ocean and river plastics from canals,
rivers, beaches, and the open ocean. At the core of our mission, we are
committed to establishing agents of change globally.
We recognize that the fight against ocean plastics is not just an environmental
issue but a social equity issue. That is why we are also dedicated to
empowering underprivileged and isolated ethnic minority communities to thrive
in conservation.
In addition to our cleanup efforts, we deploy educational toolkits in academic
institutions, bridging the gaps that are leading to climate change. We also
advocate for stricter laws on plastics, their disposal, and global protection of
our oceans. We welcome collaboration with individuals and organizations who
share our passion for preserving the environment and promoting social equity.
At UOCEAN® 2050, we are committed to creating a more sustainable future
for all.

Bessie Schwarz

At the nexus of big data & citizen empowerment l CEO & Co-founder of Floodbase l Strategist, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication | Echoing Green Climate Fellow

Bessie Schwarz is the CEO and Co-founder of Floodbase. As Co-Founder, Bessie has helped build the most actionable, advanced, and cost-effective flood data platform on the market for insurers and the public sector. Prior to founding Floodbase, she earned a Masters of Science from Yale University and founded the consulting arm of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications. In 2022, she was named to Business Insider’s list of 30 Top Climate Leaders.

Since its founding, Floodbase has pioneered the field of satellite flood tracking, with our science appearing on the cover of Nature in 2021. Our Flood Intelligence Platform has enabled the United Nations and several national governments to improve flood disaster response. We are now powering a new type of flood insurance to help flood-vulnerable communities around the world access financial support and adapt in the face of increasing climate disasters.

To learn more about Floodbase, please visit https://www.floodbase.com/

Bruno Tume and Fareed Nazaryfar

Bruno Tume. (Sales manager at ASTERRA) is a self-starting and results-driven leader with expertise in inside sales, outside sales, and account management. He is experienced in driving the full sales cycle and sales strategies across diverse markets. His additional experience includes selling over the phone, virtually, and face to face to C-level executives.

Fareed Nazaryfar (Costumer Success Manager at ASTERRA) has a combination of over 7 years of experience in the Environmental & Environmental/Tech sector ranging from the wastewater pretreatment sector, the indoor air quality sector and most recently the earth observation Tech sector. His foundation in the environmental domain started with a master’s degree in Environmental and Petroleum Geochemistry (MS) from Newcastle University, United Kingdom. He also completed a master’s degree in Psychology (MS) from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom.

To learn more about ASTERRA (one of the Water Entrepreneur Podcast sponsors),please visit asterra.io

James Workman

James Workman (Founder of AquaShares Inc.)

* Graduated Yale, studied abroad Oxford. Prize-winning investigative reporter in Washington, DC.
* White House appointee to US Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt on water, dams, climate, wildfire.
* Senior advisor, communications, World Commission on Dams under Nelson Mandela.
* Strategic communications consultant to global corporations, agencies, NGOs on natural resources.
* Award-winning author of books, articles on successful water, fisheries, energy conservation strategies.
* Established new, interdisciplinary courses as visiting professor Whitman, Wesleyan.
* Framed marine conservation projects and program at Environmental Defense Fund.
* Editor, The Source, print & online magazine offering pragmatic news for 50,000 water professionals.
* Founded AquaShares, first rights-based online conservation market to trade water-saving credits.

Jamie is responsible for developing and adapting AquaShares’ assets to meet demands from our public, non-profit, and private clients. He draws on three decades of experience as an investigative journalist, White House-appointed speechwriter, award-winning author of several books, senior communications advisor under Nelson Mandela’s World Commission on Dams, and program director focused on natural resource conservation markets for water, wildlife, forests, and fish. He graduated with honors from Yale, studied two terms at Oxford, and was visiting professor at Wesleyan and Whitman colleges. But he earned his real education by blowing up dams, releasing wolves, igniting wildland fires, guiding safaris, smuggling water, and becoming a father.

To learn more about AquarShares Inc. please visit aquashares.com.

Josh Mackanic

Josh Mackanic (CEO and Founder of Civil Grid) is a construction tech founder and infrastructure industry expert. Josh is experienced in organizing and leading multidisciplinary teams to implement large capital infrastructure programs and change initiatives. At PG&E, he developed solar power plants on the largest utility owned solar program in the nation, successfully led the integration of safety automation technology new to natural gas utilities, and led lean transformation effort realizing material operational cost efficiencies within back office utility functions, regulatory filings, and process improvement.

About CivilGrid:

CivilGrid is a construction intelligence platform combining layers of utility, environmental, and geotechnical project site data. We aggregate and curate datasets that developers, engineers, and construction companies need to make critical planning and project implementation decisions. CivilGrid accelerates project due diligence, reduces utility research and
project engineering cost, and improves risk identification and construction planning.

To learn more, please visit https://www.civilgrid.com/

Eric Hoek

Eric Hoek is a professor in UCLA’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Institute of the Environment & Sustainability and the California NanoSystems Institute. Dr. Hoek is also Faculty Director of the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, which is a campus wide initiative and partnership with the City of Los Angeles to help LA become the world’s most sustainable megacity by 2050.

Dr. Hoek’s academic work explores the union of nanomaterials, membrane technology and electrochemistry for water, energy and environmental applications – all keys to a more sustainable future. Dr. Hoek has advised over 50 graduate students, published over 110 peer-reviewed scientific publications and filed over 70 patents filed globally. He has written books on Sustainable Desalination & Water Reuse, Oil & Gas Produced Water Management and is co-editor in chief of The Encyclopedia of Membrane Science. He is the founding and current editor-in-chief of npj Clean Water and a former associate editor of Desalination.

Dr. Hoek has also applied this knowledge as an entrepreneur having co-invented/founded several technology companies (e.g., NanoH2O, Water Planet, PolyCera, IntelliFlux) and as a consultant having advised various government agencies, technology companies, investment funds and law firms. Dr. Hoek has a Ph.D. from Yale University, M.S. from UCLA, B.S. from Penn State.

Alex Rappaport

Alex Rappaport CEO & Co-Founder at ZwitterCo, Inc.; Forbes 30 under 30

Alex Rappaport, who studied environmental engineering and entrepreneurship at Tufts, is similarly focused on the environmental impact of production. He cofounded ZwitterCo to take advantage of breakthrough advances in filtration to help companies take more harmful stuff out of their wastewater. ZwitterCo’s membranes can process fats, oils, and grease, and still last for years. The company has raised $44 million in venture funding (deep tech firm DCVC led its Series A) and expects to have more than 1 million gallons of wastewater treatment capacity set up by year-end.

To learn more about ZwitterCo, please visit https://zwitterco.com/.

Emily Hicks

Emily Hicks (President & Co-Founder of FREDsense) is a motivated technology entrepreneur experienced in managing large teams and delivering complex products. Emily is a graduate from the University of Calgary with a degree in Biomedical Science. Winner of multiple awards, including being named as one of Corporate Knight’s top 30 under 30, the winner of the She Loves Tech Global Finals and being recognized as one of Real Leader’s 100 young global leaders. Emily is an avid volunteer, giving back to professional organizations and inspiring the next generation of engineering and scientific leaders through STEM programs. Emily has successfully developed and deployed biotechnology products in the field and leads the Product and Operations team at FREDsense.

To learn more about Emily and her team, please visit fredsense.com.