Andrew and Teisha Vandekop

Andrew Vandekop, Inventor | CEO 

Andrew began his career in robotics engineering and sold his first patent at age 29. He’s been in new product development his entire career and has applied these skills to three additional patents. During the time he spent field testing the Well Water Finders prototype, he served as a founding team member of a telecom start-up that went public on the NYSE in 2006.

Teisha Vandekop, Founder | COO

Teisha created Well Water Finders as a way to share the technology with landowners – to help them determine if they have sufficient groundwater under their property to drill a water well and then giving that information to a water well driller. She has spent the last two years working with commercial developers, water well drillers and landowners to determine the groundwater potential for properties. Prior to this, she spent several years as an executive vice president at one of the world’s top PR agencies, executing new product introductions for Fortune 100 companies.

Well Water Finders is a portfolio member of Austin Technology Incubator – the deep tech incubator at The University of Texas at Austin. ATI is the longest active technology incubator in the United States and has helped numerous entrepreneurs effectively commercialize their breakthrough innovations and compete in the global marketplace. Notable achievements:

Steve Cavanaugh and Drew Blackwell

Steve Cavanaugh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cavanaugh & Associates, P.A.

When it comes to engineering, Steve Cavanaugh believes building a solid, firm foundation is critical to the long-term success of both people and infrastructures. A creative visionary with an unshakeable dedication to environmental stewardship and preservation, Steve combines the principles of an entrepreneur and innovator, with those of faithful servant to others. 

“The preservation of our natural resources is critical for future generations, whether in North Carolina or elsewhere in the world. At Cavanaugh, we are not just engineers simply building for the sake of growth. We are stewards of innovation—for our children and the children of the world,” says Steve. “Whether it’s finding a better way to build massive water distribution systems, or simply finding a leak in a town’s water line, it’s our privilege, not just a job.” 

From its founding in 1995, to today’s full-service engineering, surveying and utilities service company with headquarters in Winston-Salem and full service offices in Asheville and Wilmington, Cavanaugh & Associates, P.A. is a company where everyone looks to achieve the highest possible standards and solutions.

Specialties: NC State Water Infrastructure Commission, Water Audit Taskforce Chair, Asset Management Taskforce Chair, US Congressional assistant for Superfund Reauthorization Review , Program Manager for NC Rural Economic Center’s Water 2030 O&M Task Force 

Experience includes: AWWA Water Audit and Leak Detection, dams, and animal waste management systems

Drew Blackwell, Director of Water Efficiency at Cavanaugh & Associates, P.A.

With more than 18 years experience in water resource management, Drew’s focus and passion continues to grow in helping water utilities save water and reduce costs through water loss control programs. During this time, Drew has had the opportunity to work one-on-one with utilities to design their non-revenue water management programs to administering state and regional water loss control training and technical assistance programs based on the American Water Works Association (AWWA) M36 methodology. 

Drew has been fortunate to work with more than 15 states and provinces; with an appreciation that just like every water system is different, so are the drivers, state policies, and requirements where they are located.

Drew is the Secretary of the AWWA Water Loss Control Committee.

Asaf Pras

Asaf Pras is the co-founder and CTO of DataPond. He leads the development of AI-based water quality sensors to monitor e fecal coliforms and other pollutants in drinking water sources. DataPond’s sensors use a novel method that applies a deep neural network model to give a binary answer for the presence or absence of fecal coliforms, using a minimum of water quality and geographical parameters that can be measured in real time with low-cost and in-situ equipment. This method can reduce the time gaps between routine lab testing and improve drinking water quality and safety, addressing the SDG 6 targets.

Asaf Pras is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering at Tel Aviv University, where he conducts research on water quality modeling and analysis under the supervision of Prof. Hadas Mamane. Asaf has a strong background in data science, machine learning, and deep neural networks, as well as a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Earth Sciences, with an emphasis on Environmental Studies. Asaf’s goal is to find, develop, and test innovative ways to better and quickly understand what is in the water, except for H2O.

Chris Macdonald

Chris MacDonald is the President and CEO of CPM Pipelines.

He has 25 years of experience providing specification and design support for consultants and clients.

Recent partnerships include Acquaint Technologies from the Netherlands and BulletLiner SystemTM for trenchless pipe rehabilitation.

CPM’s mission is to deliver innovative, best in class products and services while prioritizing integrity, safety, loyalty and environmental stewardship. Employees are empowered to pioneer new technologies, and deliver solutions that transform how asset managers navigate complex issues. Our safety and sustainability focus ensures responsible operations that protect employees, clients, and the environment. We are solution-driven, working closely with our partners to understand their unique needs related to extending the useful life of critical assets while protecting our natural resources.

To learn more, please visit CPMpipelines.com.

Veronika Zhiteneva

Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva is an environmental engineer specializing in water and wastewater treatment. She obtained her BS from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her MS from at the Colorado School of Mines. In 2016 she began her doctorate work in the risk assessment of water reuse systems under the supervision of Prof. Jörg Drewes at the Technical University of Munich. Since obtaining her doctorate in 2020, she has been working as a research scientist and project manager in the Process Innovation team of the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin.

Dr. Zhiteneva’s background is working on and interested in (non)potable water reuse, removal of chemicals of emerging concern & PFAS using nature based solutions and advanced treatment technologies, microbial and chemical risk assessment, probabilistic modelling, decentralized (waste)water treatment, the intersection of sanitation and public health, and communication – to the public, popsci, you name it.

Fred Adjarian

Fred Adjarian was appointed to the Board of Directors of the El Toro Water District (ETWD) in September 2023 and is currently serving as a Director. Mr. Adjarian was previously elected to the ETWD Board of Directors in 2014 and served through 2018.

Mr. Adjarian’s educational accomplishments include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography-Ecosystems with an emphasis in water resources from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a Master’s degree with honors from California State University at Long Beach in Public Policy and Administration with an emphasis in Water Policy Analysis.

Mr. Adjarian’s professional background includes 44 years managing and advising public and private water utilities in central and southern California. His experience includes overseeing the rehabilitation of aging water infrastructure, working with decision-makers to achieve utility goals and objectives, implementing proactive public outreach and water use efficiency programs, curating positive professional relationships with legislators and regulatory agencies, and fostering effective business community partnerships.

Mr. Adjarian received a gubernatorial appointment to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board from 1996 – 1999. The agency is responsible for local compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act in San Diego, Riverside and southern Orange Counties. He also served as an adjunct faculty member and lecturer at university, college and high school campuses throughout central and southern California.

Mr. Adjarian is a passionate bibliophile, enjoys learning foreign languages and follows UCLA Football. He has lived in Orange County for 39 years and has resided in Laguna Hills for the last 18 years. Fred is honored to be back on the Board of Directors, serving the customers of the El Toro Water District as a proud citizen leader.

Fabio Hüther

Fabio Hüther, founder of Umuntu and Evodrop, contracted bone cancer at the age of eight with a 50% survival probability. The positive development of his recovery strengthened his desire to contribute to society and environment.

As a teenager, at the age of fourteen, Fabio founded his first NGO, Bee The Change, in order to bring this cause to life and positively influence as many people as possible. A second defining moment was the loss of his African godchild to cholera, caused by contaminated drinking water. That’s when “Bee The Change” became “Umuntu”. Umuntu’s motto – “I am, because we are” – emphasizes the WE rather than the I.

Fabio started to set up the first aid projects, mainly in Africa, where he could rely on a large local network. The objective was to help people in need to purify drinking water. Other aid projects soon followed, offering help to become self-sufficient in the areas of “clean water”, “clean air”, “organic food” and ” meaningful education”.

The first steps
In parallel with the aid projects, Fabio carried on his engineering studies and worked with geologists on a completely new filter technology. The result was the Umuntu membrane, which can filter out foreign substances and pollutants from water. It is the centerpiece for implementing Umuntu’s vision: “Clean water is a human right”.

When the first tests in Africa turned out to be successful, the first water filter was developed to remove all foreign and polluting substances from the water. Other products were quickly added and the knowledge about water quickly increased. In 2020, Evodrop AG was founded.

A mission for sustainability
Evodrop’s innovative water treatment technologies are the core of its business model. They enable people to have access to clean, healthy and fresh water and can be optimized for every use.

Vision is a priority
Beyond the success of our business, we are also committed to maintaining an intact planet and a sustainable society. We live by the principles of social ecology and this is reflected in our products. We use sustainable materials and choose quality over quantity.

In order to inspire and empower others with our internally applied socio-ecology, we have set up our non-profit association, the Umuntu Movement e.V.. The Umuntu Movement initiates social-ecological aid projects under the motto “help to help yourself”. We empower people in Third World countries in the fields of water, environment, education and agriculture.

Rebecca Shanahan

Rebecca Shanahan is the Interim Executive Director of WaterStart. Prior to joining WaterStart in 2013, Rebecca spent 14 years working on water resources management issues for the Southern Nevada Water Authority gaining an intimate perspective of the challenges in obtaining, treating, and delivering consistently high-quality water to a growing community. While at SNWA, she developed and managed the evaporation data collection and analysis program to support groundwater-basin hydrologic budgets and water-right appropriations, scientific studies for species protected by the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Nevada Revised statutes, and other federal policies, and negotiations for contractual third-party agreements.

WaterStart is a cluster of globally recognized leaders in the implementation of water innovation. Founded in 2013, the WaterStart business model is demand driven, prioritizing the needs of large water management agencies and consumers, and created to accelerate the adoption of innovation that results in more, safer, and cheaper water. Structured as a membership organization, each member brings critical resources that will lead to the commercialization of high-valued technology solutions and delivered to a broad range of public and private sector clients.

To expand participation in its mission, WaterStart founded Channels for Water Innovation (Channels) to engage philanthropic foundations and the impact investing community in supporting viable technology solutions. Channels provides a platform for evaluating, educating, and promoting viable solutions through events and an on-line member-only portal for member engagement and knowledge sharing. Channels further provides an educational resource for a growing membership of small and at-risk water agencies in need of innovative solutions.

As the success of the demand-driven model has expanded, so has WaterStart’s mission, membership structure, and reach from a Nevada-centric initiative to one of global impact. WaterStart has historically been a joint venture between academic, public, and private sectors with economic diversification as its core metric for evaluating success. WaterStart and Channels, through diversified funding sources, is now becoming globally recognized.

To learn more, please visit waterstart.com

Priyanca Ford

Priyanca Ford is the Founder and CEO of Kronos Fusion Energy.

Kronos Fusion Energy is dedicated to pioneering the commercialization of fusion energy, and Priyanca Ford has been instrumental in designing the fusion energy simulation and algorithm tools to help expedite global fusion energy timelines. In this whitepaper, we explore Priyanca Ford’s contributions to the field of fusion energy, her background in mathematics and innovative technology, and her experience across diverse industries. We examine the specific simulation tools designed by Kronos Fusion Energy and how they have advanced the field of fusion energy, including MagnetSim, PlasmaSim, IgnSim, FuelSim, HeliSim, SafeSim, MilSim, DriveSim, TokaSim, QuantumSim, SpaceSim, and RuggSim. Introduction Fusion energy has the potential to revolutionize the world’s energy landscape, offering an almost limitless supply of clean energy with minimal environmental impact. However, the complexities and technical challenges involved in realizing controlled fusion have prevented its widespread commercialization. Priyanca Ford, as the founder and executive board member of Kronos Fusion Energy, recognized the importance of designing and utilizing advanced simulation and algorithm tools to overcome these hurdles and bring fusion energy to market.

Priyanca Ford’s background in mathematics, product management, and innovative technology has shaped her approach to tackling complex challenges in fusion energy. Her experience spans over 17 years across diverse industries, working with renowned companies and applying game theory concepts, market positioning, and strategic executive decision-making. Priyanca Ford’s expertise, combined with the team’s deep understanding of the fundamental processes involved in fusion reactions, has allowed Kronos Fusion Energy to design sophisticated simulation tools to model and analyze confinement magnets, plasma density and dynamics, ignition and transition, fueling, fuel cycle system and tritium breeding, aneutronic fuel systems, safety and security, magnetohydrodynamics and gyrokinetics simulations, tokamak reactors, and materials properties.

Kronos Fusion Energy’s suite of simulation tools has advanced the field of fusion energy, including MagnetSim, PlasmaSim, IgnSim, FuelSim, HeliSim, SafeSim, MilSim, DriveSim, TokaSim, QuantumSim, SpaceSim, and RuggSim. These simulation tools allow Kronos Fusion Energy to explore innovative approaches to confinement, heating, and control of plasma, optimize the geometry, strength, and configuration of confinement magnets, model the intricate processes underlying ignition and the transition to aneutronic operation, analyze plasma fueling and tritium breeding, specialize in aneutronic fuel systems and military and defense applications, perform magnetohydrodynamics and gyrokinetics simulations, model tokamak reactor performance, simulate complex quantum phenomena and interactions, model operation in space and rugged environments, and analyze materials performance and suitability.

Shane Snyder

Dr. Shane Snyder is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and is the Executive Director of the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. For over 20 years, Dr. Snyder’s research has focused on water quality, treatment, and sustainability, which resulted in over 300 published manuscripts with nearly 30,000 citations. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the American Chemical Society journal, Environmental Science & Technology Water and is a Fellow of the International Water Association. Prof. Snyder was featured among the top 25 leading water researchers globally by Lux Research and was featured in 2021 as one of the top scientists in the field of Environmental Engineering (#55 out of 42,482) in a report by Stanford University. Professor Snyder was awarded the Dr. Pankaj Parekh Research Innovation Award from the Water Research Foundation, the Agilent Thought Leader Award, and the Nanyang Humanitarian Award for he and his team’s philanthropic work in water and sanitation, which has benefited over two million people in underserved communities in Asia. Recently, Prof. Snyder was awarded the 2021 Clarke Prize, broadly considered as one of the most prestigious awards for outstanding achievements in water science and technology.