2018 Speakers

Dr. Paola Almeida is a full professor and researcher at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She is very much engage with the application of environmental practices in her home country (Ecuador) and has been the leader of a joint research project, funded by the Ecuadorian Government, between ESPOL and CU. This project is related to the use of industrial byproducts and biorremediation techniques for removal...

David Auerbach is a co-founder of Sanergy, a pioneering social enterprise in Nairobi, Kenya which builds healthy, prosperous communities in Africa’s informal settlements by making hygienic sanitation affordable and accessible. Sanergy’s systems-based approach empowers the local community to own and operate sanitation facilities, while Sanergy provides business and operational support to ensure its operators thrive. Sanergy collects and recycles the waste into animal feed and organic fertilizer, which is sold...

Kelly Baker is an Assistant Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health, and Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on identifying how human and animal enteric pathogens are transmitted through the environment to expose and infect young children. Her Social Microbes group conducts research in several areas, including determining the role of humans versus animal sources on enteric pathogen diversity in the environment, identifying spatial clustering patterns of...

Anne Ballard Sara, MPH is a Program Officer II on the Delivering Oral Vaccine Effectively (DOVE) Stop Cholera project at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The DOVE project works to ensure that populations at risk of cholera benefit from receiving oral cholera vaccine (OCV) in an appropriate and effective manner. DOVE provides tools and resources to help ministries and...

Cole Bedford has a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a Master’s in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech through the Peace Corps Master’s International program. Cole worked on WASH infrastructure and community support for two years in Kyrgyzstan while serving in the Peace Corps. He is currently a water resources engineer at Bohannan Huston Inc. in Denver.

Aaron Brown is an associate professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver in the Department of Engineering and Engineering Technology. He has a Ph.D. in Civil Systems Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a certificate in Engineering for Developing Communities and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He has directed much of his work towards a focus in the areas of Appropriate Design, Humanitarian Engineering, Humanitarian Technology and...

Laura Burns is the Regional Program Officer - Latin America for Water For People. She received her MA in International Development from the University of Denver in 2013. She previously held the position of Programs and Operations Fellow with the Grameen Foundation where she managed partner projects and oversaw project implementation. Prior to being the Regional Program Officer for Latin America, she held this position for Africa and Asia. Laura...

Jesse is a Doctoral student in Epidemiology at the University of Michigan. Jesse’s research focuses on waterborne pathogens and diarrheal diseases in children under five in low- and middle-income countries. His interests include social and environmental influences on disease transmission, water access and sanitation coverage, and epidemiologic methodology for waterborne diseases. Jesse’s current research projects include the health effects of wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation in central Mexico and health...

Philip K. Darko has a PhD in Hydrogeology and Master of Science in Engineering Geology & Applied Geophysics from the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Hydrology from the National University of Ireland. Philip is the WASH Program Manager for Catholic Relief Services, Ghana since January 2016. His previous work experiences include Senior Research Scientist for the Water Research Institute of the...

Dr. Morgan DeFoort is the co-founder and Managing Principal of Factor[e] Ventures, a venture development firm which supports early-stage disruptive technologies in the areas of energy, agriculture, mobility, and waste. Morgan has a background in technology development and entrepreneurship. Before starting Factor[e], Morgan was a Co-Director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, leading R&D programs in a wide range of technology areas including engine systems, biofuels, and cookstoves...

Myles Elledge, Human and Environmental Health expert (Biomass Controls), has over 25 years of experience in development policy and regional planning spanning work in 28 countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. He has a passion for environmental health and is active in technology innovation and adoption initiatives in water, sanitation and clean energy. Mr. Elledge’s specialties include environmental health, energy and the environment, social sector analysis, institutional...

Dr. Xavier Fonoll Almansa got his PhD in Engineering and Advanced Technologies from the University of Barcelona in 2015. He is now a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Professor Lutgarde Raskin at the University of Michigan. He has a big expertise on the microbial aspects of anaerobic bio-technologies to transform different organic wastes (food waste, agricultural wastes,...) into methane or platform chemicals. Within REFRESCH, an interdisciplinary research community working...

Dr. Aaron Forbis-Stokes finished his PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Duke University in 2017. His doctoral research was completed under the supervision of Professor Marc Deshusses whom Aaron now works with as an Associate in Research. Aaron's fields of interest and experience are the research, development, and implementation of sanitation technologies. His doctoral work focused on the "Anaerobic Digestion Pasteurization Latrine" which couples anaerobic digestion and pasteurization for...

Elise Grover is a PhD candidate at the Colorado School of Public Health - Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. She graduated from the Master of Science in Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health. At Johns Hopkins, she held the positions of Student Coder and Project Manager for Cote D’Ivoire. As a Student Coder, she performed literature searches on HIV-prevention interventions and compiled information to include in...

Anoop Jain is the founding director of Sanitation and Health Rights in India (SHRI), a non-profit that works with local communities in rural India to end open defecation. He is currently doctoral student in public health at the University of California Berkeley, where he is researching social determinants of open defecation. Open defecation is a huge health crisis in India, and SHRI believes that all men, women and children deserve...

Leah has been working with SOIL since 2007. She has specific experience with business development, including developing Mercy Corps’ flagship business support and mentoring program and supporting its launch in Haiti. She also spent time working for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization but decided to dedicate herself to SOIL (for much less pay) because of the joy of working with a group of people who live in belief...

Paulson Kasereka is the Managing Director of Environment Management & Systems. He has worked with a number of local, national and international NGOs, and for private sector companies, particularly in the environmental sector (WASH, conservation, biodiversity, natural resources management). His recent professional experience includes the evaluation of WASH interventions implemented by Mercy Corps in Karamoja region of Northern Karamoja of Uganda. He also conducted an evaluation of water sanitation and...

Tracey Keatman is a member of the Container Based Sanitation Alliance. She received her MSc in Development Management from The Open University, UK. She has over 15 years of experience leading programs in the human and development sector focusing on governance and delivering access to basic services for the urban and peri-urban poor. Ms. Keatman has also served as the Program Director for Building Partnerships for Development in Water and...

Laura Kohler is a Research Analyst in the Research & Learning Department at CAWST. Dr. Kohler joined the CAWST Research & Learning team in July 2016 as a Research Analyst. She recently received her PhD in Civil Systems Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research used on-site wastewater treatment system (OWTS) performance data to model the reliability, risk, and resilience of very decentralized, owner-operated sanitation solutions using multivariate...

Sasha is an ecologist and human rights advocate who has been living and working in Haiti since 2004. She received her Ph.D. in Ecology from Stanford University in 2006 and co-founded SOIL that same year. Sasha now serves as the Executive Director of SOIL. While Sasha spends the majority of her time living and working in Haiti, she is also a global advocate for urban sanitation access and the recycling...

Laura Kwong is a sixth year graduate student in the Environmental Engineering & Science program within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Stanford. She researches children's exposure to fecal contamination in the domestic environment in Bangladesh. She has lived in Bangladesh for more than a year, conducting fieldwork children's exposure as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions. Laura has worked on developing a container-based sanitation system suitable for...

Kelly joined Water for People in 2015 as the Director of Program Quality. She has 20 years of experience in water resources engineering, with over 10 years in WASH sector. At Water For People she leads a team of global specialists that supports programs in Latin America, Africa and India to achieve universal access to sustained water and sanitation services across 30 target districts in 9 countries. Prior to Water...

Kimberly Slinde Lemme is the Senior Manager, Program Learning and Influence at Water For People. In addition to WASH she has worked in microcredit, public health, and education programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In addition to her passion for working to solve the world’s most challenging issues, she enjoys spending time traveling, writing, playing her ukulele, and spending time with family and friends. Water For People https://www.waterforpeople.org/ WASH...

Laura MacDonald is the Knowledge and Research Coordinator for the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). She completed her PhD in Geography and Environmental Engineering at John’s Hopkins University. Her research was on the innovation-development process of household water treatment as a concept in the literature, as a product in the field, and as a policy at the national level. She focused on Ghana, and specifically on the...

Julia joined Water for People in 2006 as Social and Technical Coordinator, and currently works as Social Program and Project Officer. With more than 10 years of experience in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, she directs a team of social leaders within Municipalities and Water for People, to achieve universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene in 8 municipalities of the department of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Previously, Julia worked as...

Shaye graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in May 2015 with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. After graduation, Shaye became a second lieutenant in the 240 Civil Engineering Flight of the Colorado National Air Guard. Simultaneously, Shaye attends graduate school and works for Dr. Amy Javernick-Will's research group where she studies risk reduction decision making in the planning and construction of post-disaster relocation projects. She is interested in building...

Jeff Piascik, PhD, President (Biomass Controls), is an expert in materials and testing technologies, develops and directs research programs related to novel material systems, surface modification for enhanced material properties, sensor/integrated systems, and transformative technologies for water and sanitation health initiatives. He also serves as the lead systems integrator for the “Reinvent the Toilet” program (funded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) to develop a waste treatment system for...

Kimmy is a Civil Systems Engineering PhD student at CU Boulder focusing on the science-policy interface and the role of engineering and innovation in water governance. Her research partners with the USAID Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership to study collaborative networks for management of WASH projects and organizations

Mary Roach is the Head of Global Partnerships at Loowatt, a waterless toilet company based in the UK. Mary joins Loowatt from Ceniarth, a single-family office, where she was responsible for their energy access portfolio. Prior to joining Ceniarth in 2015, Mary was responsible for the GSMA's M4D Utilities Innovation Fund supporting organizations leveraging mobile technology to improve access to energy, water and sanitation. Mary’s interest in the role that...

Kory Russel is the chair of the Container Based Sanitation Alliance (CBSA) as well as the Acting Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Studies. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. The title of his presentation is “Container-Based Sanitation Alliance: Using Collaboration to Scale CBS Services and Identify Future Research Needs”. This session will evaluate the current state of knowledge as it relates to container-based sanitation (CBS)...

Kate Sawyer (Stetina) is currently the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for Water for People. She pursued a B.S./M.S. dual degree in Environmental Engineering and a Certificate in Engineering for Developing Communities. In collaboration with researchers at Duke University and with support from AAUW, she conducted research about the use of biochar for odor control in latrines. She will present on “WASH Services as Defined and Measured by the JMP: What...

Lars is a trained Environmental Engineer with a passion for Data Science and six years of experience in urban sanitation research and wastewater treatment performance monitoring. At Biomass Controls, he is responsible for data analysis and development of key performance indicators for monitoring of thermal treatment systems. He works with the World Health Organisation on the development and implementation of a methodology for SDG monitoring indicators 6.2.1 and 6.3.1. Until...

Warren Mukelabai Simangolwa, M.S, is the co-author to the chapter “CLTS and sanitation marketing: aspects to consider for a better integrated approach” in the book Sustainable Sanitation for All: Experiences, Challenges and Innovations is a seasoned WASH, WASH & Health and WASH & Nutrition researcher and practitioner. Warren is passionate about WASH systems, equity & inclusion, novel CLTS innovations, universal and sustainable WASH systems, hygiene for health and wellbeing, sanitation...

Gregory Sullivan serves as president of Advanced Marketing Systems, a consulting company, in Littleton, Colorado. He is co-founder and current director of Environment Management & Systems (EMS). He received his B.A. in Political Science and African Studies from Notre Dame University, and his M.Ag. and Ph.D in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University.

Evan Thomas is an Associate Professor at Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University and Director of the SweetLab. Evan holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder, is a registered Professional Engineer, and holds a Masters in Public Health from the Oregon Health and Science University. Professor Thomas’ research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, UNICEF,...

Nikki van den Heever is an MS/BS student in Civil Systems and Engineering in Developing Communities at CU Boulder. She is a Project Manager at Kimetrica for Nairobi, Kenya. She has experience working on UNICEF WFP, and USAID reports in addition to developing population mapping software services. Additionally, she is the Chapter President for EWB-CU and a Research Assistant and Data Analyst for the Institute of Climate and Civil Systems...

Grace is a Research Assistant in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan. Grace earned her M.P.H. in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan, concentrating in water quality, sustainability, and environmental epidemiology. Her Certificate in Global Health focused on global WASH. She is a prospective Doctoral student in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Fall 2018). Her current research includes an integrated assessment of water quality infrastructure and...

Matt's academic background includes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University and a M.S. in Design Science from the University of Michigan. He is currently a Doctoral student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Michigan, co-advised by Dr. Lutgarde Raskin and Dr. Rebecca Hardin. Matt is interested in investigating how to implement appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions through collaborations with local stakeholders in developing regions...

Konstantina Velkushanova, PhD, Project Engineer (Pollution Research Group, UKZN), is an Environmental Engineer and an expert in WASH and Sanitary Engineering. She holds a PhD degree from the University of Southampton, UK focused on Engineering properties of Solid Wastes in landfill sites. Since 2012, Tina has been appointed as a Project Engineer/ Research Fellow at the Pollution Research Group, University of KwaZulu-Natal based in Durban, South Africa, where she has...

Alison Weber is an MPH (Masters of Public Health) candidate at Brown University and a Global Health Analyst with Biomass Controls, LLC. As a Global Health Analyst, Ms. Weber actively contributes to the forthcoming ISO IWA standard regarding community-scale resource-recovery sanitation systems, which is expected to be released in 2018. She also supports Biomass Controls' biogenic refinery installations in India (located in Wai, Warangal, Naraspur, and Bangalore) and Kivalina, Alaska,...

Ellen Witt is the Programs Learning Manager for Water For People. In this role, she is creating a new culture of learning within the organization to better document and share our program work. Prior to this role, she led data and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, communication, and project management efforts for state and community level health care transformation initiatives. Ellen’s background is in community and economic development, with previous experience at...

Stuart Woolley, Process Engineer (Biomass Controls), has a chemical engineering background with six years experience in research and development in the field of wastewater treatment and sanitation, in academia, public sector, and private sector. For the last three years, Stuart's work has primarily been focused on the demonstration of new off-the-grid sanitation technologies within South African communities, and technical advisory to the assessment and selection of water and sanitation technology...