ABOUT CURRENT
Our Story
SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2016, CURRENT HAS PUT WATER INNOVATION FRONT AND CENTER.
We’ve helped raised over $76.4M dollars to support water innovation and economic development; supported 19 cutting-edge R&D projects; launched 15 technology pilots; supported 110+ water tech startups and companies; and educated more than 55,000 people through our events and convenings.
As Current approaches its 10-year anniversary in 2026, we’re reflecting on almost a decade of driving water innovation forward.
“Everywhere you turn right now, there’s a drought. China’s got a massive drought. Europe’s got a massive drought. The West has a massive drought. And Chicago has an abundance of water. That has a value when you’re thinking long term.”
— Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago
Our Strategy
Simply put, our strategy is to convene the right players, not for talk, but for action. Together, we win funding for water innovation work and then quarterback the execution.
Companies and communities on the forefront of preventing water crises will win. Our job is to ensure that the Great Lakes region becomes a global leader in protecting our abundant, but finite, fresh water resources from both pollution and misuse.
Key
Strategic
Wins
We are leading Great Lakes ReNEW, one of 10 awardees nationwide in a first-ever National Science Foundation competition for up to $160 million in funding.
We won funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce for Upstream Illinois, the nation’s first circular blue economy strategy.
We also secured funding for a water tech accelerator from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It will launch in 2025.
Our Partners
Our Team
Alaina Harkness
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Nina Dudnik
Chief Commercial Officer
Kalindi Parikh
Strategy Director
Brian Spangle
Operations Director
Dr. Melissa Pierce
Technical Program Director
Marisa Lewis
Workforce Development Director
Alexis Levato
Senior Grant Compliance Manager
Luke Aylward
Admin & Operations Manager
Haylee Gemeiner
Communications Manager
Jonathan Goodell
Commercialization & Partnerships Manager
Hannah Henderson
Program Manager
Tyler Stephen
Technical Program Manager
Dale Landmann
Community Sampling Coordinator
David Rico
Community Sampling Coordinator
Max Nutter
Community Sampling Coordinator
Venkat Atluri
Board Chairman – Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Richard Assmus
Board Secretary – Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
Brian Baker
President & CEO, Sentry Equipment
MarySue Barrett
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Randy Conner
Ex Officio – Commissioner, Chicago Department of Water Management
Michael Fassnacht
President & Chief Growth Officer, ClayCo
Dr. Joanna Groden
Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Illinois Chicago
Paul K. Kearns
Director, U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Steven Kloos
Partner, Burnt Island Ventures
Andy Martin
Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Technical Services & Innovation Center, Greeley and Hansen
Dr. Susan Martinis
Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Nadya Mason
Dean, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
Brian Perkovich
Ex Officio – Executive Director, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
John P. Murray
Ex Officio – Executive Director, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Dr. Eric Perreault
Vice President for Research, Northwestern University
Thru Shivakumar
Board Treasurer - CEO, cohesionIB
Dr. Jay Walsh
Interim Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation, University of Illinois
Sunny Elebua
Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Exelon
Dr. Steven Kloos
John Robinson
Dr. Lindsay Birt
Mark Bertler
Michael Reardon
Dr. Terry Mah
Dr. May Wu
Todd Fein
Chris Sosnowski
Dr. Dev Gavaskar
Dr. Rafael Simon
Pierre Côté, Ph.D.
Dr. Kam Law
Careers
Policy & Research Manager
The Policy and Research Manager is a cross-functional role responsible for shaping and advancing Current’s policy and engagement agenda. This position will research and analyze policy areas aligned with Current and Great Lakes RENEW’s strategic priorities, collaborate with partners and coalitions to develop policy perspectives, and translate insights into actionable, results-driven strategies. The role is not currently scoped as a lobbying position but may evolve to include lobbying activities in the future.
Application Deadline: February 13, 2026
RFPS
Brand & Website Refresh
The deadline to submit proposals for this RFP has passed.
Timeline
The following represents our anticipated schedule for receipt, evaluation, and award of a contract. This timeline is subject to change at Current’s sole discretion.
- November 18, 2025 – RFP issued
- December 2, 2025 – Deadline to submit questions
- December 11, 2025 – Responses to questions due
- December 30, 2025 – Proposals due
- January 16, 2026 – Evaluation of proposals completed
- Week of January 19, 2026 – Interviews and demos, if needed
- January 29, 2026 – Award decision communicated
- February 2026 – Project Initiation