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.
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.
Key
Strategic
Wins
We are leading Great Lakes RENEW, one of 9 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
Marisa Lewis
Workforce Development Director
Kalindi Parikh
Strategy Director
Dr. Melissa Pierce
Technical Program Director
Alexis Levato
Associate Director of Operations
Luke Aylward
Admin & Operations Manager
Haylee Gemeiner
Senior Communications Manager
Jonathan Goodell
Commercialization & Partnerships Manager
Hannah Henderson
Senior Education & Training Manager
Tyler Stephen
Technical Program Manager
Charlie Suse
Policy and Research Manager
Ellie Thomson
Grant Coordinator
Dale Landmann
Community Sampling Coordinator
Noor Mohamed-Salinas
Community Sampling Coordinator
Maggie Ryan
Community Sampling Coordinator
Cate Woody
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, Director of Technical Services & Innovation Center Americas, TYLin
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
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
Commercialization Director
The Commercialization Director will will lead a suite of programs and support structures with the goal of accelerating the development, adoption, commercialization and scale-up of technologies that address a wide range of water- and climate-related challenges. Current is seeking an entrepreneurial leader with a passion for technology and commercialization and a strong desire to drive innovation in the water and climate sectors and related industries.
Research & Development Manager
The Research & Development Manager will drive innovation in the rapidly evolving water technology sector. Current is seeking a leader who thrives in complex environments and can effectively partner with impact-oriented practitioners across diverse R&D domains – from PFAS sensing to nutrient and critical minerals recovery from wastewater
Workforce Development Manager
The Workforce Development Manager will support implementation of the workforce development strategy for Current and Great Lakes RENEW. Reporting to the Workforce Development Director, this role will manage day-to-day relationships with training providers, employers, and local partners across our six-state region of service and will work closely with RENEW’s local Hubs in other Great Lakes cities.