The Team

CEO and founder of Virridy. Director and Endowed Chair of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience and Climate Innovation Collaboratory at University of Colorado Boulder. Tenured full Professor in Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and Aerospace Engineering Sciences. PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (CU Boulder), MPH (Oregon Health and Science University), MBA in Global Business (Fletcher School, Tufts), registered Professional Environmental Engineer. Former NASA-Johnson Space Center civil servant (6 years) as principal investigator and project manager in Life Support and Habitability Systems Branch.

Leads market innovations, growth, and strategic partnerships. Nearly two decades in American energy and water commodity markets. BS in Economics and Certificate in Markets and Management (Duke University). Former VP of Initiatives at The Freshwater Trust. Previously managed watershed program development for Clean Water Act compliance.

Managing Director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience at CU Boulder. Over a decade in research and project management for water quality interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Five years administrative and financial management experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and western US. PhD in Geography and Environmental Engineering (Johns Hopkins), BS in Environmental Engineering (Northwestern).

Specializes in sensor design, building, and data analysis. PhD in Mechanical Engineering (UC Berkeley). Former Fulbright Fellow and National Science Foundation Fellow. Doctoral research focused on adoption monitoring and machine learning for non-technical data processing. Previously worked in aerospace industry designing landing gear for Boeing and Airbus. Former CTO of Persistent Efficiency (IoT electricity monitoring company).

Passionate about long-term safe water access in low- and middle-income countries. Supports implementation teams for water projects across East Africa. Researches voluntary carbon market applications to water insecurity. Former Project Engineer at WASH consultancy firm in Ghana, leading projects with UNICEF and World Bank collaboration. BS in Civil Engineering, MS in Environmental Engineering. Currently pursuing PhD in Environmental Engineering (CU Boulder).

Leads machine learning analytics development for Virridy sensors and programs. Associate professor of watershed science (Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability). Faculty director of Colorado State University's Geospatial Centroid and director of Radical Open Science Syndicate lab. Applies data science to understand human activities' water resource impacts using remote sensing, fieldwork, and advanced analytics. Research focuses on post-fire water quality, algae blooms, and land use impacts on aquatic ecosystems. PhD in Ecology (Duke University), BA (University of Colorado Boulder).

Over ten years in finance, accounting, and operations management. Positions held: General Operations Manager (KG Harvest CO. LTD), Accountant (Polyclinique la Medicale), Procurement Officer (HYGEBAT Construction Company). Current role managing accounting operations, bank reconciliation, payroll, tax preparation, and financial statements. MBA/Finance and Bachelor's in Business Administration/Accounting Sciences (Adventist University of Central Africa).

Over a decade in climate finance experience. Supported design of Rwanda national country programme and framework for Green Climate Fund engagement and Standardized Crediting Framework for Article 6 of Paris Agreement implementation in Rwanda. Previously supported carbon credit project design and implementation. BSc in Geography and Environmental Planning, MSc in International Development Administration focusing on Climate Change Resilience and Risk Management (Andrews University, Michigan).

Over six years managing and coordinating research projects in poverty reduction focusing on agriculture, food security, and economic development. Experience spans monitoring and evaluation, impact evaluation methods, research protocol design, and data management with SPSS, Stata, and SurveyCTO expertise. BS in Applied Statistics (National University of Rwanda). Currently pursuing Master's in Applied Economics (University of Kigali).

Eight years in research and project management including process evaluation coordination for water filter trials integrated into Community Based Environmental Health Promotion Programme (Rwamagana District). Education and training activities for Tubeho Neza campaign (2014-2016), which distributed LifeStraw Family 2.0 filters to over 100,000 families in Western Province, Rwanda. Master's in Global Health (University of Southampton). Currently oversees four-year USAID-funded research project on bridge program impacts in Rwanda.

Leads Rwanda field technician team conducting installation, training, and monitoring. Over nine years managing and coordinating program implementation and research for climate mitigation including logistics, planning, data collection, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, and report writing. Bachelor's in Rural Development. Currently pursuing Environmental Studies degree.

Joined Virridy in May 2023. Certification in Plant Mechanics (National Youth Service School, Kenya). Over 3 years plant mechanics experience at NYS supporting field stations in preventive and corrective maintenance. Additional skills training in disaster management and administration logistics. Manages sensor installations and network maintenance in East Africa.

Applies geospatial science to climate adaptation decision-making in Africa with drought and flood resilience focus. Research Associate at Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience (CU Boulder). Former positions: NASA SERVIR hub (eastern and southern Africa), Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) as Weather and Climate Lead. Led geospatial experts team for 12 years on climate resilience topics. Integrates satellite earth observations, models, and ground measurements for climate services. PhD in Environmental Studies (CU Boulder), MSc in Climate Change (University of Nairobi), BSc in Environmental Science (Kenyatta University).

BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering. PhD in Environmental Engineering (CU Boulder) with research focusing on environmental monitoring for basic services and ecosystem service delivery.

Uses engineering and social science for public health, environmental protection, poverty reduction, and inequality reduction projects. Develops monitoring technology for water quality and access. Researches Virridy Lume sensor validation and fecal contamination monitoring applications. Former employee of Fresh Life (sanitation access social enterprise in Nairobi, Kenya). BS and MS in Environmental Engineering, EIT license (Colorado). PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering (CU Boulder).

President of the Lansing Group (Mortenson family single-family office and sole owner of M.A. Mortenson Companies and Mortenson Construction) since 2007. Manages Mortenson Family Foundation investment programs and private entities. Chair of Foundation's International Committee, serves on Environmental Committee. BA in Political Science (Northwestern University), JD (Mitchell Hamline School of Law).

Entrepreneur with over 30 years in investing and building successful businesses throughout US. Founder of Accord providing investment strategy and mentorship. Founded and managed multiple successful businesses ranging from startups to acquisitions to turnarounds in hospice, home health care, hospital, real estate, and lending sectors. MBA (University of Texas), Bachelor's in Economics (George Mason University).

Managing Director overseeing Accord's overall performance. Joined as financial analyst in 2013, advanced to VP, Director, and current position. First point of contact for many Accord clients, embodying values of flexible, strategic partnership and lasting relationships. Undergraduate degree in Accounting and MBA (Oklahoma State University).

Decorated Fighter Pilot, Test Pilot, Explorer, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian. Traveled 71,075,867 miles over 2,842 orbits in 178 days in space plus 27 hours EVA during four spacewalks. Former US government position with USAID leading Unity Node initiative to develop universal open-source collaborative platform enabling humanitarian organizations worldwide to work together toward common goals.