Former Director, USEPA’s Office of Research and Development
CEO of Global Water Advisors
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Water Advisor
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AI/IoT Strategist & Business Leader
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Founder of WaterCitizen.Org
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Founder & CEO of infiniRel
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Judith has 40 years of experience in water treatment and engineered systems. She is an entrepreneur, having founded Herschell Environmental in 2003 and assuming ownership of Global Water Advisors in 2024. She has served in technical/engineering and commercial capacities at the executive level for large and small companies.
She has extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, formulating and driving long-range strategies, introducing new products and services, executing marketing plans and designing small water and wastewater systems.
She holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Biology, and Psychology. Her graduate studies were in Biology. She believes deeply in giving back to the water treatment industry. Her volunteer activities include 26 years volunteering with the American Water Works Association and 17 years with the Marcellus Shale Coalition Research Collaborative.
Judith has served as a keynote speaker, workshop presenter, technical paper presenter, moderator, and seminar presenter at various national and regional professional events, symposia, and conferences.
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Sally C. Gutierrez completed her service to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Office of Research and Development at the end of 2023 after almost 24 years of service. During her time at USEPA, she served as Senior Advisor for Water in the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She also served as the Director of the Water Supply and Water Resources Division within the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), Director of NRMRL, and Director of the Environmental Technology Innovation Cluster Development and Support Program. She also served as the Acting Director of the Water Permits Division in the Office of Wastewater Management in Washington, DC where she was responsible for overseeing the national wastewater permitting program.
Before her retirement, she served as the Acting Director of the Groundwater and Ecosystems Restoration Division in Ada, Oklahoma. She is a hydrologist by training and education. Prior to her USEPA service, she was responsible for leading water and air pollution control programs for the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in Austin, Texas.
Ms. Gutierrez continues to serve the water industry both in the US and abroad.
Ashley Boudet ist als Water Advisor bei der Boston Consulting Group (BCG) tätig. Sie leitet Beratungsprojekte mit Schwerpunkten in der Wasserwirtschaft, Infrastrukturstrategie und regulatorischen Konformität. Ihre Expertise umfasst operative Bewertungen sowie die strategische Beratung zur Stärkung von Governance-Strukturen und langfristiger Ressourcenstabilität.
Sie unterstützt Versorgungsunternehmen, Kommunen und Institutionen dabei, Systeme ganzheitlich zu bewerten. Dabei verzahnt sie technische Performance mit verantwortungsvoller Führung und nachhaltigen Wachstumsmodellen.
Zusätzlich ist sie Gründerin von Pivora Collective, einer strategischen Plattform für Systemdesign und Organisationsarchitektur. Über Pivora entwickelt sie Governance-Strukturen und skalierbare Rahmenbedingungen, die eine kontrollierte und dauerhafte Expansion unterstützen.
Ihr fachübergreifendes Leitprinzip lautet: Belastbare Systeme bilden das Fundament für langfristige operative Stabilität.
A veteran of the semiconductor and renewable energy industries, Bert defined and launched 14 power and battery management product lines. His work includes the definition of the first Lithium-Ion safety chip in 1997, which remains in production today. He started the power management business unit at Burr-Brown, which was acquired by Texas Instruments in 2000 for $7.6 billion.
Based in Silicon Valley, Bert is the CEO and listed inventor of infiniRel’s patented failure prediction technology. He has led teams to field test "inverter EKG" technology with major global energy developers to mitigate power outages in battery storage and PV solar systems. He is currently directing infiniRel to embed its technology into AI-semiconductors to control power for datacenters from grid-to-GPU, enabling maximum power densities without failures.
Early in his career, he was selected to train as a Reserve Officer in the German Navy with a focus on propulsion and power distribution systems. He has also served as an expert witness in patent infringement cases and as an external director on private equity boards.
A dual citizen of Germany and the U.S., Bert holds a B.S.E.E. degree from Germany and an MBA in International Business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management (Arizona State University).
Volkmar Kunerth is an AI/IoT strategist and business development leader working with water utilities in the US to modernize asset management and digital operations. With 20+ years of experience across energy, industrial technology, and innovative infrastructure, he bridges technical depth with commercial execution—advising SaaS, AI, and IoT companies on go-to-market strategy and strategic positioning.
As Vice President of Business Development at Hydro-Comp Ltd, with its suite of EDAMS products, Volkmar collaborates with water utility executives to advance digital asset management and translate digital capabilities into better service, risk, and cost outcomes.
In addition to his MBA, Volkmar is currently completing a PhD in Economics (University of Gdańsk), and his dissertation is quantifying how AI and IoT improve the efficiency of smart grids and distributed energy assets. A bilingual communicator (English/German), Volkmar accelerates market adoption, speaks, and publishes on AI and IoT for the manufacturing, energy, and water verticals.
DrCat Shrier is the Founder of WaterCitizen.Org, providing educational media, programs and events for Water Professionals and Entrepreneurs to support them in becoming the Leaders they want to be and having the Impact they want to have.
For more than 30 years, DrCat has worked at the forefront of Innovation for Water, Energy and Climate, with a background encompassing public policy and governance, hydrogeology, environmental management, civil engineering, water planning and management, multimedia journalism, transformational coaching & workshop facilitation, and adult education.
In 2023, she produced the first Water Startup Matching Extravaganza for the USEPA Cincinnati Labs –in collaboration with WaterVent - and continues to lead this annual event under the WaterPitch brand – hosted by DC Water’s HQO Events. She has expanded WaterPitch! with more coaching and clinics, online profiles and matching opportunities.
DrCat served on a National Academy of Sciences Study Committee, Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable, and Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Committee Freshwater Subcommittee.