Armon Alex is a Science Communications and Marketing Strategist who partners with small businesses, non-profit organizations, executives and solopreneurs to grow their personal and professional brands through social media management and professional conference speaking. Spending nearly half a decade working in public relations, youth outreach, various communication-based settings and marketing for small businesses, Armon knows what truly yields great conversations that result in effective development of people and organization brands. Armon has great ties to the Texas State Aquarium where he was an interpretation guide through their Guest Services department, student volunteer from high school to college, and an HR Intern for their Youth “Aquateen” Program focusing on social media coordinating.

Jens Scheideler is the manager for the commercialization of a new disruptive filtration technology as a member of Xylems global strategy team (Water Infrastructure division).
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Until 2019 Jens was the global manager for Xylem’s Reuse and Advanced Oxidation Process business and has over 17 years of experience with the application of ozone and UV based AOPs for drinking and waste water applications. In this role Jens was responsible for the design and development of Xylems AOP solutions and several global references like South Koreas first UV AOP system for the removal of 2-Methylisoborneal at the Siheung WTP in Seoul or the first green field UV Hypo AOP system for potable reuse at the Terminal Island WRF in California bear his signature.

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Jens is an active member of the Water Reuse Association and the Water Research Foundations Advisory Committee for potable reuse.

Benay Akyon currently works at Xylem as Product Engineer for Filtration and Clarification. She holds a B.S. and a PhD degrees in Environmental Engineering. In this profession, he has been blessed to learn about and work towards treating water, enhancing the quality of environment every day. After completing her PhD,  she started working at Xylem within teams focused on treatment of drinking water and wastewater. She aims to continue learning, broaden her area of knowledge and become a technical expert in her area. Solutions that promise sustainability, human working with nature (and not against it) always fascinates her.

Torri Epperson hails from Shreveport, Louisiana. She moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2006 to pursue her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana. XULA is a school that prides itself on driving African American students into careers in the sciences, which sparked her interest in STEM education. After completing her undergraduate study, she returned to XULA in 2012 to attain her Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Middle Grades Science and k – 12 special education.

The most impactful part of her career was the five years Torri spent in DC and Louisiana schools as a teacher and leader in science, social studies, and special education. In her current capacity, Torri has combined her classroom teaching experience with skills in branding and marketing to serve as Education Outreach Coordinator for DC Water and Sewer Authority. She manages the Authority’s relationship with DCPS, creates and delivers environmental education lessons, and supports the overall outreach efforts of the organization.