Ralph Exton: Stories from the Water Environment Federation

Ralph Exton is the Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation (WEF). His decades of experience in the water industry as a CMO (GE Water, SUEZ, Veoila, Grundfos), salesperson, and now non-profit director make this conversation a compelling one!

Brian Sheng is the Co-Founder & CEO of Aquaria, an atmospheric water generation company changing the way our water is delivered. He talks about how the business model of water will change, likening it to Starlink, Solar, and lots of storytelling.

Kelsey McWilliams is the Founder & CEO of Point of Shift, a boutique consultancy focused on toilet design, access, and much more. She tells incredible stories about sanitation around the world and how we can be more inclusive as a water industry.

Dani is a former sports journalist who's now Cleveland Water's Manager of Communications. She discusses key tips for communicating to the public from a sportscasting point of view, and ways to keep cool under pressure (think boil advisories!).  

Haley Falconer is the Deputy Public Works Director for the City of Boise, Idaho. She shares incredible stories about the work the City of Boise and their Water team are doing from a communications perspective - and brings up great points about how engineers should think about communicating their work to the public.

Steve Werblow is an accomplished agricultural journalist based in Ashland, Oregon, just north of the California border. He holds a degree from Cornell University's College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, graduating in 1988. Since 1995, Steve has been a freelance writer, covering agriculture on six continents for various magazines. ​Steve's work has been recognized with multiple awards from the American Agricultural Editors Association/Ag Communicators Network and the Livestock Publications Council. He has been named AAEA/ACN Writer of the Year five times and has earned the organization's Master Writer, Master Photographer, and Fellow honors. ​In addition to his writing, Steve serves as the current president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), a role he assumed in 2024. His involvement with IFAJ has provided him with opportunities to bring stories from around the world to readers of The Furrow. ​

Beth Boeh (pronounced bā) is a water industry insider who knows a little something about what you’ve got on your plate. She’s put together a team of strategists, creatives, public relations and media experts who know water and, better still, how to create meaningful content.

Shawn is a Chief Plant Operator and founder of The Wastewater Enthusiast YouTube Channel. He brings a wealth of 'boots on the ground' knowledge into how to communicate wastewater treatment concepts for people considering getting operator certified, as well as tips for vendors interesting in selling solutions to treatment plant leaders.

Andrew discovered copywriting while working as a water infrastructure engineer. With guidance from seasoned writers, he began leveraging his experience as a manufacturer's representative and civil engineer to support the water sector's demand for writers.​Marketing, PR, and communications teams save time and energy by hiring writers who know their industry. WaterWrites' goal is to support water-related utilities, organizations, and companies searching for words that catch attention, change opinions, and inspire.

Tom Freyburg spent nearly a decade travelling the globe and reporting on projects from Latin America to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, which opened his eyes to the water challenges and solutions available around the world.A graduate of the University of Exeter, Tom founded Atlantean Media in 2018 as a boutique digital content and media company. Born out of a need to bring engineering-based content to life, the organization now represents and advises public and private-sector clients across the water and climate-tech space. The mission? To connect people to water through creative content.As well as the content director for Aquatech Global events, Tom is the co-creator and co-host of 'The Stream with Will and Tom' podcast together with Will Sarni, host of online talk show QTalks by Qatium, as well as co-founder of KnowH2Ow - a marketing and communication training hub for water professionals. He is also an ambassador for UK charity, Frank Water.