Our Origins

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Brightwater Tools; Senior Researcher & Co-Founder of Rich Earth Institute

Abe directs Brightwater’s product design, prototyping, fabrication and testing; iterative approach to new product development. He is also the Research Director at Brightwater Tools’ parent company, the Rich Earth Institute. A lifelong resident of Vermont, he has used alternative sanitation systems since 1976, and has been academically and professionally involved in their development since 2000.

CEO of Brightwater Tools; Co-Founder of Rich Earth Institute

Kim Nace has a B.S. from Lewis and Clark College, holds an M.A. in International Administration from World Learning and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Keene State College. Prior to working in the sanitation sector, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana and taught children of all ages. She coordinated research funded by the MacArthur Foundation and later served as a school Principal – in rural Vermont and in Chennai, India. Kim was Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Rich Earth Institute prior to leading Brightwater Tools. She has focused her leadership and organizational strengths to build a high-performance team at Brightwater Tools and to engage others in the possibilities and practicalities of regenerative sanitation. Kim and her family use a urine diverting composting toilet.

Development Director

Jackie Gold is an established leader with 25+ years of business development, marketing, and operations experience spanning commercial real estate, financial services, insurance, management consulting, and education.

Most recently, Jackie worked as a business consultant in education and the fintech industry. Prior to that, Jackie was a Senior Vice President of operations for TitleVest, New York’s largest title insurance company, where she helped orchestrated the sale to First American Financial in 2015. Prior to FAF, she was division Chief Operating Officer for Barclays Internal Audit Group in the Americas, and she spent nearly 10 years at Cushman & Wakefield as Senior Managing Director in charge of global marketing operations. Jackie’s other experiences, span another decade, including senior roles at MetLife, Ernst & Young, MasterCard International, and the Real Estate Board of NY.

Jackie holds a BA from New York University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She resides in Vermont with her family. She is a certified ski instructor and loves the outdoors.

R&D Engineer

Arthur Davis holds a B.A. in Geology from Oberlin College where he also got his start with alternative sanitation systems while working on the Living Machine system at the Adam Lewis Environmental Studies building on campus. After Oberlin, Arthur continued to work with sanitation systems, as well as mechanical & electrical systems as the ship's engineer aboard the Schooner Adventuress, an environmental education tall ship in Puget Sound, WA. In 2017, he began working for the Rich Earth Institute and has been designing, building, and operating innovative human waste management equipment and infrastructure ever since. He has now brought those skills to the team at Brightwater Tools as part of the Research & Development team. He is a passionate recycler and sees recycling human waste as a clear next horizon in the movement to reduce and reuse.

R&D Engineer

Cole joins the Brightwater Tools team after working with the Rich Earth Institute as an Intern. His background in mechanical engineering allows him to assist with the design, fabrication, and testing of Brightwater Tools novel treatment systems. As a part of the Brightwater team, Cole is committed to finding efficient solutions to the problems that impede our sustainability goals.

Cole received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton. His coursework focused on mechanical design and renewable energy, culminating in the redesign of a solar thermal adsorption refrigeration unit.

R&D Engineer

Ryan began his journey into wastewater nutrient recovery as an ECO AmeriCorps member at the Rich Earth Institute, where he found a passion for the bountiful nature of human urine. To support research and development at Brightwater Tools, Ryan focuses on technical research, experimental design, and data analysis to support the advancement of technologies that value our toilet resources.

Ryan earned a Master’s degree in environmental engineering from Syracuse University with a thesis focused on the development of a physics-based, numerical model for a proposed ecological sanitation technology. Ryan also has a B.S. in physics from LeMoyne College.

Director of Finance

Mike Iacona oversees Brightwater Tools' financial tracking and administrative systems. He earned a BS in Finance from Penn State University and spent many years working on organic farms in NH, PA, Quebec, CA, and various parts of Europe. This time spent growing food led to his deep appreciation for soil health and its role in human health. Mike also has 8 years of practical experience running a residential carpentry business and designing/building wooden taper-wall yurts. Though it may look like he's creating a spreadsheet, he's actually turning waste into a resource.

Communications Coordinator

Julia supports the Brightwater Tools team with digital media creation and communications. She is also the Education Director at the Rich Earth Institute, Brightwater’s parent company. She organizes the annual Urine Reclamation Summit, hosts education programming for gardening with urine fertilizer, and supports community-scale adoption of urine nutrient reclamation. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Skidmore College and an MRes in Human Geography from the University of Glasgow. As quoted in the New York Times, she is enthusiastic about the potential we all have to “pee the change!”

R&D Engineer

Gabe joined Brightwater Tools at the end of 2021 as an R&D engineer focused on software development. Prior to joining the team, he went back to school for a MS degree in data science, at SUNY Albany. Before changing careers, he worked on a variety of farms around the country, and more recently as a pastry chef. Gabe brings his passion for data science to bear on the difficult problems being solved at Brightwater Tools. Data visualization, algorithm design, and mathematical modelling are some of the skills that he contributes to the team. He is excited and proud to help improve the innovative wastewater treatment systems that will play an important role in carrying our communities towards a sustainable future.

R&D Engineer

Paul joined Brightwater Tools in late 2022 as an R&D Engineer concentrating on hardware and software development. As a developer and audio-visual technician, he brings over 20 years of experience in programming, experience design, and creative technology, mainly focused on developing technology to support interactive exhibits and experiences for a variety of museums and cultural institutions. He is excited for the opportunity to bring these skills and his passion for the environment to support wastewater innovation. Having grown up with the initials PP, Paul finds therapy and solace in writing code to deliver groundbreaking solutions for embracing the importance of this natural resource.

After 20+ years in Brooklyn, Paul and his family now reside in Bennington, VT. He has a BA from Bard College and Masters degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU.

Senior R&D Engineer

Michael joins the Brightwater Tools team bringing 25+ years of experience in New Product Development, Product Design, Manufacturing and Project Management.

With a passion for innovation & creativity, Michael looks forward to working with the dynamic and creative team at Brightwater Tools to bring innovative, impactful products to market that will foster systemic change in how we manage wastewater.

Most recently, Michael worked as a Principal Product Engineer in R&D for Newell Brands developing iconic products for Sharpie, Elmers and X-ACTO. With experience in a wide range of products, from commercial to industrial, Michael looks forward to using this experience and contributing to the Brightwater Team.

Michael has a B.S. in Engineering from Grand Valley State University and has been a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E) in Georgia since 2007.