Vector Center Adds Three New Advisors

Vector Center has add three new advisors to their team of world-recognized environmental scientists, strategy consultants, researchers, data scientists, and journalists: Dr. Aaron Salzberg, Aubrey Blanche, and Jon Grant.

Dr. Aaron Salzberg

Director of the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina

A leader in international water diplomacy, Dr. Aaron Salzberg is the Director of the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina, which focuses on scientific research, technical innovation, and policy reform and advocacy. Before joining UNC, Aaron managed the development and implementation of U.S. foreign policy on drinking water and sanitation, water resources management, and transboundary water at the U.S. Department of State. He served as the State Department’s Special Coordinator for Water Resources where he was the lead representative or the lead water advisor for the United States at major international events including the G8, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and the World Water Forums.

Dr. Salzberg also led the Department of State’s engagement on transboundary water issues in many regions throughout the world where water is, or may become, a source of tension or conflict. Aaron currently holds an appointment as a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and serves as a member of the World Meteorological Organization’s Scientific Research Board. Aaron has a Ph.D. in Genetic Toxicology and a Master’s degree in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland.

Aubrey Blanche

Director of Equitable Design & Impact at Culture Amp

Aubrey Blanche is The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), Director of Equitable Design & Impact at Culture Amp, and a startup investor and advisor. Through all her work, she seeks to question, reimagine, and redesign the systems and practices that surround us to ensure that all people can access equitable opportunities and build a better world. Her professional expertise in social scientific methods includes equitable enterprise operations, from talent lifecycle programs and accessible product development to event design and communications & media.

She served as global head of diversity for Atlassian and is an advisor / investor to a variety of companies seeking to build a more just world, including OnRamp, Seed&Spark, Stark, Joonko, and Pivot Diversity. Her work has been featured in Wired, the Wall Street Journal, the Australian Financial Review, USA Today, Re/Code, First Round Review, and more. She also has previous academic affiliations with Stanford and Northwestern, and an appointment at the Equity by Design Lab at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Jon Grant

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at SENTRY

Jon Grant is a recognized young leader in the water sector, particularly at the forefront of artificial intelligence, go-to-market strategies, and local, regional, and multilateral partnerships. He leads commercial efforts at SENTRY, which includes sales, marketing, and partnerships. Jon enjoys researching and solving complex problems by applying his diverse international research background with interests in how economics, politics, and behaviors affect all aspects of water. Jon’s areas of expertise include conflict negotiation and mediation, water governance, international political economy, international water law, climate change adaptation, water service and regulation, economic diplomacy, water economics, financial analysis, environmental governance, and micro-economic forecasting.

About Vector Center:

Vector Center was founded to help companies and governments navigate disruptions and define moments of change. We’ve been part of the largest publishing events in history, shaped agendas, informed international policy, achieved breakthroughs in data management and analysis, addressed Congress, orchestrated Olympic bids, covered conflict, and coached legions of talented young people.