BluRoot is a non-profit organization based in Maryland, USA, with expanding operations in East Africa.
We work alongside a growing network of partners, technical experts, local institutions and universities who share our vision for sustainable, locally driven water systems.
Our work brings together diverse experience across engineering, water management, and social impact; all committed to advancing practical solutions that empower communities and strengthen water resilience.
Together, we’re creating a collaborative platform for innovation, learning, and long-term change.
BluRoot works along side with utilities, technical experts and local institutions.
Your support fuels innovation, empowers communities, and builds more resilient future.
Dual licensed professional engineer in the U.S. and Canada.
She brings over a decade of expertise in materials engineering, forensic analysis, and quality assurance for critical water and sewer systems.
Her career has been defined by a commitment to protecting public health and the environment through rigorous QA/QC standards, innovative approaches to infrastructure rehabilitation, and collaborative work with utilities, regulators, and technical committees. She has been recognized for her leadership in forensic engineering, helping utilities understand not just whether infrastructure works, but why it fails and how to build back better.
At BluRoot, Blen combines her technical expertise with a deep passion for service, working to bridge communities, engineers, and policy makers. She believes in open-hearted leadership, empowering others, and building solutions that last for generations.
The urban water resilence project was fiscally sponsored by the Social Good Fund.
Social Good Fund works to create and establish positive influences for individuals, communities, and the environment. Its goal is to sponsor and develop projects that will help positively impact and develop local communities into healthier and happier places to live, work, and be.
She is an accomplished entrepreneur and founder of The GREEN Program (TGP), an award-winning experiential education program focused on our world's most pressing issues in sustainable development.
She has earned her recognition on prestigious lists such as Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education, The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) as Environmental Advocate of the Year, and The North Face’s “She Move Mountains” initiative, celebrating female explorers.
Melissa has served as a U.S. Global Schools Ambassador for the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and has been named the Lattman Visiting Scholar of Science & Society at Pennsylvania State University and a Heinz Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh.
As a passionate advocate for sustainable workforce development, Melissa and her team have integrated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global experiential education in higher education curricula around the world. Under her leadership, TGP has partnered with leading universities, corporations, non-profits, and intergovernmental institutions to create a global, socially conscious public benefit company.
TGP represents university students and professionals from 470 institutions and 70 countries around the world who are employed by top organizations such as General Electric, Rivian, National Geographic, Second Nature, RMI, NASA, The Environmental Defense Fund, The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and more. Melissa's expertise in international sustainable development, technical course development, entrepreneurship, tourism, experience design, and leadership contributes valuable insights to the industry.
Over the span of the past 16 years, Melissa has guided the entrepreneurial journeys of several individuals and organizations as a passionate mentor and advocate for diversity in sustainability. She mentors and coaches numerous impact entrepreneurs, U.S. Veterans, Fortune 500 executives, and ambitious young talent from the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and many more.
Melissa’s leadership is grounded in her belief that meaningful connection to people, place, and purpose, fueled by curiosity and a commitment to climate justice, can create the next generation of changemakers who will transform communities and industries worldwide.
Andy is a Principal and has been with Moonshot since its beginning. He provides technical, managerial, and financial guidance for utilities and also contributes to the business development team.
Previously, he served as Executive Director and Chief Engineer of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, where his team significantly improved environmental performance, transformed the facility into a net-zero wastewater treatment plant, and reduced rates by 40%. They were also among the first utilities in the country to intentionally embrace the role of an anchor institution within the community.
With more than 40 years of experience, Andy’s expertise spans the technical, managerial, and financial operations of water utilities, as well as community engagement. He has dedicated his career to supporting under-resourced communities and advancing environmental protection—values he finds aligned in the water sector.
Dr. Tirusew Asefa is the planning & decision support lead at Tampa Bay Water, one of the largest water supply utilities in the Southeastearn U.S.
He is responsible for all activities of the agency’s design and implementation of water resources models and decision support tools for operations and planning of water resources projects. He is responsible for leading a group of professionals working on water supply projects planning modeling that range between $200 million to $400 million.
Currently, he is also a chair of Florida Water and Climate Alliance, where he leads the group’s effort in building a stakeholder-scientist partnership that is committed to increasing the relevance of climate science data and tools to support decision-making in water resources management, planning and operations in Florida.
As a forward-looking and innovative practitioner Dr. Asefa is frequently invited as an independent evaluator for several projects by NSF, NOAA, the Water Research Foundation among others. He has published several peer-reviewed articles in various area of water resources management. Dr Asefa is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Practitioner in Water Resources Engineering Award by the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers and currently one of the water chapter authors of the National Climate Assessment #5, a congressionally mandated report.
