Alaina Harkness

Alaina serves as CEO of Current, a Chicago-based nonprofit working to advance water security in the Great Lakes region and beyond. Under her leadership, Current anchors Great Lakes RENEW, a National Science Foundation-backed Regional Innovation Engine and multi-state coalition driving the transition to a circular blue economy.

Prior, she held impactful roles at the John D. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation, the Brookings Institution, RW Ventures, and the Chicago Community Trust. She has published commentary for the Brookings Institution, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, CityLab, Crain's, and the San Francisco Federal Reserve.

Alaina holds appointments on the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board and the Illinois Energy Workforce Advisory Council, and serves as an advisory board member for the Advanced Energy Technology Directorate of Argonne National Laboratory and the Prairie Research Institute. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, a HYDRO20 Awardee (2025), a Crain's Notable Leader in Sustainability (2024), and a 2014 fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago.