Ashley Goeken

Ashley Goeken is a third-generation entrepreneur, technologist, public speaker, and voice in the global Smart City revolution. Passionately driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, she cofounded Opalus to design unique solutions for the sustainable cities of tomorrow with the citizen at the heart of it all. Ashley served on the advisory board for MADIA Tech Launch, supporting diversity in STEM. She is a mentor for Absolute Sum, which establishes incubators with university partners around the globe. In addition, she serves as Chief Business Development Officer for GoGreen LED, a Smart City Technology company (recipient of two Smart 50 Awards) with projects in the U.S., Canada, Scandinavia, Africa, and the Middle East.

[Targeting goals 2,4,12, & 13 ]We teamed up with Emerge and Georgia Tech’s Phi Gamma Delta and launched the first Aquaponics Project of its kind. Student teams in the Atlanta region were traineded in science and innovation while building aquaponics systems with Opalus Grow Lights. They work with Georgia Tech grads from Phi Gamma Delta fraternity to create their own enterprise, delivering systems and fresh vegetables to local chefs. This program works alongside community partners to give young students real-world experience in sustainable food production, engineering, and entrepreneurship.

In 2020 Opalus also consulted with the city of Aurora, IL (the second-largest city in the state next to Chicago) to finalize and release their latest Sustainability Plan which includes various innovative goals and initiatives for the city to implement between now through 2030. These goals cover the focus areas of:

Climate Change Community Development & Land Use Education & Engagement Energy Efficiency, Conservation & Management Environmental Justice Resilient Communities Transportation & Infrastructure Waste Minimization, Reuse & Recycling Water Quality & Conservation