From IT to Water: S4:E33 🎙️LIVE with Terell Jones

16 Jul 2025 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:43

In this interview segment, Terell Jones explains how taking on responsibilities beyond his formal job description helped him become a subject‑matter expert and advance his career. He recounts his 25‑year IT background, a COVID‑era career pause, and a chance meeting with solar pioneer Alexander von Welchek, which led him to join Sky H2O (also referred to as SkyWater). Jones describes Sky H2O’s mission to scale atmospheric water generation (AWG) for large‑scale projects, noting that the technology dates back to World War II U‑boat systems and is now being revived as a climate‑adaptation solution amid environmental degradation and water scarcity.

Yeah, I see a lot of young people in the millennials especially, "Oh, that's not my job." I said, "How are you going to stand out? How are you going to learn new skills if you don't know that part of the job, even if it's not part of your job?" And so that's how I've been able to succeed. I just take on responsibilities that were outside the scope of what my job was, and it helped me get further along. So becoming a subject matter expert on the subject makes you better.
Wow. So what drew you to SkyWater and the mission of atmospheric water? Generation?
So, you know, I spent 25 years in information technology because of my commander in the first duty station, and I learned some skill sets there. But, um, and, and during, um, COVID, um, I was outside of an IT job and I wasn't working, and I was helping— I was consulting and helping businesses. And, um, I came across Alexander von Welchek, and He said, I see you raising money for these startups and why don't you do it for me? I go, well, what is it? And Alex is a pioneer in solar. And in California, they had a drought in 2016 and he said, I am going to focus on water. And so basically Sky H2O makes water from air. We are advancing and scaling atmospheric water generation for large-scale scaled project. So atmospheric water generation is not a new technology. It's been— it's been around since World War II. The Germans used it in U-boats to stay out to sea longer. And because we've been doing a very good job of destroying the environment, it's become, uh, something that we need to use for climate adaptation.