Eric Knight, the long-time educator and leader with chemical company Orenda who took the helm as Watershape University’s first executive director in 2025, now is taking a new post with Pool Brain.
As the software company’s new head of educational technology, Knight will “oversee the advancement of fully automated water chemistry dosing, creating guided training workflows, and interactive ‘point-of-need’ educational modules. This marks a significant shift toward digital accessibility, aiming to provide pool professionals at every skill level with the resources they need to thrive in an increasingly tech-driven market,” the organization said.
“I’ve spent the majority of my career developing tools, courses, videos, and podcasts designed to help pool professionals achieve greater success in the field,” Eric Knight explained. “Joining Pool Brain perfectly aligns with that mission…”
In discussing that alignment, Pool Brain CEO Adam Beech said: “He’s well known for thinking outside the box to push our industry forward through technology and education, which is a perfect fit for what we do at Pool Brain.”
At Watershape University (WU), Knight oversaw the expansion of accredited courses, along with the development of a new comprehensive service track and several courses. Before his tenure with WU, Knight served as vice president at Orenda and its eventual acquirer, HASA. With Orenda, he created the Rule Your Pool Podcast and led development of the Orenda Calculator®, today integrated into most pool service software platforms.
Watershape University co-founder Bill Drakeley said his organization stands to benefit from Knight’s addition to Orenda as well. “We’re very excited about it — it’s a win-win,” Drakeley said. “Eric is going to … take the WU educational platform with him and insert that into the educational model that he’s building.”
Knight will continue to participate occasionally in WU events, Drakeley added. “He’s still part of the family,” he said.
WU has no immediate plans to find another executive director, Drakeley said. The organization will absorb Knight’s duties with the staff it has, which significantly increased over the past couple years, he added.
Read more about Eric Knight and his career.
