Billy Almon (he/him) is the Founder and CEO of Blue Ring, a technology that supports the well-being of officers. Blue Ring believes that healthy officers translates into safer communities. The concept was first seeded during a presentation with the Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design and later incubated with MIT’s SOLVE program.
With the support of Art for Justice, Billy has developed a prototype and has begun testing its design with select police departments.
Prior to Blue Ring, Billy was a Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, leading multi-disciplinary teams that dreamed up, designed and built new attractions, cruise ships, real estate developments, and regional entertainment venues worldwide. While an Imagineer, Billy received the prestigious “Inventor’s Award” for creating a patent-winning design during his first year on the job.
Almon is a biology-inspired inventor who designs at the intersection of nature, technology, and design. He has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Howard University and a Master of Science in Biomimicry from Arizona State University. Billy has researched various animals’ reactions to perceived threats and how these solutions could be applied to human biology in order to reduce violence against communities of color, specifically within the context of police shootings.