New Board and Appointees

Changes Continue Water For People’s Commitment to Outstanding Leadership

August 1, 2011
By Amelia Gingold

(Denver, CO) – August 1, 2011 – Water For People, a non-profit international development organization dedicated to helping people gain access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation, is pleased to announce board leadership changes and new members. Starting January 1, 2012, current Vice-Chair Charles DiLaura will serve as chair, replacing Elisa Speranza, and Patrick McCann will assume the vice-chair position. Mark Premo will serve a second term as treasurer, and Water For People will welcome new board members Nancy Card and Donna Callejon.

Indra Prashad replaced Harold MacNeil as board president, Water For People Canada, when his term expired. Paul Bowen, Patrick McCann, and Mary Kay Kaufmann were re-elected to serve additional three-year terms.

Charles “Chuck” DiLaura is president of Neptune Technology Group, Inc. He has been with the company for 34 years. He accelerated through 14 different positions until Investcorp purchased Neptune in November 2001 and DiLaura was named president and CEO. Neptune is currently owned by Roper Industries. DiLaura volunteers with Relay for Life and the Family Sunshine Center. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing from Iona College and attended PMD at Harvard Business School.

Patrick McCann joined Weston Solutions, Inc. in October 1996 and led the company through a successful transformation from public to employee ownership, becoming chief operating officer in 1997, president in 1998, chief executive officer in 2003, and chairman of the board in 2006. McCann holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in economics from State University of New York, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Tech.

Mark Premo has been the general manager of Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility for 20 years. Previously, he worked with OTT Water Engineering, URS Corporation and the State of Washington Department of Ecology. Premo holds a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington. He is a past president and a current board member of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, past treasurer and board member of the Water Research Federation, and former board member of the Water Environment Federation.

Nancy Card is managing director of Real Estate Development Advisors.  She has worked in the commercial and senior housing sectors for over 18 years in 11 states as well as in the UK.  She worked as a development officer for Sunrise Senior Living and previously as vice president of development for Mason Hirst Companies and then BetaWest. Card is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Washington.

Donna Callejon is chief business officer of GlobalGiving. Callejon also serves on the board of GlobalGiving UK, Women's Funding Network, and the Non-Profit Village in Montgomery County, Maryland. She previously served on the board of the Washington Area Women's Foundation and on the board of Business for Social Responsibility. Previously, Callejon was a senior executive of Fannie Mae. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in managerial economics from University of California Davis.

Indra Prashad is an engineer with more than 20 years of experience in design, construction and operations of water and wastewater systems. She is currently with the Ontario Ministry of Environment’s Drinking Water Management Division. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from McGill University and is a member of the American Water Works Association, the Ontario Water Works Association, the Water Environment Federation, the Water Environment Association of Ontario and Professional Engineers Ontario. 

Elisa Speranza and Connie Roesch will be stepping down from their board positions after a combined 30 years of service to Water For People in December 2011, and they will remain active Water For People ambassadors.  “We greatly appreciate their long-term commitment, and couldn’t have grown the organization to where it is today without their dedication and service,” said Ned Breslin, CEO, Water For People.

“Water For People has evolved as an organization in its own capacity and its ability to execute its transformational mission,” says Speranza, after 10 years of service on the board of directors, two years as Chair, and 20 years of commitment to the organization. “Water For People has become more field-centered and people-focused, while ramping up its effectiveness.  The innovative solutions the organization is implementing now are more creative and sustainable than ever before. It’s been humbling and inspiring to be a part of that success.” 

“In the six years I’ve been on the board, there has been tremendous change, and all for the better,” says Roesch, after 10 years of commitment to the organization. “Water For People has a much better strategy, an increase in quality, and much more awareness of its important work, while maintaining a strong connection to its ‘base’ in the North American water/wastewater community.”

ABOUT WATER FOR PEOPLE
Water For People is a non-profit international organization dedicated to helping people in developing countries gain access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. Water For People’s entrepreneurial approach establishes partnerships between local and national governments, nongovernment organizations, private enterprise, and entrepreneurs to create self-managed safe water and sanitation services that last over time. Water For People works to reach everyone with sustainable services in the areas where it operates and monitors development for at least 10 years post project completion. To learn more, visit waterforpeople.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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