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Water For People Teams

People are at the core of Water For People's mission. The differences in language, backgrounds, identities, ethnicities, skill sets, and years of experience uniquely position Water For People teams to tackle the world's water crisis.

Mark Duey, CEO of Water For People, leads a global organization fighting for water and sanitation access for Everyone Forever. Collaborations are embedded in everything we do, including his approach to leadership at the global, national, and regional levels.

Mark Duey, Water For People CEO, listens to local water committee members in Cascas, Peru.
Mark Duey, Water For People CEO, listens to local water committee members in Cascas, Peru.

Global Leadership Team

The seven members of Water For People's Global Leadership Team represent the dedication, expertise, and cross-cultural backgrounds of Water For People's employees as they lead strategic decision-making for the organization. 

Portrait of Mark Duey

Mark Duey

CEO

Mark Duey
CEO

Mark believes the global water and sanitation crisis can end during our lifetime. Mark joined Water For People in 2008 as coordinator of a school WASH program across Central America. He later became Latin America Regional Director, Chief Programs Officer, and was most recently Water For People’s Chief Operating Officer. Mark was a consulting engineer and then a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras before joining Water For People. He holds an MS in Economics, Finance, and Management from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and his BS is in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska. Mark is based in Denver and enjoys strong family ties to Central America where his wife and two of his three children were born. 

Learn more and connect with Mark.

More About Mark
Jody Debs 2021_Web

Jody Debs

Chief Finance and Administration Officer

Jody Debs
Chief Finance and Administration Officer

Jody is excited to bring her more than 30 years of legal, compliance, and risk experience to Water For People. She is passionate about leveraging her knowledge and skill set to support Water For People’s mission and values. Jody has been active on other NGO boards in the international development and legal sectors. Jody has a JD and an MA in Economics from Duke University and a BA of Journalism and Arts from the University of Missouri. Jody enjoys the Colorado outdoors with her family and gardening, music, theater, dance, and art.

Learn more and connect with Jody.

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Portrait photo of Bishwadeep Ghose

Bishwadeep Ghose

Country Director, India

Bishwadeep Ghose
Country Director, India

Bishwadeep Ghose joined Water For People India in the fall of 2020 as the Water For People India Country Director, contributing 25 years of experience and knowledge on managing national and international programs and advocating for programs related to water security, agriculture, and forestry. He has contributed to water policies and the design of large-scale programs with India’s Central and State Governments while with Arghyam and the India Water Portal. He also served as an Interim Director of Hivos’ Regional Office and is the Founding Director of the India Foundation for Humanistic Development. He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Forest Management and a bachelor's degree in chemistry and enjoys spending free time with family and being outdoors. 

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Portrait of Cate Nimanya

Cate Nimanya

Regional Director, Africa

Cate Nimanya
Regional Director, Africa

No girl should have to walk long distances to find water, no person should suffer from WASH-related diseases; together we can deliver a good water future for everyone.

Passionate about this vision, Cate enjoys supporting communities and governments to realize their water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) goals.

With 25 years of experience in strategic planning, program development and management, resource mobilization, driving results, and mentoring young professionals, Cate has contributed to WASH sector policies, strategies, program development, market-based sanitation, and a number of innovations in various capacities including as the Uganda Country Director with Water For People from 2012-2021.

Cate holds an MBA from Heriot Wattt University in the United Kingdom, an MSc in Water Resources and Environmental Management from the Institute of Geoinformation Science, Enschede Netherlands, and a BSc in Chemistry and Geology from Makerere University Uganda. Cate loves a good read and values time with family.

Learn more and connect with Cate

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Portrait of Daniel Oporto

Daniel Oporto

Regional Director, Latin America

Daniel Oporto
Regional Director, Latin America

Daniel is an international development expert with 20 years of experience designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating projects in areas related to pro-poor and private sector development. Daniel's experience has focused on the following fields: market-based mechanisms in water and sanitation, sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, public-private partnerships, linking smallholders and farmers to markets, value chain and market systems development, and bottom-of-the-pyramid markets, to name a few.

Daniel has worked on multicultural project teams with clients and employers from the private sector, multilateral and bilateral institutions, humanitarian aid agencies, nonprofits, microfinance institutions (MFIs), social entrepreneurs, and business associations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He currently lives in La Paz, Bolivia where he enjoys reading and researching issues related to poverty and likes long walks with his family. Daniel speaks Spanish and English fluently.

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Kate Verlaan_Original

Kate Verlaan

Chief Growth Officer

Kate Verlaan
Chief Growth Officer

Kate believes in trust-based philanthropy, a movement that reimagines the relationships between donors, nonprofits, and communities to rebalance power and decision-making. As senior leader of organizational growth, she brings more than 20 years of international development experience and 15 years of fundraising experience to Water For People.

Kate has lived in China, Ethiopia, and the Netherlands and applies her global leadership experience to her fundraising role. Kate has an MA in International Studies from the University of Washington and a BA in Anthropology and Art History from the University of Colorado. Kate is a girl mom and loves hiking in the great outdoors across the planet. She is particularly passionate about Water For People's role in ensuring water and sanitation access is resilient and adaptive to the threats of climate change.

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Portrait of Mario Velasquez

Mario Velásquez

Chair of Country Director Committee /
Country Director, Guatemala

Mario Velásquez 
Country Director, Guatemala

Mario is a forest engineer specializing in water resources management and economics of environmental goods and services, with a Master's Degree in the Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment.

For over 18 years, he has worked as an executive, university professor, researcher, and consultant in different development projects, including governmental, non-governmental, academic, and international cooperation entities. Mario has led multidisciplinary and multiethnic teams, coordinating with the central government, local governments, and community authorities.

From 2013 to date, he has developed more than 20 resource management projects for local NGOs and GOs. In the last four years, he has dedicated himself to water, sanitation, and hygiene issues, with a market focus and the goal of fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal 6.

"In these four years, I have been inspired by the idea of ​​contributing my knowledge and experience to improving people's quality of life. At Water For People, I have found an important challenge in achieving sustainable access to basic services for Guatemalans."

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Country Directors

Water For People Country Directors are local leaders and experts in their country’s context. These Directors develop strategies, foster relationships, manage operations, promote policies, guide their teams, and empower communities to create lasting change.   

Portrait Photo of Andres Abasto

Andrés Abasto

Country Director, Bolivia

Andrés Abasto
Country Director, Bolivia

Andrés brings over 20 years of experience implementing and managing projects focused on economic growth, business development, market access, and poverty alleviation. His leadership has spanned consulting firms, aid agencies, development programs, and local and international NGOs. Notably, Andrés was the Deputy Chief of Party for the Integrated Food Security (IFS) Bolivia Project, overseeing a $26 million budget.

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Brenda Achiro Muthemba_web

Brenda Achiro Muthemba

Country Director, Uganda

Brenda Achiro Muthemba
Country Director, Uganda

Achiro Brenda Muthemba has a Master's in Business Administration from East and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI), a Master's in Social Sector Planning and Management, and a Bachelor's in Forestry and Nature Conservation from Makerere University Kampala.

Brenda is a WASH professional with over 15 years of experience in leading and managing development and humanitarian work for nonprofit organizations in Uganda, managing country-wide programs, and providing oversight in design, planning, implementation, accountability, and learning. Her experience covers program/project development, human resource management, action-based research, project procurements, audits, quality assurance support, and accountability/reporting.

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Portrait Photo of Ulemu Chiluzi

Ulemu Chiluzi

Country Director, Malawi

Ulemu Chiluzi
Country Director, Malawi

Ulemu Chiluzi joined Water For People in 2020 as the Malawi Country Director. A civil engineer, he contributes 18 years of experience leading development programs spanning the education, food security, livelihoods, WASH, governance, and HIV/AIDS sectors. He excels at organizational development and strategy, networking, relationship building, and resource mobilization. He has worked with CARE International, United Purpose (formerly Concern-Universal), Plan International Malawi, ActionAid Malawi, and Self-Help Africa. He has an MBA and a BS in Civil Engineering. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess.

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Portrait Photo of Eugene Dusingizumuremyi

Eugene Dusingizumuremyi

Country Director, Rwanda

Eugene Dusingizumuremyi
Country Director, Rwanda

Eugene believes universal access to sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services is achievable if the entire world has one dream to end the water and sanitation crisis. He joined Water For People in 2012 as Project Manager for the Rulindo Challenge Program in Rwanda. Before being named Country Director, he was Programs Manager, where he was responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of the country's program-related activities and staff. Prior to joining Water For People, Eugene worked with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure as a project manager and the University of Rwanda as a professor.

Eugene is the 2021 Global Engineering Professional Award Winner. He earned an international MSc in Environmental Science from the University of Greenwich, and a BSc in Civil Engineering and Environmental Technology at the University of Rwanda. He excels at organizational leadership and development, team building, partnership management, and resource mobilization. In his free time, Eugene likes spending time with family, hiking, and being outdoors.

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Portrait of Henry Gudiel

Henry Gudiel

Country Director, Honduras

Henry Gudiel
Country Director, Honduras

Henry Gudiel is a water and sanitation senior specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of programs and projects for public and private actors within the WASH sector. His skill set includes management and facilitation of transformation processes, project evaluation, skills development, institutional strengthening, public policies, strategic planning, fund management, and water resources management.

He holds a Master's in Design, Management, and Leadership, a Postgraduate Diploma in International Cooperation Projects, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Skills. He also has a Bachelor's in Pedagogy and Education Science with a focus on Planning and Administration.

Henry firmly believes that UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 can be achieved if governments prioritize the water and sanitation sector, rely on strong institutions to plan and manage services, and promote citizen participation in sector decision-making.

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Portrait Photo of Gisela Murrugarra

Gisela Murrugarra

Country Director, Perú

Gisela Murrugarra
Country Director, Perú

Joining Water For People in 2021 as Country Director in Perú, Gisela Murrugarra has over 20 years of experience managing, implementing, and evaluating programs. She has worked in both the private and public sectors, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation. Gisela led multidisciplinary teams and facilitated public-private partnerships funded by the World Bank, including the design and management of rural WASH programs and support for sanitation companies in Peru. She brings to Water For People a strong background in continuous program improvement, in-depth analysis of processes, and financial risk management.

Gisela received her degree in Project Management from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad de Lima. In addition, she holds a Global Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Thunderbird School of International Management (USA) and TEC de Monterrey (Mexico). In Gisela’s spare time, she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her family.

Gisela joined Water for People because she, like Water for People, believes that the biggest challenge in achieving SDG 6 is sustainability and innovation to look for new solutions for populations without access to quality services.

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Photo B&W

Happiness Willbroad

Country Director, Tanzania

Happiness Willbroad 
Country Director, Tanzania

Happiness is a visionary leader with 12 years of experience in leadership, strategic planning, business development, program design, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation. She strongly believes in the transformative power of communities in driving sustainable change and long-lasting impact. Happiness has led technical oversight and systems-strengthening initiatives in the Health and WASH sectors.

Happiness holds a Bachelor's degree in Medicine and a Master of Public Health from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences - Tanzania. She is committed to advancing a well-reformed, evidence-informed WASH sector that ensures sustainable access to WASH services and improves health and well-being for Tanzanian communities and globally. 

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Portrait of Mario Velasquez

Mario Velásquez

Country Director, Guatemala

Mario Velásquez 
Country Director, Guatemala

Mario is a forest engineer specializing in water resources management and economics of environmental goods and services, with a Master's Degree in the Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment.

For over 18 years, he has worked as an executive, university professor, researcher, and consultant in different development projects, including governmental, non-governmental, academic, and international cooperation entities. Mario has led multidisciplinary and multiethnic teams, coordinating with the central government, local governments, and community authorities.

From 2013 to date, he has developed more than 20 resource management projects for local NGOs and GOs. In the last four years, he has dedicated himself to water, sanitation, and hygiene issues, with a market focus and the goal of fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal 6.

"In these four years, I have been inspired by the idea of ​​contributing my knowledge and experience to improving people's quality of life. At Water For People, I have found an important challenge in achieving sustainable access to basic services for Guatemalans."

More About Mario









Members of Water For People's Global Hub and Latin America Regional Teams gathered for a communications, fundraising, and influence workshop in Cajamarca, Peru.

Global Teams

With employees based around the globe, whether in the field or their home office, we have a team with some of the most dedicated, collaborative, and innovative people driven by one vision: a world where everyone has access to reliable and safe water and sanitation services, forever. 

Join Us

We'd love to have you on our team.

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