Skip to content

This is Who We Are

Our Team

As our name suggests, it all comes down to people. Our mission is about people and our work is for people. And the most important resource we have to succeed at our mission is the incredible people who work for us and with us.

We want to thank all the volunteers, staff, board, field partners, funding partners, donors, and strategic partners for their dedication, tenacity, and selflessness in helping us work to solve the world's water crisis – for Everyone Forever.

Bolivia10_SanPedro_SanJosedelNorte_20170908 (11 of 142)2

Leadership Teams

Eleanor Allen

Chief Executive Officer

ELEANOR ALLEN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Eleanor has dedicated her career to improving lives through her work in water and sanitation. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, and as an engineer has lived and worked in numerous countries. As CEO, she is dedicated to bringing lasting access to safe water and sanitation to people around the world. She loves to explore the outdoors and travel with her family. Eleanor holds a BS from Tufts University and an MS from UC Berkeley.

Learn more and connect with Eleanor.

More About Eleanor
Chad_Web

Chad Arnold

Chief Development Officer

CHAD ALLEN
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

For Chad, safe and clean drinking water is about justice and remembering that we all have basic rights. Chad has traveled to over 60 countries, educating and engaging communities, schools, corporations, and individuals to end the clean water crisis. Most recently, he led marketing and fundraising strategies for World Vision USA. Chad has an MA in psychology and an MBA. He enjoys concert-going with his wife and snowboarding, hiking, and jumping off cliffs with his five boys.

Learn more and connect with Chad.

More About Chad
man standing in front of wooden wall

Nick Burn

Chief Officer of Scale and Strategy

NICK BURN
CHIEF OFFICER OF SCALE AND STRATEGY

Nick Burn has spent nearly 30 years of his life managing international development programs. Trained as an agriculturalist, he lived and traveled for work extensively in countries across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Over the past ten years he has been working with Water For People to implement programs that build lasting systems and promote aid independence. He believes that Water For People’s work can bring real change to the poorest of the poor. (More...)

Learn more and connect with Nick

More About Nick
Abdi_b&w

Abdi Debela

Chief Financial Officer

ABDI DEBELA
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Abdi finds deeper meaning in the convergence of her professional career in finance and her passion in life: positively and sustainably impact one person, one village, or a community at a time. She holds a BA in Accounting from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, her native country, and an MBA in Finance from Vanderbilt University. She is also a U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Learn more and connect with Abdi.

More About Abdi
man standing in front of wooden wall

Mark Duey

Chief Programs Officer

MARK DUEY
CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER

Mark believes the global water and sanitation crisis can end during our lifetime. Mark was a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras and then a consulting engineer before joining Water For People in 2008. He holds an MS in Economics, Finance, and Management from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Mark 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

REGIONAL DIRECTORS

man standing in front of wooden wall

Samson Hailu Bekele

Regional Director, Africa

SAMSON HAILU BEKELE
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, AFRICA

Samson Hailu Bekele joined Water For People as the Africa Regional Director in 2017. He contributes his 35 years of experience in strategic planning, managing finances and programs, strengthening fundraising and grant management processes, and mentoring people. He has visited or worked in 25 countries – 18 in Africa – and savors time with his two, now nearly adult, children. He holds an MBA, a postgraduate diploma in business analysis, and a BS in Accounting.

More About Samson
daniele b&w

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.

More About Daniel

COUNTRY DIRECTORS

Staff-Profile-Beatriz-Alvarado

BEATRIZ ALVARADO

Country Director, Perú

BEATRIZ ALVARADO
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, PERÚ

In 2020, Beatriz Alvarado assumed the role of Interim Country Director with Water For People in Peru. She is passionate about achieving significant and sustainable impact in the water and sanitation sector. Beatriz has experience in designing and coordinating development projects with the Peruvian government, and international companies and entities. She has her master’s degree in Management and Public Health, Diplomas in Project Management, Public Management, and Quality in Health. As National Advisor on rural water and sanitation at Water For People, she has generated collaborative synergies with institutions in the sanitation sector at the national and sub-national levels for the design and implementation of proposals and strategies. She really enjoys spending time with his family and sharing with friends.

More About Beatriz
ULEMU b&w

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 his 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.

More About Ulemu
man standing in front of wooden wall

EDGAR FAJARDO

Country Director, Guatemala

EDGAR FAJARDO
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, GUATEMALA

Since 1997, Edgar Fajardo has worked in rural development, serving vulnerable populations living in impoverished conditions and indigenous communities in Guatemala. Throughout his 15-year career working in the WASH sector, Edgar has gained a deep understanding of water resources management, business development, and the provision of access to reliable drinking water and sanitation services.

Edgar studied agricultural engineering at the University of Zamorano in Honduras, holds a masters in sustainable agriculture and natural resources management from the Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala, and conducted research at the Pan-American University of Guatemala. In addition, Edgar served as president of the Water and Sanitation Network of Guatemala (RASGUA) and the Global Water Partnership (GWP). He has also served on several committees within the WASH sector.

In 2006, Edgar joined Water For People as the Guatemala Country Director and continues to fearlessly lead his team. During his free time, besides reading a good book, he enjoys walking and biking through the forest, working and gardening at home.

More About Edgar
Bishwadeep Ghose b&w

Bishwadeep Ghose

Country Director, India

BISHWADEEP GHOSE
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, INDIA

Bishwadeep Ghose joined Water For People India in fall 2020 as the Water For People India Country Director, contributing 25 years’ experience sharing 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 of 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. 

More About Bishwadeep
woman standing in front of wooden wall

Perpetue Kamuyumbu

Country Director, Rwanda

PERPETUE KAMUYUMBU
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, RWANDA

Clean water saves lives. For Perpetue Kamuyumbu there is nothing more exciting than working for an organization that gives you an opportunity to contribute to this noble goal. She joined Water For People in 2008 and became the Rwanda Country Director in 2010. She has more than 20 years of experience in WASH planning and investment and opportunities and challenges in Rwanda. Previously, she worked with Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure, among other organizations. She has a master’s degree in project planning and management and a professional diploma in monitoring and evaluation.

More About Perpetue
man standing in front of wooden wall

Tupac Mejia

Country Director, Honduras

TUPAC MEJIA
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, HONDURAS

Tupac Mejia is a trailblazing leader with more than 24 years of experience spearheading WASH initiatives and programming in rural, peri-urban, and urban regions of his native Honduras. He has supported relief efforts in response to natural disasters. Tupac joined the Water For People team as the Honduras Country Director in 2015 and has been instrumental in scaling WASH activities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a master's in hydraulic engineering, and an MBA. Tupac is fluent in Spanish and Russian.

More About Tupac
woman standing in front of wooden wall

Cate Zziwa Nimanya

Country Director, Uganda

CATE ZZIWA NIMANYA
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, UGANDA

Applying her expertise in water resources and environmental management, Cate Zziwa Nimanya is a passionate advocate for progressive WASH policies. She has dedicated more than 20 years to all aspects of planning and implementing sustainable rural and urban water and sanitation projects, primarily in Uganda. Since 2012, she has served as Water For People’s Uganda Country Director. Cate has also worked in Botswana, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and The Netherlands. She holds an MBA and a master’s degree in water resources and environmental management. In her free time, she enjoys cooking for her family, reading books, walking, or going to the gym.

More About Cate
Mauricio (1)

Mauricio José Villagra Salguera

Country Director, Nicaragua

MAURICIO VILLAGRA
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, NICARAGUA

Mauricio Villagra has more than 10 years of experience working in the WASH sector. An experienced business and finance professional, Mauricio joined Water For People in 2011 as Financial Administrator and leads sustainable sanitation and sanitation market initiatives in Nicaragua. As Interim Country Director, he manages all aspects of country program implementation and provides invaluable leadership, leading national advocacy, learning, and scale initiatives. He has a bachelor’s degree in public finance and accounting, and an MBA. In addition, he is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Mauricio speaks both Spanish and English. He likes field work and enjoying time in the mountains. He also enjoys spending free time with his little daughter, wife, and parents.

More About Mauricio
ALBERTO

Alberto Yutronic

Country Director, Bolivia

ALBERTO YUTRONIC
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, BOLIVIA

Alberto Yutronic has a personal commitment to contribute to the development of the rural population of Bolivia through his work that includes the management of water resources, considering it both a social asset and a natural resource with economic value.

Alberto has more than 30 years of experience as a civil engineer. He holds his Master of Science in Techniques in Water and Environment. His entire professional career has been dedicated to the implementation of hydraulic programs and projects, river basin management, water for human consumption and its relationship with health. Years of professional practice have allowed him to visit much of rural ​​Bolivia and serve as an evaluation expert for development programs and projects in South America. In 2014, Alberto joined Water For People as the Bolivia Country Director, a job that has enabled him to contribute to the development of the Everyone Forever approach in rural municipalities, Quechua communities, and with rural dispersed households that rely on small agriculture. Alberto's hobbies include reading and hiking with his family.

More About ALBERTO
ADDITIONAL TEAMS
Board of directors
Leadership Council

Country Teams

Water For People has a dedicated staff throughout the world.

Bolivia

Coming soon! Our Bolivia site is almost ready, then you can meet our dedicated team based in Cochabamba.

India

Coming soon! Our India site is almost ready, then you can meet our dedicated teams based in Delhi, Kolkata, Sheohar, and Amravati. 

Peru

Visit our Peru country site to meet our dedicated team based in Cajamarca.

Guatemala

Coming soon! Our Guatemala site is almost ready, then you can meet our dedicated team based in Santa Cruz del Quiche.

Malawi

Coming soon! Our Malawi site is almost ready, then you can meet our dedicated team based in Blantyre.

Rwanda

Visit our Rwanda country site to meet our dedicated team based in Kigali.

Honduras

Coming soon! Our Honduras site is almost ready, then you can meet our dedicated team based in San Pedro Sula.

Nicaragua

Visit our Nicaragua country site to meet our dedicated team based in Jinotega.

Uganda

Coming soon! Our Uganda site is almost ready, then you can meet our dedicated team based in Kampala.

Interested in joining our team?

If you're ready to make waves in the nonprofit sector, we'd love to have you on our team.

Careers
Volunteer

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN

Your support can help us make the world’s water crisis a problem of the past, for Everyone Forever.

GIVE

FUNDRAISE

VOLUNTEER

PARTNER