About Us – Water1st International

Our Mission:

To enable the world’s poorest people to implement and sustain community-managed projects integrating clean water supply, toilets, and hygiene education.

Our Story

Water1st was started in 2005 by a group of professionals with solid experience in the water and sanitation sectors. Our focus was simple–to build an organization with the ability to consistently implement the highest quality water and sanitation projects for the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Our comprehensive, cost-effective approach impacts the health, economy, education, food security, and overall well-being of our project communities.

Addressing the water and sanitation needs of the world’s poorest people is the one activity that, when done properly, generates benefits that can lift a community out of extreme poverty. Read more.

280,251

people with clean water

4,727

projects completed

Staff

Kirk Anderson
Director of International Programs

Susan James
Youth Programs Director

Sandra Jerez
Director of Donor Engagement

Jen Norling
Director of Communications &
Community Engagement

Veronica Mendez
Operations Manager

Marla Smith-Nilson
Founder and Executive Director

We're Hiring

Operations Manager
Water1st International is hiring an Operations Manager to join our team! If you are detail oriented, organized, customer-service oriented, and want to be part of a team working to build a more equitable world, consider applying.

Board of Directors

Kristine Baty, Immediate Past Chair
Non-profit Development

Carolyn Bardon
Finance and Operations Leader

Lynn Carr
Marketing Consultant

Julia Clarke, Vice Chair
Attorney

Josh Epperson, Chair
Principal, Organization Effectiveness, Amazon

Tim Kirley
Retired Partner, Edward Jones

Diane Langstraat
Community Volunteer

Dick Moxon, Treasurer
Retired International Business Professor

Eric Parsons
Capital Markets, Commercial Broker

Chris Pratley
Corporate Vice President, Microsoft