Our people

WaterAid works in the US to raise awareness about the global water and sanitation crisis and to raise financial support for WaterAid’s international programs.

WaterAid in America is governed by a Board of Directors, who are responsible for ensuring that the organization is well managed and abides by its charitable aims.

WaterAid's CEO in America

David Winder became WaterAid's CEO, America in January 2010.

Dr. Winder’s career has spanned the non-profit, foundation and academic spheres. He started his career in international development as a United Nations volunteer in Chile and then managed graduate programs, taught courses in public administration, social development planning and rural development policy and planning, and conducted research at the University of Manchester's Institute for Development Policy and Management in England.

For over a decade he served the Ford Foundation as Regional Representative for Mexico and Central America and as Regional Representative for Southeast Asia focusing attention on developing new programs in human rights and social justice, maternal and child health and community natural resource management.

WaterAid's Board in America

Chair: Gregory Hodkinson is a Group Board Director and Chairman of the Americas Region of Arup, a leading global engineering and consulting firm responsible for some of the world's most innovative building, transport and civil engineering projects. By profession a Transport Planner, Gregory has 35 years' experience planning, designing and managing transport and infrastructure projects, with particular experience in the aviation industry, and has worked on projects throughout the world.

His appointment extends Arup's ongoing firmwide commitment to WaterAid. With the establishment of the Arup Cause in 2006, Arup embarked on a global initiative that pledged the energy, expertise and resources of the firm's 9,000 staff to WaterAid's mission. Through this partnership, Arup has supported pilot projects in Zambia, Bangladesh and Madagascar and sought overall to provide lasting value to WaterAid through the creativity and knowledge of its members.

Myles Druckman, MD became a WaterAid in America Board member in 2007. He is vice president of Medical Assistance for International SOS, a provider of medical assistance, international health care, security services, and outsourced customer care. He manages medical services for all Americas-based multinational clients globally, develops and manages international medical programs, and oversees the management of emergency evacuation services and medical assistance worldwide.

Previously, Dr. Druckman was regional medical director for International SOS in North Asia. Based in Beijing, China for five years, he developed and managed four SOS International Clinics, three SOS Alarm Centers and 26 remote site operations. Prior to joining International SOS, he spent five years in Moscow, where he founded the first western medical facilities in the former Soviet Union, in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev. After earning his medical degree, he worked as a physician in private practice at two Canadian clinics, in Toronto and Mississauga.

Rachel Brydon Jannetta became a WaterAid in America Board member in 2003. Rachel Brydon Jannetta is President and CEO of Test America-STL, the largest environmental testing business in the world, with 46 laboratories and 2700 staff across the USA. A fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, Rachel qualified as an accountant in 1984 with Gerber Landa and Gee, a Scottish firm of chartered accountants based in Glasgow. She then spent eight years in retail management before joining Severn Trent in 1993 as Managing Director of the UK laboratories business, Severn Trent Laboratories Ltd.

After building STL's US testing business to the position of market leader, Rachel joined the Board of Directors of Severn Trent Plc in September 2004. On December 29, 2006 STL's US business was sold to HIG Capital, a private equity firm based in Miami, Florida. HIG already owned TestAmerica, the second largest player in the industry and Ms Brydon Jannetta was asked to lead the merger for the combined testing business. Rachel is based near Philadelphia but travels extensively to visit TestAmerica-STL locations and clients.

Roberto Lenton became a WaterAid in America Board member in 2007. He is a senior advisor at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. From 1995 to 2000, he was director of UNDP’s Sustainable Energy and Environment Division in New York, during which time he was UNDP’s lead person in helping to launch the Global Water Partnership, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Poverty and Environment Programme. He also served as director general of the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1994. Earlier, he was program officer in the Rural Poverty and Resources program with the Ford Foundation in New Delhi and New York, and an assistant professor at MIT.

A citizen of Argentina with degrees from the University of Buenos Aires and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Lenton is a co-author of Applied Water Resources Systems, and of Health, Dignity and Development: What will it take? the final report of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, which he co-chaired. Following the release of this report in 2005, he was appointed chair of the Geneva-based Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council. Since 2003, he has served as chair of the Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership.

R Steven Maxwell became a WaterAid in America Board member in 2010. Mr. Maxwell has 25 years of experience in the environmental and resource management fields. In 1992 he formed TechKNOWLEDGEy Strategic Group (TSG) to provide consulting and advisory services to the environmental and water resource industries. Mr. Maxwell has also built a leading specialized investment banking practice in the environmental industry, representing various industry players in merger and acquisition transactions.

Prior to founding TSG, he served as Vice President of Marketing for the hazardous waste management company USPCI, Inc.; Manager of Strategic Planning for Union Pacific Corporation; President of ElectroPure Systems – a wastewater treatment venture; and Executive VP and a Director of Recra Environmental, an environmental lab and consulting firm.

Mr. Maxwell is the founder and Editor of The Environmental Benchmarker and Strategist. He is the author of numerous reports and books on the environmental business and is a contributing editor to American Water Works Association Journal, the Environmental Business Journal, Environmental Protection, and the Environmental Lab Washington Report. Mr. Maxwell holds Masters Degrees in Public Policy and in Geology from Harvard University, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Earlham College.

Jeremy Pelczer was elected Chair of WaterAid's Board in the United Kingdom in October 2007 and has served on the Board of WaterAid in America since early 2008. Jeremy has worked in the water industry since 1996, following a career in finance and accounting. He became President of American Water in September 2003 and served as CEO & President of American Water from February 2004 until December 2005. He was the Chief Executive of Thames Water from November 2005 until its sale was completed in December 2006. He is a keen cricket player, being a member of both the Marylebone Cricket Club and the Somerset Cricket Club.

Rosemarie Ryan became a WaterAid in America Board member in 2008. Since joining JWT in 2003 as President of its NY headquarters, Rosemarie's strategic acumen and critical thinking have helped launch, position, and reposition numerous leading brands. Under her leadership, JWT NY has risen to the number one ranking agency in the JWT global network. Prior to joining JWT, Rosemarie spent eight years as President of the award-winning agency kirshenbaum bond + partners. Rosemarie began her advertising career at BBDO London and Chiat Day.

Jim Thebaut became a WaterAid in America Board member in 2010. He has more than 30 years of experience in establishing and administrating nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporations with the purpose of documenting and reaching mass audiences with visual communications about issues critical to the planet and human survival. Since 1998 he has been the Chief Executive Officer, President and Executive Producer of the Chronicles Group, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing visual and educational records for general public viewing of profound issues facing the 21st Century. 

His productions include The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry (2007-2008), and Running Dry (2005-2006), public information and educational films to motivate awareness and right action related to the United States southwest region water crisis and the global water crisis respectively.

He also has extensive experience in regional environmental planning in the Pacific Northwest.