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Danny Wright – Executive Director, Founder
In 2011, while traveling through Central America, Danny came up with an idea on how to create an affordable, sustainable, long-lasting, and energy-free way to provide clean and safe access to drinking water; it combined rainwater catchment, storage, and gravity-powered filtration, which could be used in any country that received significant rainfall and had basic access to standard materials. After completing his studies in 2014, he decided to embark on a path less taken and began traveling to gain a better understanding of the Global Water Crisis and people’s relationship with water throughout different cultures. This led him to Nepal, where he turned his concept into reality, creating the Nation’s first energy-independent water filtration and storage system. In turn, Gravity Water was formed, creating the space for passionate individuals to get involved in creating a long-term solution to the Global Water Crisis for thousands of communities in need. Danny Wright has been developing his skill-set and experience in working with developing communities, water health, and non-profit management throughout the last ten years. He initially received his Environmental Studies, B.A., from the University of Santa Barbara, California, where he concentrated on climate change, ecology, and community-based conservation. Following his studies in Santa Barbara, Danny completed his Coastal and Watershed Science and Policy M.Sc. at the California State University, Monterey Bay, where he focused on watershed science, water quality, and international water management, attending supplemental courses at Monterey Institute of International Studies. Danny gained his experience outside the education sector through extensive travel in developing nations, helping develop an environmental education non-profit (SproutUp) in Santa Cruz, and creating and managing the largest and most extensive community-based coastal water quality monitoring program within the U.S., through his work with the non-profit organization, Surfrider Foundation. |
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Duyen (Jane) Nguyen – National Director, Vietnam
Jane was born in the countryside, south of Hanoi, Vietnam. Growing up, Jane worked with her mom on their family farm, growing rice, vegetables, and livestock. As Jane got older, she believed the best way to create a better life for her and her family was to study, where she attended the University of Hanoi and studied Business, English, and Chinese. After her studies, Jane began her work in ecotourism, allowing her to travel around Vietnam, which showed Jane that many places and communities in her country were in great need of help. This inspired Jane to join the Gravity Water team in 2018, serving as the National Director for the country, helping organize projects and maintain communication with all the schools that Gravity Water works with. Jane believes as a Vietnamese woman, she can work hard, support her family, teach children, and inspire all Vietnamese women to know they can make a difference in their country. |
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Samundra Giri – National Director, Nepal
Samundra was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. When the earthquakes of 2015 hit Nepal, Samundra immediately started dedicating his time to building temporary houses and providing food to the earthquake victims in Shindhupalchok, Nepal. Additionally, he worked with local NGO’s helping build schools in the impacted areas of Nuwakot and Shindhupalchok. He’s inspired by work that helps communities and their environment. After meeting Danny in Nepal in 2017, Samundra enthusiastically partnered up with him to help him build the Gravity Water project in multiple locations and proved to be a dedicated, passionate, and very reliable aid. Sharing the vision of Gravity Water, Samundra is inspired to help the Organization develop within his Country, with the goal of providing clean water to thousands of people in need over the coming years |
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Tyler Hubbell – Assistant Director
Tyler is an outdoor enthusiast and avid waterman. He developed his love for fresh water at a young age while backpacking in the alpine Sierras, drinking from high mountain springs and snowmelt. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a double major in marine biology and environmental studies among several extra curriculars. While living in Santa Cruz he founded and directed the regional chapter of Sprout Up, a non-profit dedicated to teaching environmental science and sustainability to elementary school students and also helped found Oceanseed Project, an organization that brings experiential marine based curriculum to incarcerated youth in Santa Cruz County. More recently, he worked as a marine naturalist for Pacific Whale Foundation in Maui. Tyler is excited to focus his time, energy and expertise to Gravity Water’s mission of enhancing access to clean water infrastructure in communities throughout the world. |
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Mark Harrington – Director of Operations, Asia
Mark developed an appreciation for water at an early age, having been raised in and around the ocean surfing in Southern California. Later, travel throughout Central America and Asia gave him first hand exposure to the importance of fresh water resources and sanitation infrastructure. Further, the opportunity to interface directly with local communities inspired his sense of environmental and humanitarian stewardship. He combined this with an interest in technical problem solving to pursue a career building solutions to solve global water challenges. After earning his BS in Chemical Engineering from UCLA, he managed the field operations of a water technology startup based in California. This experience enhanced his appreciation for elegant and simple engineered projects. Mark believes that Gravity Water’s robust and community owned solutions will play an important role in solving global water issues. He is excited to work with Gravity Water and apply his experiences to grow operations and maximize impact in Asia. |
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Kai Johnson – Director of Design & Brand Management
As the marketing and design director for Gravity Water, Kai loves pushing creative boundaries and occasionally right justifying. In her role, she works with the team to develop Gravity Water’s multimedia and brand image, while also assisting in directing marketing approaches. Kai earned her B.S. from Cal Poly, SLO, in Urban Design, with a minor in Sustainable Development. Traveling throughout Nepal and Vietnam, she has witnessed first-hand the impacts of clean water scarcity. Having a young child run up to the team in Nepal to ask for water was a pivotal moment in Kai’s career, leading her to this role where she blends her passion for sustainable development and human rights with her love for design. Based in San Luis Obispo, Ca, when she’s not working in Adobe suite, you’ll find her surfing, traveling, shooting film, and occasionally coding. Kai is excited to utilize her passion and skills in marketing and graphic design to grow Gravity Water’s impact, or in her words, she’s stoked. |
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Emily Bruni – Director of Donor Relations
Emily seeks human connection, adventure, and insight everywhere she goes. She is originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and spent several years in Vermont earning her B.A. in Anthropology and Spanish. Emily has worn many hats, from canvassing environmental issues door to door in Vermont to studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina to volunteering as a hostel ambassador in Barcelona, Spain. Her diverse experiences revealed a unifying language that cuts across societal constructs—compassion. Emily had the opportunity to volunteer with a nonprofit installing biowater filters in Trojes, Honduras. This experience reinforced her ideas that kindness and empathy can transcend cultural barriers. It also renewed her sense of how vital it is to know about the quality of local resources and to find sustainable solutions for public health. Emily has now landed in Santa Cruz, CA, where she is thrilled to fit her unique puzzle piece into Gravity Water’s mission, digging down to the roots of human rights and engaging communities in the value of their natural resources. |
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Sam Blakesley – Chapter Director
Born in a drought susceptible area of Southern California, Sam was raised to appreciate the delicate intricacies of earth’s hydrologic cycle as the center of a web of interconnectivity by which all life on earth adheres. From early on, a decision to dedicate his life to the purpose of water was an easy one. Sam graduated as an environmental studies major from UC Santa Cruz with a focus in freshwater and marine ecology, and later received his master’s degree in international environmental policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. To complement his studies, Sam ran and coordinated a water quality monitoring and education program through the local chapter of Surfrider Foundation, and later chaired the chapter. More recently, Sam deepened his experience through a Sea Grant Fellowship at the State of California, where he helped to implement crucial climate change legislation by building the State’s understanding of community level needs and nuances. These experiences have all served to strengthen Sam’s love for clean water and he is honored to have the opportunity to channel that passion towards growing Gravity Water’s chapter programs. |
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Steffi Herrmann - Director of Media and Communications
Steffi is an outdoor and ocean enthusiast, who seeks adventure and cultural experience in everything she does. While having German roots, she has lived in four different countries so far and recently moved to Costa Rica where she pursues her passions for surfing and diving. Steffi completed her Master's Degree in Creative Communication and Brand Management at Pforzheim Business School in 2015, and has since then gained extensive multi-cultural experience working across Europe, South America and Central America. She has both assumed regional marketing positions for multinational companies, as well as volunteered with various NGOs.Dedicating several months to an educational project with young children in impoverished areas of Cape Town, and experiencing first hand the big deficits in basic human rights, lack of safe drinking water and insufficient food supply, enhanced her drive to be the catalyst for change and make a positive impact on the most vulnerable members of society: children. As the Media and Communications Director, Steffi is excited to focus her creativity, energy and expertise on sharing Gravity Water's mission with the world, with the purpose of reaching more and more children in developing nations with safe drinking water that is essential for their future. |
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Kendall Post - Director of Youth Engagement
Kendall graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2019 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Elementary Math and Science Education. While at UCSB, Kendall was a campus tour guide, President of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, and a lead instructor and leadership board member for Sprout Up. Before joining the Gravity Water team, Kendall worked with college students across the U.S. as a national consultant for Alpha Chi Omega. Kendall’s interest in providing communities with basic necessities such as clean drinking was sparked during, among other overseas study trips, her semester studying abroad on the islands of Bocas Del Toro, Panama with the School for Field Studies. This program included time spent with indigenous communities around the archipelago to learn about their history and efforts to participate in the eco-tourism industry that was growing in the area. Many of these communities lacked reliable access to clean drinking water. She views efforts to help provide such basic needs as clean drinking water as essential to affording communities to focus on any other needs of the community – if you don’t have safe water, everything else is on hold! Kendall is specifically passionate about Gravity Water’s focus on schools, both in the U.S. and abroad, due to her love for education and she is excited to work closely with students as the Director of Youth Engagement. |
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Ryland King – Treasurer, Board Chair
Ryland is a Forbes top 12 do-good entrepreneur under 25. His work, founding the nonprofit Sprout Up, has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative, VH1’s Do Something Awards and Chase American Giving Awards. Since Gravity Water’s inception in 2016, Ryland has assisted in the professional growth, strategic planning, and long-term vision of Gravity Water, helping the Organization provide over 10,000 children with safe drinking water around the world within the first three years of operations. |
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Joanne Hale
Joanne Hale has more than 50 years of experience in international development assistance programs, including more than 30 years of full-time residency in Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. This has included work for the Peace Corps, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Context Network, and Chemonics. The focus of her work included agriculture, water resource management, health, literacy, business development, education, conflict mitigation, and natural resource management. Currently, Joanne Hale is teaching at Santa Clara University in the Leavey School of Business and serving on the Board of Directors for Context Global Development. |
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Pallavi Bharadwaj
Pallavi has over 15 years of experience in research, capacity building, organizational development, prospects’ and grants’ research and management, project and program advancement, relationship building, and policy advocacy for mainstreaming environmental, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and sustainability initiatives in urban, peri-urban and rural areas in India, Indian subcontinent and Global South. She has worked with reputed national and international universities, governments, multi and bi-lateral agencies, nonprofit organizations, grant-makers and consultancies worldwide. She is a regular contributor to Engineering for Change’s blog, USAID GlobalWater’s Water Current blog, and actively manages UNICEF HQ’s envirogrants blog (pro-bono) that she create and launched in 2011. |
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David T. Ives
David is a 2016 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Emmy Award winner, who has spent the majority of his professional career working in the field of leadership, health, and humanitarian aid, including involvement in the Peace Corps, Rotary International, and multiple organizations that focus on the betterment of life for individuals around the world. Currently Mr. Ives serves as the Executive Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, Quinnipiac University, which is dedicated to the promotion of the values and ideas of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer on an international basis. After seeing the impact that lack of access to clean water has first hand through his work in Latin America, David is passionate and inspired to help Gravity Water grow its unique approach and impact to clean drinking water around the world. |
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Ulrike Glatz
Ulrike is an Impact Advisor with a mission to drive more sustainable investments and a passion to support entrepreneurs with their impact projects and businesses. She has spent 7 years in India as Director of a Market Entry Consultancy for European SMEs, served several years as Management Consultant in Europe with Accenture and is now fully dedicating her professional life to projects in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She is the Founder of the Global Impact Alliance and advocates for a more conscious economic system at the annual World Economic Forum. As a former competitive swimmer, Ulrike loves water and is excited to support Gravity Water on its global expansion and impact path. |
San Diego Chapter
San Diego, California
San Diego, California
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Marina Edward- Community Engagement Coordinator
Marina grew up in Cairo, Egypt and moved to California in 2015. She is currently majoring in Global Health at University of California San Diego. Through her life experiences and encounters in Egypt and then California, she has developed a better understanding of the world's inequalities and inequities concerning global health issues, in addition to the critical role of water. After graduation, she plans to pursue international fieldwork" |
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Uwaysah Ali - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Uwaysah Ali is an undergraduate student in her third year at the University of California San Diego, pursuing a major in Human Biology and a minor in Global Health. In her free time, she loves to write book reviews and walk trails. Uwaysah is passionate about eliminating global health disparity, especially securing access to basic needs. By interning with Gravity Water as a Youth Initiative Coordinator, she hopes to educate the young San Diego population about Gravity Water's work for water access and plastic waste reduction, and facilitate youth participation in this work. |
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Victoria O'Neil - Community Engagement Coordinator
Victoria O'Neil has her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science and her Master's Degree in International Education. She is interested in initiatives that empower rural and at risk communities through education. Victoria joined Gravity Water to learn more about water accessibility and what cultural implications there are in this setting. She looks forward to working in a small community that works towards making global change. |
Santa Barbara Chapter
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
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Karen Thornton - Community Engagement Coordinator
Karen grew up in California and recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Biology. She loves the outdoors, whether it be skiing, camping, playing water polo, kayaking, or swimming. Karen is passionate about water management and strives to get the community engaged in environmental protection! She was a AAUS scientific diver for UCSB and got involved with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper during her undergraduate years. She wanted to continue this work on a more global scale so she turned to Gravity Water! Karen is excited to be part of the Gravity Water team and looks forward to spreading their mission to all. |
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Lily Partida - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Lily Partida is a 3rd year Hydrologic Sciences and Policy student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is originally from the San Francisco Bay area and loves everything outdoors. Lily is passionate about making the world a better place by finding ways to make everyone aware of the effects that their choices have on the environment. She wants to help show young people how they can change the world by making small, everyday decisions with the environment at the forefront. Lily is grateful to be a part of the Gravity Water team and can’t wait to share the message of our organization with our local schools to help change the lives of people all over the world. |
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Meagan Brown - Community Engagement Coordinator
Meagan Brown is a fourth-year Environmental Studies student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis on Geography. Meagan's passion to provide accessible clean water to all and an understanding of the importance of water in all aspects of life has led her to pursue working with Gravity Water. As a Community Engagement Coordinator for the non-profit organization, Meagan is able to help communities around the world get the funding needed in order for them to install their own clean water systems, through planning and participating in community and public events. |
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Noemy Carranza - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Noemy Carranza is an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara studying Sociology and Global Studies. She has always had a passion for helping marginalized communities and environmental justice, especially when seeing the conditions her family members lived through in Latin America. She decided to use her passion to help her community and worked with local high school students where she found how necessary education and basic resources are for low income communities. After learning about Gravity water and their mission to help communities around the world, she knew it would be a great opportunity for her to help children most affected by environmental injustice in a tangible way, and hopes to continue to do her part as a global citizen. |
San Luis Obispo Chapter
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo, California
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Jayde Westphal - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Jayde Westphal is an undergraduate at Cuesta College studying psychology. She worked as a Student Water Ambassador in high school as an ASB student, which encouraged her to pursue continued involvement in Gravity Water through her college years as a Gravity Water Youth Initiative Coordinator. Jayde has a passion to become a global citizen and travel the world. This passion has taken her all around the world during a semester abroad and furthered her learning through sustainable eco-tourism classes in Costa Rica, water sampling in Ghana, and many other eye opening experiences. Her involvement in Gravity Water has made her more knowledgeable about the World Water Crisis and sparked a deeper interest in travel, climate change, and sustainable living. |
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Samuel Drew - Community Engagement Coordinator
Sam is a student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo studying Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Management and a minor in Spanish. Sam has a passion for adventure and the outdoors which stems from his upbringing in Santa Barbara, where he spent countless hours at the ocean and in the mountains. It was not until Sam took an advanced placement environmental science class in his junior year of high school that his passion for conserving the environment started. This class opened his eyes to all the destruction that humans were causing to the environment, leading him to live a more sustainable lifestyle, while encouraging others to do so as well. In 2019 Sam participated in a mission trip to Micronesia, where he experienced first hand the struggles developing countries face getting fresh drinking water. That is what ultimately encouraged him to join the Gravity Water team. After graduating from college Sam hopes to use his minor in Spanish and move to Puerto Rico to provide disaster relief from the long-lasting effects of Hurricane Maria. |
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Sarah Attala - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Sarah Attala is an undergraduate at California Polytechnic State University studying Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Management. She attended San Luis Obispo High School, where she partook in Gravity Water campaigns as an ASB student. Her involvement in these campaigns made her realize how important Gravity Water’s mission is and how many people benefit from what Gravity Water does. After becoming an intern at Gravity Water in college, Sarah has learned even more about sustainability and the level of impact Gravity Water has around the world. As a marketing student, Sarah is able to apply marketing techniques she has learned at Cal Poly in order to better engage schools and emphasize the importance of Gravity Water. Sarah has always loved the outdoors and nature, so being able to develop those passions through Gravity Water has been very beneficial and special to her. |
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Tuesday Christopher - Community Engagement Coordinator
Tuesday is a fourth-year undergraduate at California State University San Luis Obispo studying Environmental Management and Protection and minoring in Biology. She is from San Diego and loves to be in the ocean and outdoors. Tuesday is passionate about protecting the environment and leaving an impact on the world. After studying abroad in Madrid, Spain in 2019, she found her love for global relations and travel. One of her goals is to be able to learn about the world through travel and to help communities in need. Through Gravity Water she hopes to further her experience and help with the water crisis that is occuring around the world. |
Berkeley Chapter
San Francisco Bay Area, California
San Francisco Bay Area, California
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Abilene Runyan - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Abilene Runyan is an undergraduate at UC Berkeley studying Society & Environment and minoring in Geospatial Information Technology. Growing up in a rural town in Southern California, Abilene has always valued the importance of robust local communities and protecting biodiversity and natural ecosystems. Since starting school at UC Berkeley, her passion for climate justice has deepened and she has been inspired to work in the nonprofit sector after graduating in order to enact tangible change to protect vulnerable communities and the environment from the dangers of climate change. Abilene is thrilled to gain valuable experience in fundraising and outreach while working to alleviate the burden of the global water crisis as a member of the Gravity Water team. |
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Kayla Middling - Community Engagement Coordinator
Kayla Middling is a student at California State University, Long Beach working to achieve a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. She has a passion for creating opportunities for people to come together to build relationships and interact with one another, whether it be for recreational purposes or for a common goal or cause. Kayla has previously worked in a variety of event settings, but it was not until her position as a program assistant at CSULB that she felt fulfilled, creating opportunities for students to come together under a variety of different circumstances such as culture and diversity celebration, education, wellness, and recreation. She has a desire to use and expand her skill set in event coordination to help others who live a life different from her own, and she believes that Gravity Water has given her an opportunity to do so. |
Santa Cruz Chapter
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz, California
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José Johnson - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Jose Johnson is an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz in the Environmental Studies program focusing on Global Environmental Justice. José's passion for Environmental Justice began while volunteering in Guatemala and El Salvador where Jose learned about the struggles of local communities and the lack of access to resources such as clean drinking water and sanitation. José’s experience working with an international nonprofit and dedication to Environmental Justice led him to an internship with Gravity Water. José is inspired by Gravity Water’s mission to provide clean drinking water and believes that his internship with Gravity Water will provide him with the tools and skills necessary to make a larger impact in communities around the world. |
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Jasmine Krause - Youth Initiative Coordinator
Jasmine is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Global Environmental Justice. Jasmine’s interests in environmental advocacy began when she was an indoor/outdoor rock climber during high school, where she became a member of the Access Fund and San Diego Coalition of Climbers. Throughout her studies, Jasmine has continued to develop her passion for the environment through courses focused on sustainable agriculture, water security, and reducing waste. She has worked at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems for one year as a Produce Coordinator, which has also taught her the importance of water in all aspects of life, specifically food production. Jasmine is very excited to be apart of Gravity Water, which will allow her to grow, learn, and share her passion for environmental justice and sustainability with hopes to pursue a career in water security. |
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McKenna Jensen - Community Engagement Coordinator
McKenna Jensen is currently an Environmental Studies/Earth and Planetary Sciences major at UCSC. McKenna has always had a passion for the environment and throughout her college career became very interested in water conservation. McKenna believe having access to food, shelter, and water is a basic human right that all should have access to, regardless of socioeconomic class. After participating in a research program that focused on drought tolerance, she became motivated to find an opportunity to combine my passion for water and the accessibility to it. She's feels like Gravity Water has provided her this exact opportunity and is excited to grow her role in the Organization. |
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Victória Araujo- Community Engagement Coordinator
As a result of growing up on a small family farm outside of São Paulo, Brazil, one of Victoria's first lessons was the importance of cultivating and caring for wildlife, plants, and mother nature in a sustainable way. While on her way to completing her bachelor's degree in environmental engineering she worked with local schools to educate students on environmental awareness, recycling and sustainability. Her passion for preservation grew as she helped implement new technology and machinery at the local landfill, capable of harnessing the energy of the methane gas. Having the opportunity to be a part of gravity water's mission to introduce clean water access to less fortunate communities is something that continues to fuel Victoria's desire to bring positive and lasting change to the world. |