Our Team

MEET OUR TEAM

To view Gravity Water's organizational structure, please click here.

Staff
Board
Chapters

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 access to safe drinking water; it combined rainwater catchment, storage, and gravity-powered filtration, which could be used in any country that received sufficient rainfall and had access to basic construction 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 at-risk communities around the world.

Danny 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 Middleburry Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Danny gained his experience outside the education sector through extensive travel in developing nations, helping grow an environmental education non-profit (SproutUp) in Santa Cruz, and creating and managing the largest and most extensive community-based water quality monitoring program within the U.S., through his work with the non-profit organization, Surfrider Foundation.

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.

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

Mark Harrington – Director of Operations

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jeri Stein - Director of Special Events

Jeri Stein discovered the global challenge of access to clean water in 2011 after volunteering to raise funds for a non-profit organization working to rebuild the water treatment facility in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country. In 2016, Jeri returned to this sector by co-founding a NGO, Watering Minds, which focuses on delivering clean water to schools around the world. As Executive Director, Jeri played a pivotal role in the scaling of the organization which to date has served approximately 85,000 youth in schools in addition to thousands in healthcare facilities in response to COVID19. After years of experience in the sector, Jeri believes in the sustainability and environmentally conscious elements of the Gravity Water model and is excited to bring her experience and passion for clean water access in schools to the Gravity Water team.

Sarah Luna - Social Media Coordinator

Sarah is currently a junior at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she is majoring in Environmental studies and Legal studies with a concentration in Global Environmental Justice and a minor in Latin American and Latino studies. Sarah was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up living in different areas of the United States. When Sarah was eleven years old she experienced the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that severely impacted the surrounding marine ecosystems and communities living on the gulf shore. After her experience she wanted to further her education on environmental impacts and how communities are impacted by environmental injustices. Sarah possesses a passion for assisting marginalized communities that have been gravely impacted by environmental injustice and environmental disasters. This passion has led Sarah to pursue interning for Gravity Water to help spread awareness on the Global Water Crisis that is impacting communities around the world and she is excited to work towards making a global change.

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.

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.

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.

San Diego Chapter
San Diego, California

McKenna Jensen - West Coast Regional Manager, Community Engagement Program

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.

Tuesday Christopher - San Diego Chapter Chair

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.

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.

Santa Barbara Chapter
Santa Barbara, California

Amanda Costley - Community Engagement Coordinator
Amanda Costley is a 2nd-year Environmental Studies and Sociology student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is originally from Manhattan Beach, California, and enjoys spending her time outdoors at the beach. Amanda is passionate about human rights, environmental sustainability, and environmental justice and hopes to work in Environmental Law in the future. These passions drew Amanda to work for Gravity Water and promote sustainable safe-water practices in underdeveloped countries. After working for her local public health agency to create a mental health team and awareness week, Amanda feels she has the skills to increase community involvement and support for Gravity Water. Amanda is excited to work with Gravity Water to make a positive global change and expand her knowledge of non-profit work and sustainable environmental justice solutions.

Caitlin Weber - Santa Barbara Chapter Chair

Caitlin Weber is currently a third year at UC Santa Barbara, studying Environmental Studies and Sociology. Through her studies, she has gained an understanding of how environmental systems and societal issues are all connected. She has developed a passion for working on these intersectional issues, which drew her to Gravity Water and their global efforts. Caitlin also enjoys working with youth and serving as a resource and guide to help them reach their own goals. The Gravity Water Youth Initiative’s focus on community engagement and youth involvement is something she believes deeply in. Starting with education and allowing youth to take charge of something they believe in, is so powerful. She is passionate about Gravity Water’s goals and is looking forward to getting to work with this amazing organization and team.

Emily Schule - Youth Initiative Coordinator

Emily Schule is currently a third-year environmental studies (B.S.) major with an education minor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Originally from a small rural town in San Diego, Emily grew up surrounded by the natural world, sparking her passion for the environment and sustainability. Emily is dedicated to teaching youth about sustainability, hopeful that the next generation will be filled with environmental warriors. After interning and teaching with Your Children's Trees (located in Santa Barbara), Emily knew that being an environmental educator and advocate was something she wanted to keep pursuing. She is excited to continue down that path at Gravity Water, where she fell in love with their goal of helping change the lives of people of people around the globe.

Hannah Logar - Community Engagement Coordinator

Hannah is a third-year student at UC Santa Barbara pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry. In her free time she enjoys hiking, exploring art museums, and practicing competitive Irish dancing. Growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hannah has a strong sense of respect for mother nature and the resources she provides. She is highly passionate about clean water solutions and systems that circumvent the water-energy nexus. Through her experience at Gravity Water, Hannah hopes to continue advocating for clean water globally and make a positive environmental impact.

San Luis Obispo Chapter
San Luis Obispo, California

Jack Dunaway - Youth Initiative Coordinator

Jack Dunaway is a senior Business Marketing student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, minoring in Psychology. Originally from a small town in Southern California, he has enjoyed SLO’s hiking, beaches and weather the past few years. Throughout college, Jack has served as VP of Community Service for his professional fraternity, an orientation leader, and a mentor for first year students. After spending a semester in Madrid, Spain and touring Europe, he found his love for traveling and the world. He spends his summers as a camp counselor in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains and is passionate about inspiring the next generation of innovators, leaders and good humans. These passions are what brought him to become a Youth Initiative Coordinator for Gravity Water, being able to work with youth to make a difference in the world."

James Francucci - Youth Initiative Coordinator

James is an undergraduate at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo studying Environmental Management and Protection, focusing on environmental policy. He grew up on Long Island, New York, and since living in California, has been enthralled and compelled to make an individual difference combating the global water crisis. James is particularly eager to work with Gravity Water because of their innovative approach to inspiring local leaders, and he hopes to take an active role in motivating others.

Kaitlyn De La Torre - Community Engagement Coordinator

Kaitlyn is a fourth-year Agribusiness student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a minor in Event Planning. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys going on walks and hikes, dancing, and gardening. Kaitlyn is excited to work for a non-profit that has a positive global impact, and specifically Gravity Water because of its mission to provide children in developing countries with safe drinking water. During her internship, she hopes to bring exciting and engaging events to the SLO area that help create awareness for the global water crisis.

Nitya Mukkavilli - Community Engagement Coordinator

Nitya Mukkavilli is a first year student studying Industrial Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In her freetime she loves outdoor activities like hiking and biking. She is passionate about sustainability and she is excited to work with Gravity Water to make a positive impact in her community.

East Bay Chapter
San Francisco Bay Area, California

Caryn Archer - Youth Initiative Coordinator

Caryn Archer is a third-year University of San Francisco student pursuing a BA in Politics and a minor in Public Service and Community Engagement and STEM Education as well as pursuing a Dual Degree in Teacher Preparation for a teaching credential and Masters of Arts in Teaching. Throughout her time at USF, she has seen the impact of social injustice, especially centered in education inequity. These experiences have fostered a passion to pursue a career centered around social justice and advocacy in education. At Gravity Water, she hopes to bring her passion and experience with education to bridge the gap in education inequity and help students in the United States cultivate relationships with the students abroad. Caryn is excited to learn more about environmental justice and how it can impact the youth.

Cyan Balantac - Youth Initiative Coordinator

Cyan Balantac is a third-year University of San Francisco student pursuing a BA in International Studies and a minor in Asian Studies. When she was growing in the Philippines, she spent her summers at her parents' small rural farming towns in the northern mountain valleys where she developed an appreciation for humble country life while also experiencing first-hand the economically and environmentally insecure realities of family, neighbors, and friends. These moments were the spark that fostered her academic and career interests in addressing global inequalities through sustainable development, especially initiatives that take a culturally-appropriate and community-based approach, in order to give back to the communities that have helped her grow. In her extra time, she passionately dedicates herself to sharing her culture (and appreciating others) through traditional Filipino dance and Polynesian dance as a choreographer and leader in university organizations. As part of the team, she hopes to bring her unique perspective so that every initiative we make takes on a creative yet appropriate approach. Cyan is excited to grow both personally and professionally alongside Gravity Water’s missions.

Lily Shattenkirk - Community Engagement Coordinator

Lily is a Senior at the University of San Francisco, working towards her Bachelor of Arts in International studies with a concentration in Anthropology and minors in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies. During her academic studies, Lily has come to understand that, in order to address climate change and other global inequities, both a localized and global approach must be taken. Outside of the classroom, Lily’s volunteer, educational, and work experiences in the Pacific, Argentina, Peru, and Italy have fueled her passion for international humanitarian work. During her time in Samoa researching the effects of climate change on indigenous culture in Oceania, Lily furthered her interest in locally based approaches to climate justice. Lily is thrilled to begin working with Gravity Water as the new Community Engagement Coordinator for the Berkeley chapter.

Mirabella Angeo - Community Engagement Coordinator

Mirabella Angeo is a first year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Society and Environment. She has grown up in Long Beach and has volunteered all over the city planting trees and cleaning up beaches with friends. Her early experience with community service and seeing the human impacts on the environment has inspired her to pursue these interests in college. She has worked with KEY Club throughout high school to encourage fellow students to give back to the world which has led her to working with Gravity Water. Alongside Gravity Water, Mirabella wants to spread awareness and help others gain access to clean water as it is so vital, yet so out of reach for many. Mirabella is excited to learn and work with others who have similar passions for solving the water crisis one step at a time.

Santa Cruz Chapter
Santa Cruz, California

Celine Park - Youth Initiative Coordinator

Celine is a first-year undergraduate student attending the University of California, Santa Barbara pursuing a B.A. in Environmental Studies and plans to minor in Poverty, Inequality, and Social Justice. Growing up, her interest in social justice and environment helped her develop a passion for environmental justice. By focusing her courses on environmental law and social justice issues she hopes to fulfill her dream in pursuing a job in environmental policy. She strongly believes that basic human rights such as clean water, food, and shelter should be given to everyone without any questions asked. Celine is thrilled to join the Gravity Water team to continue advocating and providing for the necessary human right of clean water.

Christina Vagnoni - Community Engagement Coordinator

Christina spent six years of her youth living in the Palestinian Territories, which radically shaped her understanding of the world and fostered her passion for international development. She is currently studying at UC Santa Cruz and pursuing a B.A in Sociology. Her firsthand experience with water insecurity while living abroad and her classes at UCSC were what initially drew her to Gravity Water. Gravity Water holds special appeal because it focuses on schoolchildren, so they can spend less time worrying about their basic needs and more time learning. Christina believes that education is the key to uplifting the less advantaged and combating inequality. She is very excited to be a part of the Gravity Water team and to continue to grow professionally and learn more about the nonprofit sector.

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.

Tati Martinez - Community Engagement Coordinator

Tati is a third-year undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz pursuing a B.A. in Global Economics with a minor in Sustainability Studies. In her free time, she enjoys exploring different art mediums, trying new foods, and thrifting. She has a passion for discovering new ways to make sustainable lifestyles and choices more accessible to all communities, and hopes to find a career working with non-profit organizations to pursue such goals in the future. Her experiences in student leadership and foreign language studies in high school sparked her interest in event planning and project management, which she hopes utilize and strengthen through Gravity Water’s global programs and events. She is thrilled to be a part of a team dedicated to bringing positive changes that benefit both the environment and communities around the world.