Meet our Volunteer Board
As the President of Water Access Now, Bob overseas strategy and planning which includes working with partners in Ghana, raising awareness and funding, and managing the operations of the organization. Bob works for Microsoft where he is responsible for global software partner alliances. He has a bachelor's degree in Biology from Cornell University and a Masters of Business Administration from Yale. He and his wife, Amy have two children and love to ski. Their family has made very close friends with Water Access Now's partners in Ghana and have travelled to Ghana together.
Bob Maher | President
Jan Kline is a Seattle 3rd generation native and graduated from the University of Washington. Jan has coordinated youth and outreach activities at St. John Vianney Parish in the Seattle area since 1990. She served as a Seattle Archdiocese youth ministry committee member, on the board of Youth Migrant Project, and 11 years (including board chair) of Esperanza International. Jan cofounded Water Access Now after serving on the board of the preceding W.A.T.E.R. organization. Jan enjoys travel and grandchildren.
Jan Kline | Vice President
Stephanie Larson joined the Board of Water Access Now in 2014 and became their Secretary in 2015. She traveled to Ghana in 2008 and again in 2016 with her son, Benjamin Larson. In June 2018, Stephanie retired from The Pacific Financial Group, Inc. where she was involved with managing the compliance process, developing marketing strategies, and planning meetings and company events. She began her career in finance in North Dakota, and worked for U.S. Bank for 16 years after she moved to Seattle.
Stephanie Larson | Secretary
Laurie is a graduate of the University of Portland and has been an active participant in WAN efforts since its inception. She has been to Ghana numerous times in support of water and education initiatives (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and will be going again in 2024). Laurie’s son, Osei, is from Ghana and together they are passionately committed to supporting these important initiatives. Laurie joined the WAN Board in 2024 to increase support in the areas of Marketing and Outreach.
Laurie Thibert | Board Member
Ercenk Keresteci | Board Member
Chris Norwood joins the Water Access Now board overseeing media outreach. Chris has accompanied Water Access Now on three delegations to Ghana (2012, 2015, 2018). Chris has a passion for international healthcare, graduating with Honors in Biology from Pitzer College and serving as a Fulbright Fellow under the U.S. Department of State education and international diplomacy program in Malaysia. Chris completed doctoral studies at Northwestern University.
Chris Norwood | Board Member
Dan Soukup | Board Member
Welcome Dan Soukup to the Water Access Now Board of Directors. Dan traveled to Northern Ghana on a delegation to commission boreholes with WAN in 2018 and currently serves as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Dan Soukup | Board Memeber
Thomas was orphaned before the age of ten; his youngest two brothers died of malnutrition and lack of care. His search for food led him to an elementary school, where he was fed a small meal every day. He survived, studied, and eventually won scholarships to attend college. He later earned a master's degree from California State University. Thomas works with Catholic Relief Services and lives in Ghana with his wife and four children. He serves as a partner and host for Water Access Now delegations to Ghana.
Thomas Awiapo | Ghana Partner & Host
Intern Alumni
Destry Seiler
Destry Seiler worked with Water Access Now in 2019. She initially fell in love with development work by volunteering with Esperanza International in Tijuana, Mexico for many summers until she was eventually the long term volunteer for the organization from May-August of 2013. Destry graduated from Washington State University in May of 2016 with a degree in Civil Engineering, Water Resources. Her goal was to help find clean and reliable water sources in developing communities, so she set off to Panama with the Peace Corps in June of 2016 as a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) volunteer through August of the following year. While in Panama Destry began a groundwater research project in her community by partnering with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at WSU. After returning from Panama Destry decided to continue her education to be able to better serve rural communities by completing her Masters Degree in Civil Engineering.
Sheena Lahren
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Intern for Water Access Now (WAN)
June- August 2015 in Tamale, Ghana: Project Outcomes and Service Delivery Exploration (Tamale, Ghana)
- Designed methodology for assessing service delivery and qualitative impact of WAN funded potable water facilities on rural communities, with particular focus on women and girls
- Conducted key informant interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions
- Analyzed qualitative data on health and education indicators related to potable water
- Conducted site visits/fieldwork in at least 10 rural communities in Northern regions of Ghana to record observations, photos, and interviews about the impact of WAN projects
- Produced marketing materials, such as Powerpoint presentation, photos, and a case study publication for donors
- Liased with in-country partner, Catholic Relief Services
- Presented study findings and recommendations for future projects to WAN board of directors and Catholic Relief Service Ghana staff via written report and oral presentation
Education
University of Washington Evans School
Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.), International Development; Global Health
2014 – 2016 -Activities and Societies: Mark Lindenburg Endowment for Excellence (2014), D-Prize Winner (2015), Ottenberg-Winan Fellowship (2015), GO Health Fellowship (2016), Global Action Prize (2016),
Sheena co created and directed Power2Girls in Ghana in 2014 to 2016. Since 2016, Sheena has been Ghana Country Director of Lively Minds, a U.K non profit. She leads the program in implementing and scaling an Early Childhood Intervention in rural communities in Ghana through the Ghana government.
Courtney Plummer
“I served as an intern back in 2010 to 2011 and spent 3-months in northern Ghana in the summer of 2010 as a student of the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. During my time there, I visited 11 of the 22 water projects installed between 2006 and 2010 with Catholic Relief Services/Ghana. These visits to communities across northern Ghana served to observe the structures post-installation and to speak with water and sanitation committee members and other community members about the effects of the safe water source and how the community was working to keep it running, amidst many challenges. During one visit at a water project located beside a health clinic, I even had the opportunity to witness firsthand how important water was to the birthing process! Were it not for the available safe water source, the midwife would not have been able to wash any of the instruments, clean the mother or her newborn baby, nor would the family have been able to prepare a meal for the new mother.
I’m really grateful for the time spent with dedicated staff and community members during those few months. And, as it turned out—those three months collaborating with CRS/Ghana were just the beginning of my time with Catholic Relief Services. From 2011 to 2018, I worked with CRS overseas in Nicaragua, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Guatemala. During that time I had the privilege to serve alongside highly committed and qualified colleagues on projects including emergency responses; water, sanitation, and hygiene; dignified transitional shelter; HIV/AIDS care and support services; food security; nutrition, agricultural livelihoods; youth development; education; and community development. I’m now based in our headquarters office in Baltimore, serving our CRS projects overseas as one of our support liaisons for U.S. Government funded projects.”