About Me
I’m an economist and water security, sanitation, and hygiene specialist with experience in the design, technical delivery, and management of water security, sanitation, and hygiene (WSSH) programs in 20+ countries across Africa, LAC, and Asia. I currently am a Senior Associate at Castalia Advisors, where I specialize in infrastructure advisory and capital investment planning for major water supply projects in emerging markets.
Outside of work, you can catch me working on outdoor education programs focused on river conservation and sustainable food access with some amazing folks at Urban Rivers and Green City Market. I also write River in Reverse – a Substack about the cultural history of the Chicago River, and more broadly exploring innovative approaches to designing equitable, climate-resilient, and ecologically vibrant cities.
Work History
I previously worked at DAI and Tetra Tech on several USAID-funded WSSH programs, including: USAID/Philippines Safe Water, USAID/El Salvador Water Services Project (WSP), USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN), USAID/Uganda Sanitation for Health Activity (USHA), and USAID/Haiti Eau.
I was the Project Analyst for USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN) 2, where I led data analytics, monitoring, and impact evaluation efforts for a $73M program operating in India, Kenya, and Ghana to mobilize financing for climate resilient water and sanitation services.
I additionally am an independent data science and project finance consultant to donor and government clients on a variety of water, biodiversity, and climate adaptation programs, including: USAID Africa Trade & Investment, USAID Fragile Waters, UK Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate, and ROCKBlue's Access to Capital, Oversight and Reporting Nexus (ACORN).
I have a master’s degree in Data, Economics, and Development Policy from MIT, and an undergraduate degree in Business Honors & Plan II from the University of Texas at Austin.
You can see more of the places where I've worked on this map
Projects
My research primarily focuses on the use of geospatial AI to monitor, target, and sustain safe and reliable water and sanitation services in rapidly-expanding urban areas and informal settlements. I was a research affiliate with the MIT Senseable City Lab and MIT D-Lab, working on projects ranging from designing a sensor system to monitor vermifilter wastewater treatment systems in rural Colombia to developing deep learning models trained to detect and geo-reference informal water infrastructure using street-level imagery in Nigeria and the Philippines.
You can learn more about my research projects on this page.
Groundwater Youth Network
I helped found UNESCO’s Groundwater Youth Network as a member of the inaugural steering committee, supporting research, career development, and capacity-building programs for a body of 2,000+ young water professionals representing 115+ countries. I have advocated for youth inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations’ General Assembly and the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development.