About Me
I’m an economist and water security professional with experience in the design, technical delivery, and management of water security, sanitation, and hygiene (WSSH) programs in 30+ countries across Africa, LAC, and Asia. I specialize in in infrastructure advisory and capital investment planning for major water supply projects in emerging markets, and have advised on over $1 billion in water infrastructure projects. 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.
Here are some of the hats I wear:
- Manager, 50L Home Coalition: 50L Home is a joint initiative between the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and World Economic Forum. We work with the public and private sectors to mitigate Day Zero water crises by improving household water use efficiency. We currently are piloting in London and Los Angeles.
- Deputy Manager, ROCKBlue's Access to Capital, Oversight and Reporting Nexus (ACORN): In a volunteer capacity, I am the Deputy Manager for ACORN, a program that provides pro bono economic and financial advisory services to partner water utilities in five African countries to mobilize capital for technical improvements and infrastructure projects that expand access to clean water.
Research & Writing
I research and write about urban water resilience and sustainable development. Here are some of my writing and research projects:
- River in Reverse: I write 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 around the world through river restoration 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.
Learn more about my research projects here.
Work History
Some of my previous roles include:
- Senior Associate, Castalia Advisors: I advised utilities, governments, private investors, and donors on developing, financing, and managing $250M+ water and desalination infrastructure projects in emerging markets.
- WSSH Specialist, DAI and Tetra Tech: I was a technical project manager for a $231 million portfolio of 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.
- Project Analyst, USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN) 2: 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.
- Consultant, USAID Africa Trade & Investment, USAID Fragile Waters, and UK Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate: I was a data science and project finance consultant to donor and government clients on a variety of water, biodiversity, and climate adaptation programs.
See where I've worked on this map
Youth Engagement
I was a member of the founding steering committee for UNESCO’s Groundwater Youth Network, supporting research, career development, and capacity-building programs for a body of 2,000+ young water professionals representing 115+ countries. I regularly advocate for youth inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals at fora hosted by the United Nations’ General Assembly, UNESCO, the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and ECOSOC