WaterPartners International adds three to board
• Clean Water for the Poor mission continues to grow
KANSAS CITY, MO, Aug. 29, 2007 -- WaterPartners International, a nonprofit organization committed to providing clean drinking water to communities in developing countries, has named three new members to its board of directors. Charlie Engle, world class athlete, television and movie producer, and one of the runners in the upcoming documentary "Running the Sahara" produced by Matt Damon and agency Live Planet; Dan Hoskins, partner at Crescat Partners, LLC; and Lisa Roskens, president and chief operating officer of The Burlington Capital Group, LLC, join WaterPartners to help it reach even more people in need of safe drinking water.
"We're excited to welcome three new board members who each share a passionate commitment to addressing the urgent, basic need of more than one in six people on earth -- access to safe drinking water," said Board Chairman Jeremy Howard. "Lisa, Charlie and Dan bring special skill sets that will help us continue our innovations in fighting this huge problem, and in raising the awareness and funds needed to address it. They each reflect the great vision, determination, and expertise that have characterized WaterPartners for the past 17 years."
A world class athlete, television and movie producer, father of two, and a passionate humanitarian, Charlie Engle is a true renaissance man. His passion for the issue of safe water first arose while surveying the "course" for his run across the Sahara. "When I made the decision to run across the Sahara Desert, I assumed that my expedition would begin in Senegal and end at the Red Sea in Egypt. As it turns out, those 111 days and 4,500 miles in the desert were only the beginning," explained Engle. "The run ignited my passion to bring safe water to Africa. But, I realize that all of the passion in the world doesn't make up for the technical skills and knowledge necessary to implement successful, sustainable water projects. That's why I'm joining WaterPartners." Prior to his run across the Sahara, Engle worked for several years as a television producer, primarily for ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Over his years of racing, he has completed more than 200 marathons, triathlons, adventure races and ultra endurance events. Engle is regularly ranked as one of the top ultra distance athletes in the world today.
As a general partner at Crescat Partners LLC, an investment management firm offering hedge fund products, and as a general manager and management consultant to venture / private equity investors and their portfolio companies, Hoskins has a wealth of financial, operational and strategic management expertise. He says that he found in WaterPartners what he looks for in a nonprofit organization: "a very high social welfare return on its investment of time and capital." According to Hoskins, "WaterPartners addresses a basic need in Mazlov's hierarchy -- water -- while improving economic conditions in communities and enhancing the social welfare of families." Hoskins will help support WaterPartners in strategic planning, and operational and financial management. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Mississippi.
Roskens is President and CEO of the Burlington Capital Group LLC, an international employee-owned investment management firm that specializes in finding unique niche opportunities for its investors. She is also a strong believer in giving back to the community. "WaterPartners strikes at the core of what I hope to accomplish in my life -- to help people in a way that sets them up to no longer need outside assistance and perhaps even be able to offer help to others," states Roskens. "I believe not-for-profit agencies need to be about results. By focusing on the necessities of life [water], results are almost a given." In addition to her work with WaterPartners, Roskens also is the founder and chairman of Take Flight Farms, an equine assisted therapy and learning program that works in association with Omaha-area youth services agencies, and as well as the president of All Our Kids Inc., a unique mentoring program that matches at-risk students with adult mentors. Roskens holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and a B.A. from Stanford University.
WaterPartners International is a U.S.-based non-profit organization that provides safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Since its inception in 1990, WaterPartners has transformed more than 200 communities in Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Guatemala, India, Kenya, and the Philippines with access to safe water and sanitation. By forging partnerships with carefully-screened partner organizations and offering innovative financing methods through its WaterCredit Initiative, WaterPartners empowers local communities to develop and sustain solutions to their own water needs.
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