Exciting News from OWB!

The OWB Family thanks four Founding Directors for exceptional service, passion, and dedication!

Operators Without Borders (OWB) is now doing exceptional work across six continents. A truly amazing period of growth since our 2017 inception in the Caribbean. Our successes are due to our amazing and valued volunteers, donors, members, and partners. However, the OWB Board is also very instrumental in our organization's leadership, growth, and successes.

At the 2026 OWB Annual General Meeting (AGM), four of our Founding Directors, who laid the foundation and kept building upwards, took on new roles with OWB (more details below). The OWB Family thanks Valerie Jenkinson, Madeleine Butschler, Robert Haller, and Carl Yates for almost a decade of service, passion, and dedication to OWB!

Thank you! You are simply the best!

Ms. Valerie Jenkinson, Founder, Founding Director, Immediate Past Chair, Board Member, Current Deployment Committee Co-Chair

The vast majority of our readers receive our emails because you met Valerie. She is our founder and 'face of the organization' as well as the engine that powers us. Valerie is now the OWB Past Chair after serving as Chair since our beginnings. However, she is not slowing down. Her first action after the AGM was spending two weeks in Nepal working on an OWB assessment team.

She developed her vision for OWB after Hurricane Maria's path of destruction in the Dominica in 2017. Afterwards, Valerie led efforts to develop OWB's capacity building including the development of a comprehensive training curriculum with talented pool of Super Trainers.

Valerie is also our global ambassador who led our efforts to start training in Africa, South America, and Ukraine after the war began. Thank you Valerie for bringing us all along on your dream. Thank you also for the amazing amount of time and talent you bring to OWB. We would not be who we are without you!

Ms. Madeleine Butschler, Founding Director, Past Secretary, Past Board Member, Past Chair of the Technical Training/Education Committee, Past Chair of the Governance Committee

The fact the OWB Volunteer of the Year award is named after her speaks volumes to Madeleine's service, passion and dedication. In addition, her diversity of talents shined through in leading two of OWB's committees as well as Secretary.

Madeleine's knowledge of non-profit organizations' governance and framework was invaluable during the early OWB years and continuing with our growth. She led and worked tirelessly on each of our committees' polices and terms of reference.

Her passion for education and training showed in her leadership of that committee. If that was not enough, she was one of the most active and valued members of the Communications and Marketing Committee. Madeleine also represented OWB very well at many conferences. Thank you Madeleine, please know your efforts live on with each OWB success.

Mr. Robert Haller, Founding Director, Past Secretary, and Past Board Member

When Valeire first developed the idea of OWB, she needed volunteers and donors. She immediately thought of great friend and Canadian Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA) Executive Director, Rober Haller. WIth his unmatched Canadian and American water sector network, she picked the right person.

Robert is our walking, talking, and writing OWB ambassador wherever in the world of OWB he goes. Through his CWWA role, he leads the largest water sector conference in Canada. He also attends the largest conferences in the USA. including AWWA's ACE and WEFTEC.

Robert's knowledge of non-profit organizations also benefited OWB. His service as Secretary is also greatly appreciated. However, Robert is not going out to OWB pasture just yet. He already brought a good idea to the Board to consider. Thank you Robert for every hallway conversation and all the great OWB Board work!

A new era in leadership begins with new OWB Chairperson Carl Yates!

Mr. Carl Yates, Chair, Board Member, Chair of Governance Committee, Super Trainer

Carl Yates is the new OWB Chair but he is not new to OWB. As a Founding Director and Board Member, he knows the history and growth of the organization inside and out. Carl developed his excellent leadership skills and knowledge during his time as the General Manager Halifax Regional Water Commission, interim CEO of the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority as well as serving CWWA. He also has a large network in the North American water sector and likes to talk about OWB to anyone and anywhere. In addition, Carl is also one of our Super Trainers, especially in non-revenue water (NRW). His recent trainings and assessments in Haiti and the British Virgin Islands were very successful and a great service to those communities in need.

Carl is looking forward to his new role as Chairperson and working with the OWB Board, volunteers, members, donors, and partners to continue meeting our mission well. Please keep an eye out for future 'Exciting News from OWB!' editions that will highlight their service, passion, and dedication.

The 2026-2027 OWB Board of Directors

Chair: Mr. Carl Yates

Vice Chair: Mr. Kevin Carter

Past Chair: Ms. Valerie Jenkinson

Secretary: Mr. Greg Archibald

Treasurer: Mr. John Chester Joseph

Director: Mr. Carl Bodimeade

Director: Ms. Rhonda Harris

Director: Mr. Ben Kele

Director: Ms. Nancy Kodousek

Director: Mr. Jason Mank

Director: Dr. Halla Sahely

Executive Administrator: Ms. Ade Ogunlami