Meet the Executive Team
charity: water’s executive team brings together decades of experience in global development, nonprofit leadership, and strategic partnerships — all united by a shared commitment to ending the global water crisis. With integrity, vision, and a deep sense of responsibility, they guide our mission to bring clean and safe water to every person on the planet.
Founder & Chief executive officer
Scott Harrison
Scott spent almost 10 years as a nightclub promoter in New York City before leaving to volunteer on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, West Africa as a photojournalist. Returning home to New York City two years later, he founded the nonprofit organization charity: water in 2006. In 18 years, with the help of more than 1 million donors worldwide, charity: water has raised $1 billion and funded over 186,000 water projects in 29 countries.
President
Melissa Russel
Melissa Russell is the President of charity: water and a globally respected nonprofit executive with over 20 years of experience leading and scaling mission-driven organizations. She has helped drive more than $1.5 billion in philanthropic capital and led global teams around the world. Melissa is known for aligning bold vision with measurable outcomes, cultivating trusted partnerships, and building high-performing teams committed to solving the global water crisis in our lifetime.
Chief Revenue Officer
Ben Greene
Ben Greene is the Chief Revenue Officer at charity: water, driving the brand, marketing, and fundraising teams. With over 20 years in the nonprofit sector, including leadership roles at World Vision, Feed the Children, and Food for the Hungry, he is known for driving sustainable impact and leading multi-million dollar campaigns. Ben lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Hutch and Haven.
Chief Water Programs Officer
Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer is the Chief Programs Officer at charity: water, leading its programmatic work across 58 local partners in 22 countries. His experience in global health, emergency response and recovery, and rural WASH over the past 20 years informs his current work at charity: water. He has specialized in convening strong and locally led teams to work on a range of public health issues, from large-scale cholera response to ebola treatment and prevention.
Chief Financial Officer
Mandeep Singh
Mandeep Singh is the Chief Financial Officer at charity: water where he oversees financial operations, financial planning and analysis, and legal strategy and compliance. He brings over 30 years of financial and operational leadership experience across both for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Throughout his career, Mandeep has consistently built high-performing, collaborative teams and established strong strategic planning and reporting processes. He has also led through periods of rapid change, leveraged technology and innovation to enhance operations, and driven strong, sustainable financial performance.
Chief Technology Officer
Christa Stelzmuller
Christa Stelzmuller is the Chief Technology Officer at charity: water where she is focused on building innovative and impactful digital experiences, driven by the organization’s mission. Throughout her career, she has consistently taken a multidisciplinary approach to leveraging data and technology, which has enabled better decisions, stronger products, and more effective delivery. Christa is known for her ability to translate vision into strategy and turn that strategy into action. Her strengths in communication and team leadership are key to her success, fostering a culture of productivity and collaboration through a service-oriented, participative leadership style.
Stay connected to the team
Our leadership team is actively engaged in shaping the global conversation around clean water access, sustainability, and nonprofit innovation. Explore the latest insights and media featuring our team — and see how their voices are helping to drive change on a global scale.
PODCAST
Leading with Purpose
Melissa Russell shares how her faith, purpose, and compassion shape her leadership in the fight against the global water crisis.
Board of Directors
Brook Hazelton
Brook Hazelton is the president and co-CEO of Digital Reasoning, an artificial intelligence company. Previously, he served as the president for North and South America of the world's leading art company, Christie's. Hazelton began his career in finance while working internationally with Goldman Sachs and The Carlyle Group, and he remains a private investor and co-founder of St. James Partners, an investment business.