Our Leadership Team
STEFFANI fIELDS
Executive Director
As The WASH Foundation’s Executive Director, it is Steffani’s responsibility to oversee broader strategy, programs, and operations of The WASH Foundation and to provide oversight and structure to the implementation of all aspects of the foundation’s Global WASH programs. Steffani brings over 23 years of experience in International Development throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, East Africa, and Asia. Raised as a daughter of a career serviceman allowed her the experience to travel extensively, and living among people who struggle to meet the necessities of life naturally sparked her passion and empathy for others in need. Her subsequent pursuit of a B.A. in Anthropology, followed by her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Haiti, led to work as a Program Director for several international non-profit institutions dedicated to supporting the well-being and dignity of populations affected by health and economic insecurity. This experience naturally transformed into a passion to alleviate the negative effects of poor health among those without resources to help themselves, manifesting through the formation and leadership of international teams in the development of comprehensive water access, WASH education, sustainable livelihood, and emergency relief and preparedness programming.
Ashley Lovell
Global Program Officer, Africa
Ashley Lovell joined The WASH Foundation in July 2023 as the Global Program Officer for Africa. She leads the planning, implementation, and evaluation of water, hygiene, and sanitation projects and develops long term strategy and partnerships across the continent. Ashley has worked on public health, education, and economic development projects in East and West Africa. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer focused on health education and behavior change in Ethiopia, she worked as a monitoring and evaluation specialist at a local training organization in Guinea. Later, she moved to Senegal and worked as an analyst with Dimagi, where she digitalized data collection processes and designed mobile health applications for projects throughout Africa as well as remotely to projects around the world. Ashley earned undergraduate degrees in peace studies and economics at Chapman University and holds a master’s degree in economics from University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Through her experiences working on community development projects and data analysis and evaluation, she has developed a passionate belief that community-led development and data-informed decisions are the keys to making the world a better place.
Francisco M. Juarez Lopez
Global Program Officer, Latin America and Caribbean
Francisco M. Juarez Lopez has wide experience in project development and
implementation in the areas of environmental and social infrastructure
within the WASH sector and solid waste management systems. He has worked
for international NGOs and international cooperation agencies to
implement projects in Guatemala and Nicaragua, with UNOPS he served in
Mexico as an environmental management specialist and from 2018 to 2022
he served as the Country Manager for Cities Alliance in Liberia.
His experience has been built through the implementation of projects at
municipal and community level, where he has incorporated an approach
that develops tailor made local solutions and community-based
sustainable management models for some of the most marginalized and
vulnerable informal settlements.
Francisco joined The WASH Foundation in June 2023 as the WASH Global
Program Officer for Latin America & Caribbean where he leads the
strategy and project implementation in the region aiming at improving
access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Francisco has a background in Environmental & Civil engineering with
specializations in Project Management, and Environment and
Infrastructure Planning.
