ABOUT US
WAI MISSION
WAI works to protect water quality, reduce sewage pollution and restore healthy watersheds by providing innovative, affordable, and eco-friendly solutions to waste and wastewater management for all people.
WAI VISION
WAI helps Hawaiʻi homeowners and communities manage the difficult process of upgrading cesspools and failing septic systems across the state to new systems that are affordable, efficient, and better for the environment.
WAI History
Stuart and John are passionate about protecting our marine environment and joined forces in 2019 to help find solutions for Hawaiʻi’s cesspool and wastewater issues. Stuart is an avid surfer, and John is a dedicated free diver, and both spend a lot of time in and under the water. Gradually, it became evident that water quality was deteriorating due to sewage pollution from cesspools and failing septic systems. So they joined forces several years ago to find effective solutions for Hawaiʻi’s wastewater issues.
WAI Team
Stuart Coleman
Executive Director - WAI Board of Directors
Stuart Coleman, MFA, worked for ten years as the Hawaiian Islands Regional Manager of the Surfrider Foundation, overseeing five Chapters and hundreds of volunteers across the state. He has led coalitions to help shape policy and pass landmark legislation to reduce pollution of Hawai‘i’s coastal areas, including the nation’s first and only bill to create smoke-free beaches & parks and the first bill to ban oxybenzone in sunscreens. Stuart also helped pass legislation to reduce wastewater pollution and mandate the upgrade of cesspools across Hawaiʻi. He currently serves on the state’s Cesspool Conversion Working Group and on the Advisory Board of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Sea Grant Program. Along with being a public speaker, teacher and freelance writer, Stuart is also the award-winning author of three books about modern Hawaiian history, surfing and culture, including Eddie Would Go, Fierce Heart and Eddie Aikau: Hawaiian Hero.
John
Anner
Managing Director - Chair of WAI Board of Directors
John Anner, PhD, has worked in the non-profit sector for over 30 years, with 20 of those years in the CEO position. He was the CEO of Thrive Networks for 13 years, where he led a major sanitation program in Southeast Asia. He has specialized in using the nonprofit infrastructure to de-risk and de-cost launching innovative social enterprise ventures. John’s PhD dissertation and original research focused on the use of impact measurement as a critical success factor for social enterprises. He is also currently the Chief Operating Officer at the Coleridge Initiative.
Christina Comfort
Water Quality Specialist
Christina Comfort holds an M.Sc. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Hawaiʻi, and worked for 8 years as a coastal oceanographer at the Center for Physical Oceanography and Marine Ecology. Christina's research interests center on the health and conservation of Pacific Island coastal marine ecosystems. She has managed many research projects involving long-term water quality and oceanography measurements in the context of human impacts on coastal systems. Christina also managed the Surfrider Foundation - O'ahu Chapter's Blue Water Task Force from 2018-2020, a citizen science initiative that measures wastewater input to Oahu's beaches and recreational waters via fecal indicator bacteria testing.
Gabby Saba Zimmer
Program Manager, Curriculum Developer & Instructor
Gabby Zimmer brings eight years of experience in education and curriculum development to the WAI team. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Masters of Teaching from the University of Virginia. Gabby’s previous work as a kumu for Kamehameha Schools, Kapālama inspires her passion for creating pathways built on a pedagogy of aloha that empowers Hawaiʻi’s next generation of changemakers to contribute to their communities both globally and locally. Her dedication to restoring healthy watersheds, clean water, and resilient reefs is fueled by a lifelong passion for Hawaiʻi’s beaches and water.
Courtney Kerr
Program Manager, Curriculum Developer & Instructor
Courtney Kerr received an M.Sc. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Coming to WAI with a science and environmental restoration background, she is eager to be a part of a proactive and preventive approach to protecting the environment. Courtney previously worked as an aquatic specialist with the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission for three years, where she managed volunteers on monthly 3-day restoration projects. Courtney’s past projects include developing and teaching curriculum, coral and fish surveys, developing an invasive algae removal program, and watershed water quality and sedimentation rate analysis.
Michelle Lee
Marketing Specialist
Michelle brings five years of experience in events planning, and operations management, and a keen eye for marketing to the WAI team. Her background in education spans diverse communities, from teaching in South Korea to working with children with developmental disabilities in a pediatric clinic. Michelle has always had a passion for sustainability, equity, and conservation, and she strives to align her passions with her work at WAI. As a skilled events planner, marketer, and educator, she is eager to inspire and empower the new wave of young professionals in Hawaiʻi towards mission-driven careers in conservation.
ALiya Smigel
Operations Coordinator
Aliya Smigel is a passionate environmentalist who grew up spending as much time in the Hawaiian waters as she did on land. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management and Protection from California Polytechnic University. Aliya's dedication to environmental conservation extends beyond her tenure as the Sustainability VISTA at Honolulu Community College, where she spearheaded impactful initiatives like orchestrating a comprehensive campus-wide waste audit, establishing a thriving composting system, and championing the Genki Ball Kapālama project. Her environmental expertise also includes her noteworthy contributions to clean energy in Hawaiʻi, where she has played a pivotal role in conducting energy studies within Oʻahu's communities.
Chris Mckay
Project Manager
Chris McKay has 10+ years of experience managing projects in sustainability in the Bay Area and moved full time to Maui in 2020. Chris has been in both the private and public sectors, starting his career as an AmeriCorps fellow helping PG&E and California Bay Area cities achieve their clean energy initiatives, and later working on commercial solar projects using innovative financing mechanism, CPACE. He most recently worked as a venture banker with Bridge Bank, helping venture-backed startups extend runway and raise capital. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Business. Chris is an avid outrigger canoe paddler making frequent trips between the Islands and always learning more about Hawaiian culture.
WAI Board of Directors
Joachim
Schneider
WAI Board of Directors - Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee
Joachim Schneider, MS, worked in the wastewater field in Hawai‘i in different capacities from 2017 to 2022. He started as an intern for two wastewater consulting firms before completing his graduate studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he also worked as a research assistant. Before joining WAI, he worked as a project manager and design engineer for a private wastewater consulting company, where he oversaw the entire life cycle of various civil and environmental engineering projects. As WAI's Senior Project Coordinator and Sea Grant Fellow, Joachim took the lead in managing the nonprofit's partnerships with technology companies and facilitated the installation of innovative wastewater systems. Since 2022, he works as Project Manager at the German engineering company Drees & Sommer in Berlin.
Tiffany Huynh
WAI Board of Directors - Chair of the Governance Committee
tiffany@elementalexcelerator.com
Tiffany works to weave together a network of mission-aligned partners who share our vision of a clean, vibrant, equitable Hawaii. Helping to guide and develop the next phase of collaborations in Hawaii and beyond with the corporate, education, and start-up communities. Prior to Elemental Excelerator, Tiffany led the marketing at REHAB Hospital of the Pacific & Foundation in Honolulu and for the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) in Sydney, Australia. Prior to Elemental, she worked closely with clients across all major sectors in Hawaii at Anthology Marketing Group, from sustainability to political to retail. Tiffany is an active member of several educational boards, including chairing the Hoala School and Hoala Foundation for Education boards. She is a board director for HawaiiKidsCAN and WAI (Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a concentration in operations and technology management from Boston University in Massachusetts.
Maya Walton
WAI Board of Directors - Secretary
Maya Walton is the Hawai‘i Sea Grant Assistant Director for Research and Fellowships. As part of the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant senior leadership team, she coordinates the development, expansion, and delivery of evidence-based research, outreach, and education activities directed towards increasing the sustainability of coastal and marine resources, and the resilience of coastal communities in Hawaiʻi. Her work facilitates linkages among Hawaiʻi Sea Grant faculty and staff, university scientists, stakeholders, and communities in the delivery and application of University-based ocean and coastal research. As the Assistant Director for Research and Fellowships, her work encompasses two primary roles: 1) Coordinating the Hawai‘i Sea Grant biennial research grants competition of approximately $1,000,000 annually and 2) Leading and administering student fellowship programs at Hawai‘i Sea Grant including the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, Coastal Management Fellowship, Sea Grant Fisheries Fellowship, and the Rappa Fellowship. Maya completed her MS in zoology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where she researched coral reef ecosystem health and marine protected areas in Oahu. In 2014, Maya completed a Knauss fellowship in NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries headquarters office as a member of the Conservation Science Division.
Advisory Board Members
Ted Bohlen, Roger Babcock, Allegra Gordon, Jocelyn Herbert, Dennis Poma, Ryan Ward, David Williams, Wesley Wong, Rachel Solemsaas, Lauren Roth Venu, Kim Falinski, Melanie Lander and Chris Shuler
