Associates

Rick McKenney, MBA

Rick is passionate about implementing large-scale change in our society for social and economic justice, as well as, the interaction between economics, politics, and local and developing world economies. He is the co-founder of Water for Humans, a social venture enterprise that strives to insure local public control of water resources and the deployment of low cost, water purification systems to the 1.1 billion people in the world who lack safe drinking water.

Prior to obtaining his MBA in Sustainable Business Practices from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) in June 2007, Rick was a physicist and materials scientist for eighteen years at Boeing, working on many classified projects. More recently, he spent four years in Vancouver, B.C. at Ballard Power Systems, as a senior materials engineer developing hydrogen fuel cell technologies. Direct experience includes product research and development, supplier development, one-piece flow operations, project planning and management. Rick has also successfully operated his own business that he started while in high school and sold to focus on his undergraduate degree in Solid State Physics and Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation from the BGI, he is now committed to applying his engineering and business skills to environmental, economic and social justice causes.

Stan Brown, MBA

Stan is the co-founder of Water for Humans. He is a 2007 graduate of Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) with an MBA in Sustainable Business.

Prior to BGI, Stan had a long career in the computer industry. He began that career as a Systems Engineer with IBM. There he provided technical design and support services for corporations in many different industries, such as finance, insurance, state & local government, health, higher education, retail and chemical. After IBM he worked for a startup enterprise in the telecommunications industry, AccessLine Communications, as a Systems Engineering Manager and a Network Operations Center Manager.

Stan has undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering and a master's degree in Computer Science. He is excited about using his skills and experience as a social entrepreneur to provide clean water to fellow citizens of the world.

Nelly Fernández Téllez

Nelly Fernández Téllez was born in Mexico City and has lived in Oaxaca City since she was three months old. She graduated from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Jalisco where she studied Biotecnologa Environmental Engineering. Nelly has participated in many projects such as the micropropagation of orchids, cacti propagation, helped build alternative production projects for underserved communities in the PESA program (Special Food Security Program) and trained the participants. She is proud to live in Oaxaca and enjoys the many customs that Oaxaca offers. She is interested in many topics such as alternative medicine, traditional medicine, herbal medicine and botany in general. She enjoys travelling to different places and learning about different people and their cultures.

Nelly divides her day to day activities between working part time at Water for Humans and part time at INSO, Water for Humans’ NGO partner in Oaxaca. As a resident of Oaxaca, she works closely with other Water for Humans’ representatives when they are in Oaxaca and represents Water for Humans’ interests when they are not.