Lifewater International currently employs twenty full and part-time staff dedicated to ensuring that our operations are worthy of the trust our supporters and partners have placed in us. As individuals, we have a passion for serving others. Collectively, we have hundreds of years experience in water development, international development, education, and business.
Chief Executive Officer: David Finley
Dave joined Lifewater in March 2009 after over twenty years of leadership experience with nonprofit organizations. Most recently he served as Lifewater's communications and development director. Prior to that he served as the executive director for a new affordable housing agency in Hawaii, as well as the development director for the Housing Authority in Kitsap County, Washington, and Habitat for Humanity in Tacoma, Washington. Dave served as the country director with the Peace Corps in Kiribati. He has also worked for fifteen years with World Vision International in various leadership positions: country director in Kosovo, operations director in Sudan/Somalia, and director of donor relations in the U.S. office. Before his career in international development, Dave was a broker with Security Pacific Investments in Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Economics from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Executive Director: Dan Stevens
Before becoming Lifewater's executive director in 2002, Dan Stevens served as the senior pastor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Ventura, California, for twenty-six years. Ten years prior to joining Lifewater, Dan founded IMPACT, a short-term missions training program affiliated with the Santa Barbara Presbytery. Through his involvement with IMPACT and other cross-cultural initiatives, Dan has gained a wealth of knowledge and personal experience in forming transnational partnerships and working with the poor. Dan holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Seminary and a Bachelor of Science degree from Pepperdine University.
Director of Projects: Sam Moore
Sam Moore has worked in international development for over twelve years. He began his career as a development practitioner in the highlands of Guatemala, working to promote appropriate technologies in indigenous communities. During his five years in Central America, he helped coordinate projects in low-cost sanitation, fuel-efficient cook stoves, rain water catchments, and water well drilling. In January 2005, Sam joined Lifewater International to head up Lifewater’s new Sanitation Program. Sam completed a Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies with a concentration in International Development at Fuller Seminary. He also holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Director of Volunteer Programs: Lisa Zisa
Lisa Zisa joined Lifewater in 2007 following thirty-five years in education, business and non-profit development and administration. Lisa has extensive experience teaching both children and adults and leading and directing successful teams of staff and volunteers at schools and non-profit organizations. Prior to that, she operated a successful catering business. Lisa also enjoyed a career in retail as a buyer and branch manager for a major east coast department store. At Lifewater, Lisa works to recruit, select, mentor and prepare volunteer field trainers for work overseas. She is passionate about the importance of listening and teaching others in ways that respect their God-given gifts and abilities. She loves to hear the stories Lifewater volunteers tell as they travel on teams and with work alongside our partners. Lisa enjoys spending time reading, entertaining friends, hiking and visiting her two grown children and their families.
