CEO, Water 2017
John is currently CEO of Water 2017, a one-year effort to encourage President Trump and the U.S. Congress to prioritize global water security as never before, and to position this issue as a leadership opportunity for the United States across the globe.
John Oldfield led the efforts of WASH Advocates (2011 – 2015) to increase awareness of global water and sanitation challenges and solutions, and to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources devoted to those solutions throughout the developing world. He believes strongly that global water challenges are more solvable than difficult.
John previously founded two implementing nonprofits in the water sector, and served as Executive Vice President with Water Advocates, an advocacy group in Washington, DC dedicated to increasing financial and political support for worldwide access to safe, affordable and sustainable supplies of drinking water and sanitation.
Prior to Water Advocates John was a Vice President at a New York private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts and corporate divestitures. In previous lives, John researched science, technology, and economic policy at the National Academy of Sciences, and acquired extensive international management experience with USAID and U.S. Department of State contracts, including training programs for election officials and civil society, and civil/military communication projects in post-conflict countries.