Our People

Ann Miles-Brown, joined RCAP in April 2020 as Office Manager. She manages the day-to-day operations of the national office. Before coming to RCAP she had been retired for 2 years but got restless and wanted to work again. Ann has more than 25 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations.

She is a native Washingtonian and loves to hand dance (a dance that originated in DC). She also loves to cook and plan family events. Ann has one son, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

Pronouns: she/her

To Sarah, rural means a slower-paced, community-driven way of life–minimal traffic, cleaner air, open space, access to recreation and natural resources.

Sarah joined RCAP’s national office in March 2019 and has been involved in the water resources management and community development industry for the last ten years, more than eight of which have been within the RCAP network. She spent the two years prior to coming onboard at RCAP Solutions, the Northeastern and Caribbean RCAP, as the Deputy Director of Community Resources where she helped to oversee all regional water, wastewater and solid waste programming. Sarah also spent four years at another of RCAP’s regional partner organizations, RCAC, based in California, whereas a Rural Development Specialist II she developed and managed the flagship Agua4All program and was an active member of the Community Leadership, Median Household Income Survey and Regionalization teams.

Sarah has extensive experience in fund development, grants and contracts management, strategic program development and implementation, capacity building, professional facilitation, community outreach, communications, and adult education and training. She has been involved in the administration of federal and state funding programs and numerous smaller public and private grant programs for more than 10 years.

Sarah graduated magna cum laude with a BA in International Studies from Middlebury College with a concentration in Spanish/Hispanic Literature and Culture and a double minor in Russian and Political Science. She is a certified facilitator and environmental educator in both Project WET and Project Learning Tree. Sarah holds certificates of completion for participation in the following courses: Common Ground Mediation and Conflict Resolution, The Grantsmanship Center’s grant writing boot camp, The Croatan Institute’s series on Crowdfunding, Compass Point’s Instructional Design, OTTER participant based training techniques, Six Pillars of a Rural Development Specialist, and Facilitative Leadership for Social Change as well as ongoing water and wastewater technical, managerial and financial professional development.

Pronouns: she/her

To Diana, rural means small towns, off the beaten path, countryside with limited services.

Diana Carmenates joined RCAP in 2019 and is responsible for the organization’s meetings and events. Currently, she manages RCAP’s National Conference, Fly-In and regional convenings. With over 25 years in the meetings industry, she has successfully managed meetings and events with 30 to over 2000 participants for start-ups, trade associations and non-profits. Diana has been a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) since 2000 and a Certified Association Executive (CAE) since 2008. She received her Digital Events Strategist (DES) certification in 2020.

Diana holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University and is fluent in Spanish. She currently resides in Miami, FL and enjoys attending concerts and volunteering in her spare time.

Emily has been on the DCS team since October 2019 and assumed the role of lead developer in May of 2020. In October 2022, she joined RCAP directly to continue her work on the DCS as RCAP’s Senior DCS Engineer. In her spare time, she enjoys playing, transcribing, and arranging music for the piano, modeling objects in CAD, tinkering with her 3D printers, and playing video games. She lives in Baltimore with her partner Lauren and Pumpkin, their calico cat.

Gregorio Esparsen, raised in the Inland Northwest, began his tech career in the Pacific Northwest with a passion for technology that connects people, insights, and ideas to create meaningful momentum. With a data-centric focus on the industries of event technology and water treatment, he has specialized in digital infrastructure on prem to the cloud, back-end development, data visualization, and beyond. Gregorio is proud to be continuing this journey at RCAP as the Data and Impact Manager.

Pronouns: she/her

To Lisa, rural means small towns, open spaces, vast natural resources and connection to the community.

Lisa joined RCAP in November 2020 as a Training and Technical Services Specialist, with a focus on curriculum development and training activities/support at the RCAP national and regional levels. She previously worked as a Senior Rural Development Specialist for one of RCAP’s regional partners, GLCAP, where she provided training and technical assistance to rural communities for project development, financial and administrative management and improved sustainability for water and wastewater utilities.

Lisa earned a BA from Alma College, and has over 20 years of experience in community and economic development through grant writing, grant administration, facilitation, training and project management. She has a strong familiarity with federal and state funding programs, and has administered projects funded through EPA, USDA, EDA and CDBG. She is a Master Trainer through Langevin, where she also received certification in Instructional Design and Training/Facilitation.

Lisa is a skilled communicator and understands the critical importance of relationship-building to build capacity. She has helped leverage over $100 million on behalf of municipalities, non-profits and private sector organizations.

Coye Gerald joined RCAP in December of 2019. Coye graduated from Temple University with a Master of Science in Development Communications, and Salisbury University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. Prior to joining RCAP, Coye worked as a Community Outreach Specialist in the transit and gas industries, interfacing with numerous individuals on a regular basis.

Originally born in Fairfax, Virginia, Coye was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland for much of his life and currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. He enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee and attempting to dance salsa when he can.

Owen Griffith joined the RCAP team in late April 2022 as the new Fund Development Associate. He has been dedicated to serving others through work the nonprofit sector over the past 12 years within many different roles spanning social work, grant writing, international development, marketing, logistics, and fundraising. Prior to joining RCAP, Owen spent six years building a first-time development department for a community organization in St. Louis, MO. He is now excited to bring a knowledge and passion for grant writing, fundraising strategy, and fund development to help advance the efforts of the RCAP network.

Kaitlin Harris joined RCAP in 2022 as an Environmental Program Manager. Prior to joining RCAP, Kaitlin worked with Indigenous community leaders on water access and infrastructure development across Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Grounded in place-based partnership and contextual problem solving, Kaitlin has worked with rural communities, across the southwest and internationally, for over 5 years on creating access to water, electricity, healthcare, and voting rights.

Kaitlin graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology. She is energized by designing creative programs that center people first and support the future of rural communities.

Hailing from the corn-fields of small town Indiana, Kaitlin now calls central Texas home. She enjoys taking Portuguese lessons, buying last minute plane tickets, and learning to play the banjo.

Kaitlin is excited to bring her intersectional background and community-centered design experience to the team at RCAP!

Hunter joined the RCAP national office in May 2020. He is an experienced loan underwriter with a bachelor’s degree in Finance concentrated in Public Policy from Albion College. This led him into his role which is focused on national and state policy as well as local economic development. Hunter is originally from Dearborn, Michigan followed by a move to the rural town of New Boston, Michigan where he gained some insight on the daily challenges of living in rural America. Since then Hunter has moved to Arlington, Virginia so he can be closer to the Nation’s Capitol where he can advocate on rural America’s behalf.

Seth Johnson joined RCAP in June of 2022. Prior to joining RCAP, Seth led digital communications at NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association and held other communications and marketing positions at associations and capacity building organizations in the Washington, D.C., area.

Originally from a rural area outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Seth graduated from American University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He enjoys following politics from a communications angle, binging podcasts, traveling, exploring new wineries with his wife, and spending time with his young daughter.

Jim Jones is a RCAP Training & Technical Services Specialist. He is married with one son. He lives in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. He holds over 25 years combined water and wastewater treatment experience working as an operator, chief operator, and utility superintendent.

He earned his B.S. degree in Biology and an A.A.S. degree in Water Environmental Technology.  He has a passion for improving water quality, trouble shooting, training, and problem solving.  Mr. Jones currently holds the highest level, Class IV Water Treatment and Class IV Wastewater Treatment Certifications from the State of South Dakota and Class A Water, Class A Wastewater, and Type 4 Biosolids Certifications from the State of Minnesota.

His experience includes managing water and wastewater utilities with lime softening and activated sludge treatment processes, completing Total Coliform Tier Two Assessments, grant and funding applications including RDApply, SRF, and SEARCH / State funding grants, operation and maintenance manuals. Obtaining approval for new public water systems and working with engineers on water and wastewater upgrades. His prior experience includes five years as a TAP and three years as the regional Training Coordinator for Midwest Assistance Program (MAP).

Ami Keiffer joined RCAP in April 2022 as an Environmental Program Manager with our training team. Ami has spent the past 3 years with RCAC, the western RCAP partner, as a technical assistance provider in both environmental and rural economic development programs. She has spent over 10 years in Community and Economic Development and has seen her career grow from the humble beginnings of being a Main Street manager of a rural community to infrastructure project management for state agencies to working in grant program management for RCAP.

Preferred pronouns: she/her/hers

To Laura, rural means an equal right to health and opportunity.

Laura started working with RCAP in May 2018 as a research and policy fellow and joined the team full-time in June 2019 after receiving a Masters of Environmental Management degree from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. As a research manager, Laura advances RCAP’s mission of supporting small and rural communities by identifying, understanding and sharing their needs and contributing to national environmental and economic conversations.

At Duke, Laura was involved in projects that influenced her desire to work on issues of access and equity in the water and sanitation space. These included a project addressing concerns of equity and environmental justice through a focus on wastewater issues in rural areas and another project studying water and wastewater system regionalization efforts by rural systems to better understand the benefits of regionalization and cooperation. Prior to studying at Duke, Laura worked for a social good consulting firm in Arlington, VA for 3 years. She worked on cost models for federal drinking water regulations and assessments of federal laboratory certification programs at the regional level. Combined with a BA in Economics and Environmental Policy with high honors from the College of William & Mary, these experiences have given Laura a strong background in research, writing, and statistical analysis, as well as a grasp on the unique challenges rural and small communities face.

To Nicole, rural means connection – connection to the land, food, community, family, and nature – all the things that sustain and inspire her!

Nicole Manapol joined RCAP in 2022 to take on the organization’s newly created Community & Economic Development Specialist position. In this role, she will be helping implement RCAP’s community and economic development strategy, as well as managing its grants and programs related to assisting rural entrepreneurs across the country. 

For nearly 20 years, Nicole has worked at the intersection of international development, entrepreneurship and education designing and leading a variety of programs from small community-based projects to large-scale global initiatives. Working on behalf of the US State Department, Microsoft, USAID, and the higher education sector, Nicole has lived and worked in 14 countries across Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. What she loves most about her line of work is creating opportunities for people, organizations, and communities to realize their potential.

In 2017 Nicole returned to her roots in rural western New York to lead Letchworth Gateway Villages, an alliance of municipalities committed to fostering long-term economic and environmental vitality through growing the region’s outdoor recreation economy. In her four years leading the initiative, Nicole grew the collaboration from three municipalities to four counties and generated $1.2 million in new private, state, and federal resources to advance the alliance’s rural development priorities. 

Nicole is a Peace Corps Fellow with a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and holds a BS in International Affairs from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

When Nicole is not working she is outdoors adventuring in nature with her favorite sidekick, a zippy, pit-lab pup named Zoe. Nicole also loves to travel, eat great food, and discover new wines. Nicole is excited to join the RCAP team and contribute to rural development on a larger scale, with a committed group of people that share her belief that the story of rural America is still being written. 

Olga Morales-Pate, an accomplished and experienced leader on environmental justice and rural community development issues, became CEO of RCAP in October 2022, after spending 19 years at RCAC, the western RCAP. As RCAC’s Assistant Director of Community and Environmental Programs, she led a team of 48 and managed an annual portfolio of nearly $10 million in grants and contracts. Olga also developed and led RCAC’s regionalization work and authored legislation that established the New Mexico Colonias Infrastructure Fund which has secured $144.6 million for 263 infrastructure projects since 2011. She also served on the EPA’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) as an appointee of President George W. Bush, where she established strong working relationships with the agency while leading advisory efforts on issues such as climate change, hydraulic fracturing, carbon sequestration, and harmful algae blooms and cyanotoxins among others.

Preferred pronouns: He/Him

To Andrew, rural means the landless crowded. Rolling hills, valleys, fields, mountains, small towns, often close-knit communities, and plenty of room to roam. Places that have not yet developed into a mainstream city, and often have room to grow.

Andrew Nordbye joined RCAP in February of 2019 as the Manager of Technical Services and Programs. He previously worked for one of RCAP’s regional partners, the Midwest Assistance Program, where he helped manage grants, contracts, reporting, the website, regional surveys, and print production. Nordbye has a Bachelor of Science degree in both Business Management and Marketing from Northwest Missouri State University. While in college, Nordbye was president of two organizations – The Northwest Fishing Club and Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU). Nordbye has really enjoyed working for RCAP, as the work done is very rewarding. You get to see firsthand how the work we do helps to make rural communities sustainable for the future.

Preferred Pronouns: he/him

Jeff Oxenford joined RCAP part-time in 2014 to assist in training design, curriculum development, and technical assistance. Jeff has over 25 years of experience with the water supply industry and combines a strong technical background in water quality and treatment, with extensive business experience in training, knowledge management, and, customer service. Prior to joining RCAP, Jeff was Principal at Oxenford Consulting (which he still manages). He also has worked for the Water Research Foundation and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. He has an M.S.E. in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a B.A. in Chemistry and Environmental Management from Warren Wilson College.

Born and raised in NorthEast Ohio, Maranda most recently comes to us from Senator Booker’s office. She formerly owned a PR Firm in Canton, Ohio before transitioning to the political world. She has a Journalism degree from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and is a very proud Bobcat. Maranda loves traveling extensively and often and playing outside or on a yoga mat somewhere.

Lena joined RCAP in July 2022 to assist the research group. She brings a decade of professional work experience and has worked in three different countries as well as the American West. Prior to joining RCAP, Lena was working for the New Mexico Environment Department as Source Water Program Manager, which gave her a background on issues that rural communities are facing. Lena has also worked with flood forecasting and climate change effects on hydrology, stream health, and wildfire effects in the forestry sector and in wildlife management.

Lena’s technical experience ranges from GIS and remote sensing to statistical modeling and data analysis.

Her goal is to enhance access to clean and affordable drinking water and wastewater services in rural and tribal areas and use her research skills to improve their climate resilience and economic prosperity.

She has a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and the University of Oslo, Norway. Lena is based in Colorado and enjoys spending time outside, exploring the mountains and valleys, and cooking food with local ingredients.

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers

To Blue, Rural means wild places, long, quiet evenings, and night skies dark enough to lay on your back and stare for hours at the stars

Blue joined RCAP in early 2022 as a Data Science Fellow and joined the team as a Data and Impact Associate in July of 2022. As a Data and Impact Associate, Blue supports RCAP’s mission by leveraging her experience as a programmer and data scientist to help support existing technical platforms, plan for the future, and examine available data to draw valuable conclusions about areas of need and impact relevant to RCAP’s core goals.

Prior to her work at RCAP Blue jumped between several majors at Portland State University, including Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Data Science. Her work there included a summer spent mentoring high school students in Arduino programming for a summer boot camp program, a summer spent managing the Electronic Prototyping Lab, and a year spent working as a researcher in the Power Engineering Lab developing prototypes for distributed energy resource aggregation to help with frequency control and peak shifting for solar and wind energy infrastructure.

Preferred Pronouns: he/him

Ted Stiger joined RCAP in 2016 and is responsible for the organization’s national policy, legislative, and regulatory efforts as well as assists with the overall management of the organization as a member of the senior leadership team. Stiger has also managed and secured multi-million dollar technical assistance and training programs while at RCAP. Currently, he oversees RCAP’s new Economic Development and Events Departments.

Previously, he was the Legislative Associate for the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), which represents local government-based regional development and planning organizations nationwide. He provided advocacy of NADO’s legislative priorities and policy development in the areas of rural community and economic development. Prior to that, he worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.

His experience also includes environmental and rural advocacy, including drafting legislation that has been secured in multiple Farm Bills, appropriations measures, and the Water Resources Development Act. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Albion College and hails from rural northeast Michigan. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife Nicole and dog Lenny.

Yosief Tecle joined RCAP in 2022, as Accounting Associate. He has worked for nonprofit organization for 9 years and is based in Washington DC. He has practical work experience of federal and state grants accounting, CFR 200 cost principles, single audit requirements, non-profit accounting guidelines and GAAP. Yosief Possesses M.A in Economics, Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management, B.A Degree Economics/Accounting.