Stacey Nyandiko: Engineering Partnerships That Last

Water access is personal for Stacey Nyandiko.

Stacey is a mechanical engineer by training and a partnership strategist by career, and she has spent years working at the intersection of those two worlds. As a member of Xylem's sustainability and social impact team, her job is to identify and develop partnerships that put the company's water technology expertise to work in communities that need it most. When she first encountered EWB-USA's work in Kenya, she didn't just see an interesting project. She saw a model worth investing in.

"Looking back, every stage of my career has been connected by a common purpose: solving water challenges," she says. "Engineering taught me how systems work and gave me an appreciation for the role that infrastructure plays in improving lives. My experience in sales taught me that even the best technology only creates value when it responds to real needs and is supported by strong relationships."

That combination, she says, is exactly what she found in the EWB-USA partnership.

Into the Field

For Stacey, visiting project sites alongside EWB-USA's Howard University chapter in Kenya brought the partnership to life in a new way. She arrived open to what she'd find, with no set expectations about what the visit would look like on the ground.

What stuck out to Stacey on this visit was how in touch the EWB-USA volunteers were with the community and what needed to be done. "The students knew the project at the back of their hand. The water quality, what was needed, why the system was located where it was. They really knew the needs of the community," Stacey said.

Just as striking was how the community received the team. There was no sense of outsiders arriving with solutions in hand. The community members were active participants, and their leaders were fully informed about the work and its long-term implications. For Stacey, who had spent years reviewing projects from behind a desk, this was the kind of evidence that changes how you work.

"It's one thing to discuss projects in meetings and review designs on paper," she says. "It's another thing entirely to stand in a community, hear people's stories, and see the challenges they navigate every day."

A Partnership Built on Complementary Strengths

The Xylem-EWB-USA collaboration is part of a growing effort to expand water access across Kenya. Over the next three years, the partnership aims to reach nearly half a million people.

Stacey is confident it can get there. Not because of technology alone, but because of how the partnership is structured.

"EWB-USA brings deep community engagement, long-term relationships, and a commitment to local ownership," she explains. "Xylem brings technical expertise, industry experience, and access to innovative water technologies. Neither organization could achieve the same level of impact alone."

In the field, Stacey's role reflects that balance. She serves as part technical advisor, part partner, and part learner. She helpsreview system designs, assess implementation progress, and provide guidance on pumping systems, installation quality, and long-term sustainability. But she's equally focused on listening: to students, to community members, to local leaders.

"Many of the issues we encounter are not purely technical," she says. "They often involve balancing community expectations, local realities, implementation constraints, and long-term sustainability."

One of the lessons she carries from her field visits is an appreciation for what Xylem's technology has to mean in order to work. "For communities, a pump is not simply a piece of equipment," she says. "It represents access to safe water, better health, improved livelihoods, and more time for education and economic activities."

The goal, she says, is to provide systems that communities can operate, maintain, and depend on for years to come, not infrastructure that will be handed over and forgotten.

Ownership as the Measure of Success

After her visits, Stacey came away with a clearer sense of what a successful project actually looks like.

"A successful project is not defined by a functioning pump alone," she says. "It is when community members trust the system and know how to manage it. It is when local leaders are actively involved. It is when women and children spend less time collecting water and more time pursuing education, work, and other opportunities."

The most meaningful moment she witnessed on a site visit wasn't technical. It was emotional, in the best sense: a community taking visible pride in what they were building together.

"Sustainable solutions are not created by technology alone," she reflects. "They are created through partnerships, trust, and a shared commitment to improving lives."

Stacey says her experience with EWB-USA has also shaped how she approaches her broader work at Xylem

"I have moved some of those learnings into designing other partnerships," she says. "How EWB integrates with the community, and how that then brings a sustainable project. A project that you know won't run for a few years and then become abandoned infrastructure."

An Invitation to Get Involved

For other engineers or business development professionals who are curious about this kind of work, Stacey's message is direct.

"I would encourage them to get involved," she says. "One of the greatest lessons I've learned is that technical expertise alone is not enough. Real impact happens when you combine technical knowledge with empathy, collaboration, and a willingness to listen."

She also points to what professionals stand to gain from the experience. The exposure to other contexts, the practice of designing solutions under real constraints, the chance to apply skills in settings most engineers never encounter.

"These experiences challenge you professionally and personally," she says. "They remind you why your skills matter and how they can contribute to something much bigger than yourself."