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The Jersey Water Works Collaborative
The Power of Collaboration: We can do more by working together to solve this complex problem than any individual or organization can achieve on their own.
BACKBONE STAFF
Jersey Water Works’ backbone staff provides administrative and programmatic support.
Check out additional backbone staff under each committee.
Backbone Staff Members
Krystal Zuniga
Water Policy Associate, the Watershed Institute , kzuniga@thewatershed.org
Andrea manages the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign, a coalition of community and advocacy organizations raising awareness and encouraging solutions to sewer overflows into streets, waterways, and basements. Previously, she supported the operations of the Jersey Water Works collaborative.
Before joining New Jersey Future, Andrea served as a communications and development assistant for Sustainable Jersey City and as a research intern for The Millennium Project. Andrea is a 2024 graduate of the Environmental Leadership Program and holds a B.S. in international business from LIM College New York.
Paula Figueroa-Vega
Director, Jersey Water Works Collaborative and Organizational Development, pfigueroa@njfuture.org
609-393-0008 ext. 1012
Paula co-leads New Jersey Future’s Collective Impact program areas with primary responsibility for managing the Jersey Water Works (JWW) collaborative, including new programs and projects, while also advancing organizational development goals of NJF. Paula facilitates JWW’s diverse statewide network of people who are shifting the culture and thinking around one of the state’s leading policy issues: water. Paula has directed various programs in the nonprofit and higher education sectors, and dedicated close to 10 years working on community engagement initiatives at The College of New Jersey. In 2019, Paula cofounded MAPA Collaborative, a management consulting firm. Paula received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University.
Paula is 100% dedicated to working on the Jersey Water Works collaborative. She is also the backbone staff for the Water Workforce Task Force.
Alesha works to provide New Jersey Future with administrative, operations, program development, and communications support. Prior to joining New Jersey Future, she worked in youth development and marine and coastal sciences at Rutgers University as a Community Engagement, Education, and Outreach Coordinator with Rutgers’ 4-H Cooperative Extension.
Alesha also served as an assistant director who founded and co-led social and environmental justice campaigns for The Coalition for Peace Action. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Monmouth University.
Jyoti Venketraman
Director of Collaborations & Organizational Equity, jvenketraman@njfuture.org
609-393-0008 ext. 1017
Jyoti co-leads New Jersey Future’s Collective Impact program areas with primary responsibility for overseeing Lead-Free NJ, Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers, and the data dashboard Jersey WaterCheck. Jyoti also leads the organization’s efforts on equity and health. She has expertise in program evaluation, policy research, and public health. She is a 2020 graduate of the Environmental Leadership Program and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, a postgraduate degree in Health Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in microbiology from India.
Jyoti is oversees Jersey WaterCheck and serves as a backbone staff in the Data Advisory Committee and the Asset & Management Committee.
Jersey Water Works is a collaborative composed of a diverse group of members. It is not an organization or legal entity. Jersey Water Works is working to transform New Jersey’s inadequate water infrastructure through sustainable, cost-effective solutions that provide communities with clean water and waterways, healthier, safer neighborhoods, local jobs, flood and climate resilience and economic growth.
New Jersey Future staff serve as the “backbone” for Jersey Water Works, coordinating the collaborative’s day-to-day activities in support of its shared purpose. New Jersey Future is also a member of JWW, and its executive director is a member of the Steering Committee.
