Staff

Niketa Kumar

Director of Communications

Niketa Kumar is the director of communications at the Water Foundation. She develops and executes internal and external communications programs for the organization. She also supports the work of our partners to use communications strategies to advance solutions that ensure every person and place has clean, reliable water.

Previously, she served as a vice president at BerlinRosen Public Affairs where she led comprehensive communications programs for national and local campaigns to reduce income inequality and improve the economic security of families across the country. Niketa also served as deputy press secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Obama Administration, focusing on the agency’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs and the administration’s initiatives to address climate change. She received a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Office

1970 Broadway, Suite 900
Oakland, CA 94612

Contact

[email protected]

"When I was about 8, one of my favorite books told stories from around the world that explained how Earth was created.

Each story had different characters and settings, but I liked trying to pinpoint the similarities. At the time, it felt like a game, cataloging which stories put women in charge or which stories had animals. Most of the stories talked about rivers and oceans and basic need for water. I think about that now at work. Water unifies the world, and that connection must come through in how we communicate about the problems and their solutions. Voters support clean water for people and nature, but we don’t always generate the political will to tackle our most critical water problems. With communications and community engagement that connect to people’s values and priorities, we can spur the political action and movements we need to implement solutions."