Our Story
After living in Nicaragua, our founder, Tyler Clason, fell in love with the people in La Dalia— a rural coffee town in the northern mountains of Nicaragua. Tyler volunteered as a missionary for two years in Nicaragua and was deeply impacted by the daily hardships people face.
One of the most devastating hardships he witnessed was an outbreak of Dengue fever in La Dalia. The fatal outbreak proved particularly devastating—carried by mosquitos and borne from the underdeveloped water systems in rural Nicaragua. Tyler himself contracted Dengue during the outbreak in La Dalia in 2013.
Tyler’s symptoms continued for a year after completing his volunteer service in Nicaragua. Unlike those in Nicaragua, Tyler had access to first-world medical care. “It’s simply not fair. There are so many aspects of daily life for the majority of those in Nicaragua that would be unimaginable to those of us who live in developed countries. There is a list as long as my arm of things we can work on to improve health and safety for the people of Nicaragua, but for me, clean water comes before everything else.”
OneWater is working to fulfill what started as Tyler’s vision—one that is now the shared vision of many more.
Our mission is to provide clean water to the families of Nicaragua. By providing water filtration systems and education on the importance of clean water, we will help save lives, reduce waterborne illness, and ensure sustainable access to clean water.
Meet the Team
Local Agents
Marvin Gadea,
In-Country Operations Lead
Marvin has two decades of experience working for several large banks in Nicaragua. As in-country operations lead, Marvin manages relationships with our Nicaraguan suppliers and water captains. He provides sustainable service and troubleshooting for all those who have received water filtration systems. Marvin loves to play basketball and spend time with his family and dogs on the weekend.
Edgar Benavides,
Water Captain
Señor Benavides is a community leader and talented artisan who runs a leather shop in La Dalia. He provides local support to families with water filtration systems including water education, filter maintenance, and supporting new filter donations. His help is vital in ensuring that families understand the importance of clean water.
Ernesto Chavez,
Water Captain
Ernesto is the captain of the San Martin Neighborhood water board. He helps teach his neighbors the importance of clean water habits and proper filter usage. Ernesto and his family help maintain their neighborhood’s filters, so that any problems are taken care of quickly.
Frank Aguilar,
In-Country Manager
Frank began working with OneWater in 2017. Frank is a local to La Tuma- La Dalia region whose primary responsibility is identifying households with the greatest need for clean water. Frank’s own family was one of the first homes to receive a water filtration system back in 2016. He is now helping others receive the same benefits of clean water that he and his family enjoy.
Yang Montenegro,
Water Captain
Yang began working with OneWater in 2017 and is also local to La Tuma- La Dalia region. Along with Frank, Yang identifies households with the greatest need for clean water. Yang’s family also received one of the first water filters in 2016. He is now helping others receive the same benefits of clean water that he and his family enjoy.
Company Officers
Tyler Clason
Founder, President & CFO, Board Member
As an adopted Nicaraguan, Tyler loves everything about the people and the country. Tyler began his career as a consultant with Ernst & Young in Houston, Texas. He gained global experience living and working in Bogota, Colombia with a Latin-American non-profit organization and has lead teams in the US, Argentina, Costa Rica, and India. Tyler graduated from the Rice University- Jones School of Business with his MBA and now works in Corporate Strategy for Dow Chemical.
Christopher Clason
Co-Founder, Chairman, CEO
Chris has held executive leadership responsibilities in several world class companies including Honeywell, Citigroup, and Chevron as well as private equity-backed transaction experience. Most recently, Chris served as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Coterra Energy and led the merger integration process that formed the innovative new energy company. His career has been highly global with a special focus and love for Latin America and fluency in Spanish. Chris has been highly involved in higher education and serves on the National Advisory Council for the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University (BYU). Chris holds a BS in International Relations and an MBA from BYU. He loves everything outdoors especially skiing, fishing, and mountain climbing having recently summited Cotopaxi and Iliniza (Ecuador) and Kilimajaro (Tanzania). Chris and Kristy live in Denver, Colorado and have four children and three grandchildren. Their life is dedicated to service in communities of need, and as Co-founders of OneWater they have developed a love for Nicaragua and its beautiful people.
Kristine Clason
COO, Board Member
Kristy has spent her life in service to family, community, and countless groups and individuals. With a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brigham Young University, Kristy has, in more recent years, focused on community efforts of mentoring at-risk teens to graduate from high school and has established a scholarship program for their continued education. The measured impact from this program resulted in permanent funded positions within the high school to mentor and coach over 100 at-risk students through their graduation. Kristy is developing Spanish language fluency and is currently dedicated to the endless logistical details of OneWater operations.
Aaron Roome
Board Member
An MBA grad (Babcock Business School at Wake Forest University) coupled with his 20 years of corporate & investment banking and securities industry experience, Aaron helps us make our mission a reality.
Aaron lived in Monterrey, Mexico, during his college years and is always eager to visit and support the wonderful cultures and people of Latin America. When not working, he enjoys running, spending time with family, and volunteering in his community.
He currently resides with his wife and two children in Charlotte, NC.
Amee Roome
Amee Roome taught special education for 8 years and is the mother of 2 children. Amee currently leads her local chapter of Church Women United as the Community Chair over Volunteering with Mecklenburg Metropolitan Interfaith Network for the last 9 years with previous board service. Amee also volunteers as a JustServe.org specialist in her community. Her desire to serve others leads her to support OneWater in fundraising and other creative activities.
Spencer Clason
CPRO & CMO
Spencer is at Boston University, earning a dual master’s degree (MPH & MBA). Doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, he is our go-to photographer, marketer, and researcher (current health issues in Nicaragua), we rely on him to keep the health and welfare of our Nicaragua friends our top priority. His heart and soul is centered around helping people. When he’s not studying, he spends his time skiing down or running up the mountains.
OneWater is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. EIN: 81-4260876