Emily Woods Co-founder and current COO

Sanivation, Kenya

Emily is a Fecal Sludge Management expert with 18 years operational experience. She holds a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a Masters in Renewable Energy from UC Berkeley. She is a recognized Forbes 30 under 30, and Georgia Tech’s first 40 under 40 award. She co-founded and currently acts as the Chief Operations Officer at Sanivation, a social enterprise that provides sanitation solutions for cities in East Africa. Sanivation partners with local governments to improve the dignity, health, and environment of rapidly urbanizing secondary cities.  Emily holds two US patents for fecal waste treatment and transformation to solid fuel. Her experience includes over 40 distinct waste management projects in Kenya across the sanitation value chain from containment, to emptying, transport, treatment, and reuse. Her expertise is in the intersection of technology, business models, stakeholder relations, policy, and operations.