About Debbie Crenca
I was born in Liberia, West Africa and honored to be the granddaughter of two of Liberia’s Paramount Chiefs. My Paternal Grandfather was Dolo Ken Paye and my Maternal grandfather was Suah Makor. They gained the respect of their community and the local government because of their dedication to the communities they served. I lived in Liberia until I was 9 years old and then moved to the United States with my adopted father and my mother. I was provided with the best American education afforded to a suburban middle class family, got married and raised a family. Liberia had a Brutal Civil war from 1989 to 1996 that destroyed the country's water plant and its electrical grid. This destruction to the country's infrastructure left the country in an endless cycle of economic hardship and poverty due to the lack of water and electricity. I came face to face with this terrible crisis when I visited my beloved Liberia in 2014 and saw the needs of the people. That's when I knew I had to do something to help and decided to go back to school to get my BA in organizational Leadership and Change, dedicating my time into the WASH sector (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). My grandfathers made a difference in the lives of the people of Liberia and now it’s my turn.
I have always worked in jobs of service to my community. I have held customer service positions at MetLife, Gtech, UPS and other companies. I owned BANNA Investment and Development with my husband and provided housing for low income families as well as jobs in painting, plumbing and constructions for the communities our properties were located in. This led to providing sober living for men and women suffering from drug and alcohol addictions with our companies called My Father’s Sober House and Manchester Haven. I volunteered at Butler Hospital, and Learn to Cope which is an organization for families that have loved ones with addiction issues
I have created Kpelleh Water to help rural communities in Liberia, West Africa and Indigenous communities in The United States with clean water solutions.
Debbie Crenca, Founder
Board of Directors
Susan J. Donovan
Ms. Donovan is currently a Senior Program Director at the Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN). She started with the agency as a volunteer in 2002 and has served as a Resource Parent, Team Leader, and Transition Manager. Ms. Donovan has presented at multiple conferences on topics such as special education regulations, parent/professional partnerships, and transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities. Ms. Donovan is passionate about community engagement. She is the proud parent of three young adults and credits her children for leading her to meaningful employment. Ms. Donovan graduated from College Unbound in 2020 with a B.A. in Organizational Leadership and Change (OLC).
Caitlyn Blankenship
Miss Blankenship is The Rhode Island Statewide coordinator for STEM-(science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Advantage and The State Liason for Million girls Moonshot. Miss Blankenship is an expert grant writer and has received grants for STEM mentoring from the Sea Research Foundation, The Rhode Foundation General Grants, Community Investments Grants, and The Summer Learning Initiative Grants. She has been successful with several other grant proposals and fundraising campaigns. Miss Blankenship is a valuable asset to Kpelleh Water, she is dedicated to the BIPOC-(black, indigenous, people of color) community ensuring inclusivity, equity and education.