The Executive Team consists of a Board of Directors and a Prayer Board. The Directors govern major actions that impact the business aspects of Sweetwater’s operations. They execute financial responsibilities and negotiate partnerships with clients and organizations. The job of the Board of Prayer is to intercede on behalf of Sweetwater, its volunteers, and its clients. They are also tasked with communicating back to the Directors any Scripturally-informed guidance God has burdened them to share.
David Pendergrass
Executive Director and Lead Scientist
M.S. Aquatic Biology – 2006 – Texas State University
B.A. Environmental Biology – 2000 – Covenant College
Over the last 25 years I have studied stream ecology in Missouri, ecological agriculture in Michigan, ethnobotany and crater lakes in Ethiopia, urban agriculture in Florida, tropical agriculture in Haiti, and the impacts of swallow feces on E. coli sampling in Texas rivers. I have also engaged in cross-cultural ministry in Croatia and in inner-city St. Louis, Missouri. As a scientist at the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, I developed a reputation for deftly managing challenging datasets and distilling them into practical narratives for water project managers in both large and small, urban and rural watersheds. A particular passion of mine is stream invertebrates and I have organized and led seminars for training state and federal employees in invertebrate identification and their use as bioindicators. Teaching is a joy for me and others have remarked that my enthusiasm is contagious. My favorite classroom is beside a stream where the beauty of the creation speaks loudly to the beauty of the Creator.
During a time of fasting and prayer in 2015, I was convicted by the words of God through the prophet Isaiah: “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (58:6). In response, I left my 10-year position at the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research to dedicate my training in watershed ecology to the world’s widows and orphans. I am the grateful husband of Krista Pendergrass, the proud father of four boys and a girl, and a lifelong fan of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. My greatest joy is seeing my children singing loving praises to Jesus their Savior.
Edward Osei
Board of Directors
Ph.D. Agricultural Economics – 1994 – Iowa State University
B.Sc. Agricultural Economics – 1989 – University of Ghana
Dr. Osei is an economist by training, though he also has substantial expertise in computer modeling. He received graduate training in agricultural economics after a BSc in the same field from the University of Ghana in his native country of Ghana. He has over 25 years of expertise in the analyses and computer modeling of alternative policies and practices related to water quality and agricultural production. He is a prominent economic modeler, having developed economic models for agro-environmental and health economic analyses. Dr. Osei has also published in a number of interdisciplinary journals and is currently the editor in chief of the Texas Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dr. Osei was on the staff of the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research for 20 years and is currently a faculty member of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Tarleton State University. Dr. Osei is unabashedly Christian, a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church in Stephenville, Texas. Having been raised Methodist and attended a number of charismatic churches on numerous occasions, he has a broad perspective of Christian faith and is not ashamed to share his faith in the appropriate settings.
Dr. Osei has a personal interest in water ministry. As a young boy growing up in Accra, Ghana, he personally experienced water shortages on numerous occasions, when he had to accompany his siblings to fetch water from a well a good distance from home prior to going to school. He has family in Ghana and friends in many African countries and is eager to use the skills the Lord has provided him to be of service to many who lack physical water, and many others who do not know the Living Water.
Rob Oskins
Board of Directors and Development
The Lord has given me the opportunity to grow many, seemingly unrelated, talents: a commercial real estate broker; a financial auditor; a software trainer traveling the nation, and a teacher. I’m also a business owner in the field of digital marketing. This is where I thought I’d be the most help with Sweetwater, helping them get higher in search whenever someone searched for anything related to Sweetwater’s objectives. I soon learned that I could also help out in a more fundamental way by assisting David with day-to-day activities so as to help him do what he does best, be the lead scientist and the face of Sweetwater. I am so grateful that the Lord has matched my gifts in a way that will help solve people’s water problems, while at the same time, present the True Living Water as a solution to their spiritual problem.
Kaley Hallmark
Board of Directors
M.S. Ecology - 2022 - Penn State University
B.A. Chemistry and Environmental Biology - 2019 - Covenant College
Some might call me an ‘outdoor enthusiast’, others an ‘adventure-seeker’ or, my personal favorite: ‘that-weirdo-who-loves-bugs-and-doesn’t-squish-spiders’! Whatever the title, I happily embrace that I prefer spending more time outdoors than in, and I whole-heartedly agree with the statement that “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing” (and I will happily remind you of this, should you forget this nugget of truth). I am up for any activity that I perceive to be adventurous or thrilling, and I am particularly fond of 0-, 6-, 8-, or 100-legged animals that make most people scream or squirm (or both). The most important aspect of Kaley Hallmark, however, is my identity as a Redeemed sinner and Child of God. My passion and love for experiencing and understanding the natural world stems from a love of its Creator. My ultimate desire is to make known the LORD of the Heavens, to whom and for whom and through whom all Creation worships, sings, and is held together (Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 55:12; Colossians 1:16-17).
Sweetwater first came across my radar in the spring of 2019, and I was immediately interested in their strategies for developing sustainable solutions to water insecurity while sharing the hope of the Gospel. I felt God’s call to pursue a partnership with Sweetwater as an intern, so I completed an 8-month internship in 2019-2020, after which I left to attend Penn State University for a Master’s degree. My time at Sweetwater enriched and stretched and grew me so much that I just couldn’t stay away! Near the end of 2022, I rejoined the Sweetwater team as a member of the Executive Team Prayer Board and then the Board of Directors in Feb. 2023. I believe in the vision and application of Sweetwater’s mission to serve orphans and widows by physically and spiritually alleviating their thirst and am excited to be part of God’s work in and through Sweetwater and look forward to serving alongside this wonderful group once again.
In my spare time, you can find me chasing my nephew, playing almost any sport that involves a ball, attempting DIY fixes on my car or house, or curling up with a good book.
Stephen Schuknecht
Part-Time/Volunteer - Web Developer
Stephen and his wife, Elisa, are currently raising their family on a few, peaceful acres in the Midwest. A second generation graphic designer, Stephen enjoys art in its many forms. If he’s not behind a computer, quietly crafting the next round of graphics, then he’s most likely out getting his hands dirty in the garden, herding goats, feeding the chickens or covered in sawdust. As an avid outdoorsman, conservation of the land and local resources have always been important to him. David’s passion for spreading the gospel through clean water and his game-changing approach to an age old problem, are what led Stephen to partner with Sweetwater. He hopes that through using his talents others would heed the call of the cross and that ultimately, God would be glorified.
Jolene Forzetting
Executive Assistant
Jolene Forzetting has over twenty years' experience in non-profit administration as well as experience in water management related to agriculture. Jolene has a passion to serve the ‘least of these’ in our world, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel and in meeting the physical needs of image bearers of our Lord. Office administration, HR, AP/AR, safety, board of directors’ administration and technology are all skills and experience that Jolene has utilized professionally and still does remotely, full-time for a secular non-profit in California, while she volunteers in these same areas for Sweetwater Research, Inc. Jolene heard the call of the Lord as a nine-year-old, and although not raised in a Christian home, searched earnestly to follow the Lord. When she was 17 years old, she committed her life to the Lord, repented of her sins and was baptized. Jolene has lived through many of the life circumstances that Sweetwater seeks to serve, including poverty. Her family was homeless and lived in their car when she was 13 and 14 years old. She also suffered severe abuse during her childhood, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Jolene was widowed when she was 27 years old, while she was six months pregnant and had two sons, ages five and two years. Jolene knows that through all things the Lord has been with her and doesn’t doubt that everything has been for her good, even through tragedy and hardships. Jolene is married to her husband Chris of 33 years, and has four adult children and three grandchildren, whom she prays for diligently. Jolene is called to serve and she loves to serve the Lord in many capacities. One of Jolene’s favorite verses is Romans 11:36: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be the Glory forever, Amen.”