We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization. Meet the passionate board members and volunteers that are behind all that we do.
Board of Directors
MERILEE KARR
President
Merilee Karr is a science journalist, family physician, and emergency preparedness advocate. She attended medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle, then Family Medicine residency at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland. Both institutions encouraged an expansive view of health. Her M.F.A. from Portland State is in long-form journalism. She has reported on West Nile virus, Portland rats, indoor air quality, and cultural barriers to reducing medical mistakes. As a Team Leader with Neighborhood Emergency Teams (Portland’s CERT), she studied and taught Disaster Sanitation, leading her to PHLUSH. Joining the Board has given her a view of the astounding breadth of sanitation activism, and the synergy of solutions among its various fields. She is also a designer and maker, who was about to launch workshops to build simple, cheap handwashing stations for disasters, when the pandemic intervened. Her design is posted on Instructables.com, under Creative Commons license. Merilee currently serves as Board Director. Email Merilee here.
HAYLEY JOYELL SMITH
Vice-President
Hayley is passionate about appropriate toilet technologies and availability. She is currently a Visiting Instructor of Geology at Hanover College, and was previously the program director at the Ecovillage Training Center where she ran permaculture and natural-building educational experiences. Hayley earned her Master’s degree in geosciences from North Carolina University, and focused on sustainable design and the influence science education on student attitude and decision-making. Over the last fifteen years, she has researched the relationship between quality of life and wastewater systems. While working for a watershed-based non-profit, she developed a place-based curriculum and working model that illustrated the connection among our natural and constructed water systems. While her international work has focused on constructing sanitation systems for small communities, PHLUSH drew her attention to the need for public toilet advocacy and disaster preparedness in the United States. You can learn more on her website. Hayley currently serves as Board Vice-President. Email Hayley here.
KYLE EARLYWINE
Treasurer
Kyle is a sanitation entrepreneur and loves that his job is to talk with people about restrooms. His experience with sanitation goes back to the late 90’s when his dad invented a portable flush restroom for the National Park Service. The two of them later built off of that invention in 2010 by starting Green Flush Technologies. Through their business, they are able to provide flush restroom buildings to areas that lack access to sewer and septic systems. Shortly after getting into the sanitation business, Kyle discovered a piece of PHLUSH literature while volunteering at a local homeless shelter and immediately became a fan of the their work. He then connected with PHLUSH at the World Toilet Summit in Philadelphia and has stayed connected ever since. Kyle hopes to use his varied experience in the sanitation industry to aid PHLUSH in improving and securing sanitation for all. Kyle currently serves as Board Treasurer. Email Kyle here.
ASHLEY VOISINET
Secretary
Ashley holds a BA in anthropology from Oregon State University and a Masters of Science (MS) degree in water resources policy and management, focusing on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Her master's thesis delves into identifying WASH access gaps within the local unhoused community of Corvallis, Oregon. She first developed an interest in WASH issues during her travels across South East Asia and living in Da Nang, Vietnam, where she observed various different water and sanitation management systems and strategies. Ashley is driven by a deep interest in understanding human relationships with water and sanitation, encompassing environmental, economic, social, and spiritual dimensions. Her advocacy extends to the rights of the unhoused, recognizing the foundational role water and sanitation play in fostering resilient and thriving communities. Ashley currently serves as Board Secretary. Email Ashley here.
KORY RUSSEL
Board Director
Dr. Kory Russel’s work centers on the design, implementation, and experience of non-networked water and sanitation services in resource constrained locations. He did foundational research and design on Container-Based Sanitation with SOIL in Haiti. He also co-founded the Container-Based Sanitation Alliance (cbsa.global) in 2016, the Landscape for Humanity initiative (www.landscape4humanity.org) in 2019, and is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Science at the University of Oregon. He is the CBSA Co-Chair, holds a BS and MS in Environmental Biology from Taylor University as well as an MS and PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. Kory currently serves as Board Director. Email Kory here.
ANNA MEDDAUGH
Board Director
Anna’s mind is often in the toilet. Her interest in sanitation began early in her public health career, participating in the groundbreaking investigation of an E. coli outbreak at a local swimming area, and continued into neighborhood emergency preparedness through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. As a product design student, she developed a dry urinal for women and girls living in refugee camps, iterations of which are exhibited at the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna, Austria, and closer to home at the Gates Discovery Center in Seattle, WA. She spent recent years conducting customer research for the Australian toilet paper enterprise Who Gives A Crap, where conversations about toilet paper often revealed deeper insights about sanitation access, dignity, and behavior. Along the way, she explored toilet culture globally––visiting a toilet museum in Japan, an Unko (“cute poop”) museum in Australia, and wastewater treatment plants in multiple U.S. cities.
She first connected with PHLUSH after hearing a local radio story about a toilet scavenger hunt. Topping the leaderboard as “The Tinkler,” the prize was a tote bag; the real reward was connecting with a community passionate about sanitation justice. Motivated by her belief that safe, accessible sanitation is fundamental to public health and human dignity, Anna is eager to help advance a future where access to toilets is recognized as a right for everyone, not a privilege for a few.
Anna currently serves as Board of Director. Email Anna here.
JOLIE GUTENTAG
Board Director
Jolie Gutentag was an international business executive with extensive experience in marketing and communications. After receiving her Doctor of Business Administration in 2021, Jolie pivoted to academia working as a visiting professor and conducting research on the circular economy. Her research on circular communication strategies has been recognized at academic conferences and published in the International Journal of Advertising. In 2024 Jolie joined a team of researchers who received an NSF grant to explore the public’s acceptance of alternative sanitation systems.
Building on that experience, she is delighted to join the PHLUSH board to assist in delivering on their mission of enabling universal access to ecological sanitation systems, particularly in times of emergencies. Jolie hopes to contribute with the development of meaningful and compelling communication to drive awareness of this important issue and motivate change.
Jolie currently serves as Board of Director. Email Jolie here.
Volunteers
Thomas Nguyen
Volunteer
Thomas is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon, studying Urban Planning, Policy Development, and Public Management. His focus is on the role infrastructure has in creating equitable communities. As a researcher and advocate, Thomas has explored public restroom facility quality in Portland, Oregon, as well as the barriers different demographics face when accessing public restrooms. His projects also include conducting feasibility studies for hygiene programs that aim to address unhoused needs. Thomas is an advocate who is attentive to how restrooms shape the spaces we live in.
GENEVIEVE MANCUSO, PE
Environmental Engineer
Genevieve has a background in environmental engineering and is a Utility Advisor at Moonshot Missions. She holds a BS and MS in Environmental Engineering from University of Colorado at Boulder and Oregon State University, respectively. She is passionate about understanding and mitigating impacts to human and ecological health due to environmental pollution or inadequate sanitation and hygiene access. She also is interested in human behaviors surrounding the use and adoption of sanitation/hygiene technology. She has completed coursework in Engineering for Developing Communities in Israel, has volunteered to assist in footbridge construction in Haiti, and most recently traveled to Vietnam, where she conducted her MS thesis research on the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in septic tank sludge and waterways in Ho Chi Minh City. Genevieve currently serves as Board Director. Email Genevieve here.
CAROL MCCREARY
Programs Volunteer
Carol is PHLUSH's co-founder and now serves as an adjunct contributor. She sees solving toilet issues at the heart of human dignity, community well-being, and the health of people and our planet. Her passions run the gamut from championing public toilets to questioning how much longer we can afford to use drinking water to transport our pee and poo to wastewater treatment plants vulnerable to seismic events, climate change, and sea-level rise. Equipped with an MA in teaching and an MS in development management, Carol spent three decades working in Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen. Along with five neighbors, she co-founded PHLUSH in 2005 in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown District. Email Carol here.
TOLULOPE LAWAL
Volunteer Coordinator
Tolu is a scientist, artist, and social justice activist at the City College of New York. She prioritizes work in intersectional equity and heads several accessibility projects such as the Science and Technology Entry Program at John Jay College. Upon discovering PHLUSH on a volunteering website, Tolu immediately resonated with PHLUSH’s mission and made it her duty to help the organization succeed. With over five years of experience in research, mentorship, and design, Tolu hopes to contribute to sanitation equity while serving as PHLUSH’s Volunteer Coordinator. Email Tolu here.
ABIGAIL BROWN
Sanitation Justice Advocate
Abigail Brown is an enthusiastic researcher and educator with over fifteen years of experience in the environmental field. She holds a BSc in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College, an MSc in Water Resources Policy and Management from Oregon State University, and an MA in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz. Her research interests include urban water and sanitation access, water and sanitation infrastructure, and water and sanitation justice. Her master’s projects focused on: 1) empowerment and gender equality around water and sanitation in rural India and 2) equitable participation in groundwater decision-making in Central California. Abigail was a board member of PHLUSH for several years. Her professional background includes positions evaluating surface and groundwater policies with state water agencies, conducting watershed restoration with non-profit organizations, and teaching about water issues with non-profits and universities.
MARGOT KLEINMAN
Graphic Designer
Margot is an advocate for public toilet access and restroom design. She is an architect, teacher, and mentor who is motivated by seeing the impact of her work on its users and her students. As a frequent traveler with experience in city planning, toilet access has always been an important topic to her. She learned about how critical toilet and restroom access is for those experiencing homelessness while living in Los Angeles earning her Masters of Architecture at USC. She encourages her students, design teams, and clients to consider access and inclusion in restroom design to promote an equitable and safe experience for all users. Margot is excited to be a part of the PHLUSH team where she volunteers as both an advocate and graphic designer. Email Margot here.
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PHLUSH is excited to announce a new partnership with The Bathroom Company, creators of The Bathroom App—a free restroom-finding tool that prioritizes accuracy, reliability, and community-driven data. Unlike other restroom apps, The Bathroom App relies on real people to scout locations and take photos, ensuring better quality data. So far, the app is available in San Francisco and…
PHLUSH is excited to announce a new partnership with The Bathroom Company, creators of The Bathroom App—a restroom-finding tool that prioritizes accuracy, reliability, and community-driven data. Unlike other restroom apps, The Bathroom App relies on real people to scout locations and take photos, ensuring better quality data. So far, the app is available in San Francisco and New York…
Designing for a Shared Reality: What is a Multispecies Approach to Sanitation? By: Kory Russel At a Venetian Palace overlooking the grand canal, an unexpected exhibit highlighted a universal truth—every living being, from emperors to insects, must excrete waste. This display, "Designing for the Intimate Shared Reality of All…
Join PHLUSH and The Bathroom App’s Restroom Scavenger Hunt!
Join PHLUSH and The Bathroom App’s Restroom Scavenger Hunt!
Designing for a Shared Reality: What is a Multispecies Approach to Sanitation?
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100 N. Howard St. Ste. R, Spokane WA 99201
PHLUSH is a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. EIN: 81-3327116