DigDeep Names Dipal Shah as Next Chief Executive Officer to Lead Effort to Close the U.S. Water Access Gap

Dipal Shah, an attorney and seasoned nonprofit executive, will succeed founder George McGraw on July 13, 2026

LOS ANGELES, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DigDeep, the leading human rights nonprofit working to bring running water to every American home, today announced that Dipal Shah will become its next Chief Executive Officer, effective July 13, 2026. Shah will succeed founder George McGraw, who announced his departure in January after nearly 15 years leading the organization.

For more than a decade, DigDeep has been doing the work – and building the movement – to close that gap. The organization has brought clean, running water to more than 10,000 people across the Navajo Nation, Appalachia, and the Texas-Mexico border, thrust a long-hidden crisis into public view, and formed a sector around solving it in our lifetimes.

That work now has a deadline. Last month, more than 130 organizations across the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector – community leaders, tribal nations, technical assistance providers, researchers, and advocates – committed to closing the U.S. water access gap by 2040, the first shared timeline in American history for solving the crisis. The commitment is laid out in the National Roadmap to Close the U.S. Water Gap by 2040, released by the Vessel Collective, a coalition DigDeep helped found. Shah will lead DigDeep into this next chapter of the work.

Shah's appointment follows an extensive national search led by the DigDeep Board of Directors Search Committee and OnRamps, which considered candidates from across the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors.

"Dipal is exactly the leader DigDeep needs for this moment," said Steve McCormick, Chair of DigDeep's Board of Directors. "Closing the U.S. water access gap by 2040 is the most ambitious commitment this sector has ever made. It will take a leader who can scale solutions, navigate complex policy environments, and stay grounded in the dignity of the communities at the heart of this work. Dipal has done all three. He stood out at every step of our search. He is the right leader for what comes next."

Shah is an attorney with more than two decades of leadership across law, advocacy, and nonprofit management. Across his career, he has scaled national nonprofits through periods of significant growth and change, led programs serving tens of thousands of people a year, and stayed close to the communities at the heart of each organization he has led.

Shah most recently served as Chief External Affairs and Programs Officer at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York and Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund, where he oversaw public affairs, community engagement, and education programs while also spearheading all aspects of advocacy across a $100 million healthcare organization with more than 600 staff. Prior to PPGNY, he spent eight years at the Center for Justice Innovation, rising from Director of the Midtown Community Court — where he oversaw initiatives serving more than 25,000 cases each year — to Chief of Staff and External Affairs. He has also served as Director of Policy Development and Programming at the American Constitution Society and began his legal career in labor and employment law.

"From the moment we met Dipal, I knew DigDeep had found its next leader," said McGraw. "He brings the kind of grounded, dignity-centered leadership this work demands. He listens first. He trusts the people closest to the work. And he is exactly the leader to take DigDeep into the next chapter as we close this gap for good. I have complete confidence in what's next."

"What DigDeep has built is uncommon and novel," said Shah. "Most organizations talk about community-led work. DigDeep does it. I've spent my career in service of expanding access to the basic rights that let people thrive. There is no right more foundational than access to clean water at home – and no moment more critical to act. I am honored to step into this role and to work alongside our staff, our partners, and the communities we serve to meet that goal and to lead DigDeep into its next pivotal and consequential chapter."

Anne-Marie Jones currently leads the organization as Interim CEO until Shah joins on July 13th  and will remain in her role as President and Chief Operating Officer under Shah's leadership.

Shah holds a J.D., cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law and a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies, with Honors, from Northwestern University. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Illinois, and before the Supreme Court of the United States. He has served on the boards of Big Apple Performing Arts and the Times Square Alliance, and currently serves on the board of NYLaughs.

ABOUT DIGDEEP: DigDeep is a human rights nonprofit working to ensure every person in the United States has access to clean running water and sanitation at home. The organization has served thousands of families across the country through its award-winning and community-led field projects: the Navajo Water Project (Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah), Appalachia Water Project (West Virginia and Kentucky), and Colonias Water Project (Texas). DigDeep is a leading force in U.S. water access research and policy advocacy, underscoring its commitment to addressing the sector's lack of comprehensive data.

For more information, please visit digdeep.org.

SOURCE DigDeep