Lynn Malooly '80

The following bio was published in September 2024

Lynn Malooly ‘80 serves as executive director for Water for South Sudan (WFSS), a non-profit which provides access to water, hygiene, and sanitation in remote areas of the world’s newest nation. 

Lynn began working for WFSS in 2010 as a part-time office assistant. At the time, WFSS was transitioning from a volunteer-run organization, and Lynn was their first US employee. In 2015, she was appointed executive director, overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the organization, as well as working closely with staff in both the US and South Sudan. 

Since its foundation in 2013 by Salva Dut, WFSS has grown from a grassroots nonprofit that began by drilling one well in Dut’s home village to a leading NGO whose partners include UNICEF and The Carter Center. WFSS’s water projects, including more than 625 water wells, bring clean water to more than half a million people a day. WFSS’s supporters include donors in all 50 states and 65 other countries.

A native of Chicago, Lynn is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. She lives with her husband Charles Blum in Penfield where they raised and homeschooled their three children. She founded and served as a teacher and board member of Lilac Children’s Garden, an enrichment program for homeschoolers now in its 25th year. She is a lifelong fan of public libraries and served on the board of the Penfield Public Library, and is a founding board member of the Penfield Public Library Foundation.