Jena Lee Nardella
In 2004 when most 22 year olds, fresh out of college, are looking for their first job, traveling Europe or moving back in with their parents, Jena Lee Nardella was on her way to Nashville, TN to co-found Blood: Water Mission, with Grammy Award winning band, Jars of Clay.
Over the past 11 years, under her vision and leadership, Blood: Water has become an internationally renown equipping agency that partners with African grassroots organizations to address the HIV/AID and water crises. They have brought clean water access to more than one million people through their 1000 Wells Project, funded health clinics, and provided treatment, care and support for communities affected by AIDS.
In addition to her work at Blood: Water, Jena is a popular speaker on college and University Campuses, churches and conferences around the world. In 2012, Nardella was invited by President Obama to pray for the nation in front of a TV audience of 20 million. She has been honored as an Epoch Award Winner, as GOOD Magazine’s GOOD 100, and as one of Christianity Today’s 33 under 33 Christian leaders shaping the next generation of faith.
As a writer, She has contributed to numerous books including Hope in the Dark and The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World, and has been featured in the films Sons of Lwala and Unconditional Love. Her first book One Thousand Wells: How an Audacious Goal Taught Me to Love the World Instead of Save It will release August 2015 (Howard Books, Simon & Schuster).
Jena and her husband, James, have one son, Jude, and split time between Nashville, Tenn. and East Africa.
