Linda Thélémaque
President and Founder
Linda holds a master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health from Brooklyn College. Throughout her graduate career, Linda focused on systematic interventions that affected women and children in underdeveloped countries. She was also able to contribute in various international projects such as the Uganda Village Project and the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in India. Since 2009, Linda has redirected her focus to Haiti by coordinating many medical missions with the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians, New York chapter (NOAH-NY) and the Haitian American Alliance of NY, Inc. (HAA-NY). Her passion for photography inspired her to start her own photography company, Linda D. Thélémaque Photography, in 2008. Since 2005, Linda has worked in the division of Cancer Prevention and Control at Mount Sinai School of Medicine conducting community based research in breast and colorectal cancer for African-Americans and Latinos in East Harlem. After graduating Fordham University with a degree in Mathematics, Linda worked at HAA-NY as a Youth Director coordinating a variety of programs for recent Haitian immigrant middle school students.
Marlene Thélémaque
Treasurer
Biography to come.
Fiona Korwin-Pawlowski
Founder
Fiona first traveled to Haiti in 2010 with the New York chapter of the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians (NOAH-NY) as a medical mission volunteer, and subsequently assisted in both New York and Haiti with logistics for several other medical missions. Fiona has her MS in Global Affairs from New York University where she concentrated in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance. Her thesis Having a Voice, which focused on communication between organizations and residents in refugee camps and companion photobook Kiziba about the Kiziba refugee camp in Rwanda was a Best Thesis nominee. Fiona worked in the Executive Office of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) from 2007 - 2011. Prior to joining the CFR staff, she was an Associate at the New York City based development consulting firm J.C. Geever, Inc. where she provided development services to a variety of nonprofit clients working with underserved youth and other vulnerable populations in New York City. Fiona is the Live Below the Line Campaign Associate at the Global Poverty Project and serves on the alumni board of the Bard College Globalization and International Affairs program (BGIA) .
Gregory Chervallier
Member, Board of Directors
Gregory Chevallier is an entrepreneur who was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. During his career he has worked in a variety of fields including construction, retail, tourism, and real estate. Greg extended his work beyond the private sector over ten years ago by supporting social welfare projects and investing in social ventures. His interest in strengthening community projects lies in his commitment to supporting and reinforcing the achievements of Haitians. Through his connections and strong familiarity with Haiti, he has provided support to medical and political organizations by managing logistics and facilitating partnerships with Haitian colleagues.
Greg was introduced to Project Istwa through friends he met while supporting a medical organization. He has worked with the group over the past two years to develop and define the project’s strategy, coordinate housing and transportation, and enable collaboration with Haitians implementing the project. Through this work, Greg hopes to provide opportunities for young Haitians to share themselves and the reality of their lives with the world beyond Haiti. He is committed to continuing his involvement with Project Istwa by developing a network of kids within Haiti who can connect and communicate through technology and expand their communication beyond photography.
Nathalia Bosquet
Special Events Coordinator
After graduating from Fordham University with a Bachelor’s in Sociology and minor in Business, Nathalia was enrolled and eager to begin law school. Falling ill to Lyme Disease, plans changed and she began working as a benefits advocate for disabled individuals at a nonprofit in her area. There her passion for philanthropy would continue to expand while developing new programs that focused on facilitating independent living for disabled individuals at Rockland Independent Living Center. Returning to her family’s native land of Haiti two days after the devastating 2010 earthquake, to provide emergency relief, Nathalia decided on a new career path. She returned back to school and became a nurse. She is presently in pursuit of her Master’s in Nursing and will eventually become a Nurse Practitioner. A frequent traveler to her second home of Haiti, Nathalia plans to continue her involvement in the growth of Project Istwa and reaching its mission to the youth of Haiti.
Facilitator: Cité Soleil
Ghost Translator: Pétion-Ville, Hinche, Port Salut, Jacmel, Miragoâne, Jérémie, Cap-Haïtien, Fort-Liberté and Gonaives
Jacqueline Edwards
Outreach Coordinator
Jacqueline Edwards holds a B.A.H. in International Development Studies from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and an M.Sc. in Health, Community and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Jacqueline currently works as the Coordinator for Africa Programs with the Global Tobacco Control Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. Jacqueline worked as a Senior Program Officer at the CDC Foundation for several years, focusing on a diverse portfolio of projects including the Viral Hepatitis Action Coalition and multiple education fellowship programs.
Prior to moving to Atlanta, Jacqueline held a research position at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London, focusing on evidence based practices in women’s health. Before returning to graduate school, she was based in New Delhi on behalf of Mines Action Canada as part of a team implementing community led landmine survivor programs and mine risk education and previously worked in homelessness services with the Canadian Red Cross. Jacqueline’s past experience in public health has focused on participatory research methods and community based health promotion.
Facilitator: Cap-Haïtien and Fort-Liberté
Debbie Erisnor
Development Associate
Debbie is a Haitian American that holds a master’s of Science degree majoring in Community Health with a concentration in Health Management from Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus. Her interests are in improving the health of low income communities and implementing/analyzing public health programs that will remedy the healthcare issues affecting medically underserved populations. Her overall career goals also include working with local community organizations and providing recommendations in maximizing the use of the funding that is currently available while advocating for additional funding that would benefit low-income communities. Debbie has a passion for helping others and reducing the health disparities that affect minority groups. She currently works at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She also volunteers on a children’s bedtime stories/arts and crafts activities project at a family shelter in the Bronx through New York Cares. Debbie served as a facilitator for Project Istwa’s 2012 workshop in Jacmel, Haiti and is looking forward to participating in many more workshops to come.
Facilitator: Jacmel and Port-de-Paix
Lauren Bellhouse
Facilitator
Joined January 2012
After graduating from the NATO affiliated AFNORTH International School in Brunssum, the Netherlands, Lauren studied International Relations at Emory University. At Emory, she was active in SAAGA, an organization created to raise sexual assault awareness on campus and to assist in the revision of the University’s policies on assault response, as well as Hand in Hand, which paired mentors with local refugee students. After graduating in 2007, Lauren held dual positions as a community outreach worker and research assistant at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. There, she worked with a small team from the Department of General Internal Medicine to create and implement a hepatitis C education and testing initiative for the medically underserved in East Harlem. After leaving Mount Sinai, Lauren travelled throughout Central America and settled on a remote island in Panama. There she volunteered with the local clinic accompanying nurses on medical outreach missions. She also worked with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for over two years providing environmental health education to the local indigenous community. Following Panama, Lauren was a bilingual English/Spanish intern at Circle of Hope, a domestic violence shelter in her hometown in rural Georgia. She is currently enrolled at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in the Population and Family Health department. She is working towards her MPH in Global Health and expects to graduate in May 2013. Lauren hopes to continue working in adolescent health and community empowerment in the future and looks forward to facilitating more Project Istwa workshops.
Facilitator: Pétion-Ville
Ja Fleurant
Facilitator and Ghost Translator
Joined January 2012
Ja Fleurant was born and raised in Port-au-Prince Haiti and moved to NY to pursue a degree in Architecture. She is a graduate of New York Institute of Technology and is currently studying for the ARE licensing exams. Throughout her career, she has worked on commercial, residential and institutional projects in NYC and continues to do so at Fink and Platt Architects. When she is not working an architectural plan, she is designing logos, business cards, letterheads, etc.. Her dream is to return to her homeland after acquiring her architectural license to help establish an efficient urban organization and infrastructure. But she has realized that Haiti doesn't only lack there, it also lacks a voice. Most of all, its children lack a voice and Project Istwa's mission is to help change that. She has learned about that mission from the beginning while designing Istwa's logo and has grown attached to it after becoming a translator for the organization. She has participated in her first -but not her last- workshop in July 2012 and her experience with Project Istwa not only helped her reconnect with Haiti and its children but it allowed her to hear their voices, see their lives and listen to their dreams. She hopes the photos and the stories will reach beyond Haiti's mountains.
Facilitator: Jacmel
Ghost Translator: Pétion-Ville, Hinche, Port Salut and Miragoâne
Devin Madden
Engagement Coordinator
Devin Madden holds her Master of Public Health degree from Southern Connecticut State University, where she was the recipient of the department’s Dr. Kay Keiser Valedictory Award. In 2007, Devin began volunteering with Girls Write Now, an organization providing mentorship opportunities for high school girls interested in creative writing, and became increasingly aware of how creative outlets foster youth development. During her graduate studies, she was awarded a graduate research fellowship that allowed her to investigate body-image concerns with a diverse group of adolescent at-risk females who shared their stories through Photovoice. Working with the Witness Project of Harlem and the March of Dimes, Devin had the opportunity to work intimately on reproductive and women’s health initiatives, leading narrative health projects with breast cancer survivors and mothers whom had delivered prematurely or with birth complications. Committed to community-based health promotion and action, Devin’s current role with Mount Sinai School of Medicine addresses health disparities in New York City with the Department of Health Evidence and Policy.
Facilitator: Cité Soleil, Pétion-Ville and Jacmel
Laura Dardignac
Facilitator
Joined January 2012
Laura holds Bachelors degrees in French and International Relations concentrating in Europe. During her college career, she participated in various extra-curricular activities including Habitat for Humanity in the city of Ellenville, New York. During her study abroad experience in the spring of 2011 in France, she had the opportunity to intern as an English teacher in an elementary school in the town of Besaçon. She is also an intern at Columbia University, for their summer high school program where she serves as Resident and Program Assistant. In the summer of 2012, she will be joining City Year, an AmeriCorps program, which is an education-focused nonprofit organization that partners with high need public schools to provide full-time targeted student interventions. In the future, Laura hopes to pursue a Masters degree in either Education or Tourism and Hospitality Management. Laura joined Project Istwa as translator in January 2012 and hopes to continue to grow with the Istwa family.
Facilitator: Pétion-Ville
Jessica Louis
Facilitator and Ghost Translator
Joined January 2012
Jessica was born and raised in New York but is of Haitian descent. She is currently pursuing her education at Brooklyn College. She is working towards a degree in Political Science and Africana Studies. She is looking forward to having all of her hard work result in a thriving career in Law. Jessica has had past volunteer experience with the New York City Rescue Mission. She was also employed with the American Red Cross of Greater New York in their Emergency Services Department. While working there she has taken part in many disaster operations for emergencies occurring both stateside and abroad such as Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, the Japanese Tsunami as well as local responses to fires, floods and vacates. She currently works for the New York City Department of Education. Jessica has been a translator for Project Istwa since the first workshop and has volunteered as a facilitator for the first time in July 2012. She hopes to volunteer and work with the amazing kids of Haiti again.
Facilitator: Jacmel
Ghost Translator: Pétion-Ville, Port Salut, Miragoâne and Gonaives
Emily Brackman
Facilitator
Joined July 2012
Emily joined Project Istwa in July of 2012 as a Facilitator at the workshop conducted in Hinche, Haiti. Emily graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelors degree in Psychology in May of 2011. She has always been interested in health and mental health, as well as mental health advocacy and social justice. Having worked at Community Support Services in New York City with chronically mentally ill clients, and the Urban Justice Center with lawyers working to combat stigma against these populations, Emily decided that she would pursue the combination of her passion for photography and commitment to mental health work by volunteering on an art therapy unit at a psychiatric hospital. From there, she had the opportunity to make a documentary film advocating for and with clients of a community mental health program for their rights and freedoms- this experience solidified her commitment to visual mediums as a mode of communicating about important cultural and social issues, and she plans to continue to be involved with alternative therapies in the future. Currently, Emily is working at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine on a behavioral research study exploring the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnosis with breast cancer patients, and plans to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology in order to further realize her dedication to mental health and sociopolitical policies impacting the mentally ill.
Facilitator: Hinche
Jovan Julien
Facilitator
Joined July 2012
Jovan Julien studied Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. Before joining Teach For America in 2010, he conducted a variety of research under Sharon Swartz and Kenny Breuer in their joint lab at Brown. He has previously taught 6th Mathematics and 6th grade Earth Science at Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood in Atlanta. Jovan's passion for photography began in high school where he took a number of film photography and videography courses. As a Haitian American he has always been interested in finding unique ways to give back to the Haitian community. During the summer of 2011 he ran a photovoice workshop in Leogane, Haiti after which he helped GOALS HAITI expand its scholarship program. He is extremely excited to work with the Project Istwa team in delivering on its mission of self-empowerment for Haitian youth.
Facilitator: Hinche, Port Salut, Jacmel, Miragoâne and Jérémie
Ghost Transaltor: Fort-Liberté and Gonaives
Wynnie Lamour
Ghost Translator
Joined July 2012
Wynnie was born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She considers herself Haitian American and identifies strongly with both cultures. Growing up in a household where multiple languages were spoken instilled in her a love and a passion for languages. With a BA in Linguistics & MA in Urban Affairs, Wynnie is an educator, with a focus on Mathematics and Language & Communication. She is highly engaged in the Haitian community and strives toward creating a more positive image of Haiti, through education and cultural activities.
Ghost Translator: Port Salut, Miragoâne, Cap-Haïtien, Fort-Liberté and Port-de-Paix
Zahara Raine
Facilitator
Joined July 2012
Zahara Raine is the Deputy Director at the Astraea Foundation and has over a decade of experience working with non-profit and non-governmental organizations, mainly in the fields of the arts, education and social justice. She has held previous positions with Lambda Legal, African Services Committee, African Film Festival, Global Film Initiative and a host of other social justice and art organizations. She serves on the grant making committee of the Queer Youth Fund and is an active board member for the Audre Lord Project. In addition to providing strategic planning and development as an advisory board member for the Queer African Youth Networking Center, Zahara also edits and contributes to the organization's magazine. Previously Zahara worked at the United Nation's Children's Fund in Kathmandu researching violence against women and girls and before that taught photography, creative writing, and creative arts to children. In her spare time she volunteers with media arts organizations, consults for independent artists, is a freelance writer, and produces and directs video and filmmaking projects. Zahara received her Bachelor's of Arts degree in African American Studies at Columbia University in New York, and her Master's of Arts in Non-Profit Management and Sustainable Development at the Graduate Institute for the School of International Training.
Facilitator: Hinche and Port Salut
Steve Doresant
Facilitator
Joined July 2011
Jocelin ‘Steeve’ Dorestant is from Jeremie, Haiti. He was raised in Port-au-Prince with a dream to help his country become better. He is currently an accounting student at the University of Port-au-Prince. For many years he worked as a driver for the Red Cross. Currently, he is a supervisor of Technical Support for the Minister of Youth, Sports and Civic Action office. With his knowledge, hope and strength he'd like to help his country grow strong. He also loves working in a group of people and this is why he joined Project Istwa. He is able to use his extensive knowledge about Haiti to help expand on Project Istwa workshop locations
Volunteer: Cité Soleil, Hinche and Port Salut
Facilitator: Miragoâne , Jérémie, Cap-Haïtien, Fort-Liberté and Gonaives
Christina Jean-Louis
Facilitator
Joined January 2013
Christina Jean-Louis graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 2010 with Advertising/Public Relations and minored in Business Administration. After her stay in the U.S., she returned to Haiti. In the 2 years since she has been back, she's gotten her feet wet in various roles which serve the flourishing integrative communications industry. She currently serves as a journalist for Magic Haiti – the nation’s premier tourism publication and Lakay Weekly - a biweekly newspaper targeting foreigners coming into the country. She's started a few businesses- Eucalyptus Guesthouse – a homely guesthouse conveniently located about 5 minutes away from the national airport & a traveling artisanal shop- chrivicanna which offers local artisans the opportunity to share their work and creativity to varied members of the national and international community. In addition, she also works as a communications coordinator for HPCD, an organization which works to alleviate poverty through sustainable job creation– where she oversees their communications department.
Christina continues to find new outlets to immerse herself in Haiti’s culture and find innovative ways to empower grow and love those around her.
Facilitator: Jérémie
Ghost Translator: Fort-Liberté
Bianca Neptune
Facilitator
Joined July 2012
Bianca grew up in Queens, New York with parents of Haitian origin. Growing up she took frequent trips to Haiti to visit family and considers it her second home. As an undergraduate at Brown University, her coursework was largely focused on art history, community health, and Haitian language and culture. Additionally, Bianca is an avid photographer and loves to travel. She has previously volunteered as a camp counselor for disabled children at Mid-Hudson Valley camp, as a tutor for Haitian students at an inner-city Providence high school, and as a dance instructor for Brown Arts Mentoring. As a Project Istwa volunteer, Bianca is able to bring all of her primary interests together with an amazing group of people.
Facilitator: Hinche and Port Salut
Eshley Spitzer
Facilitator
Joined July 2012
Eshley Spitzer is senior studying Journalism and Psychology at Indiana University in Bloomington. From Denver, Colorado she has spent the last two summers reporting and photographing for the Intermountain Jewish News and working with 850 KOA News radio. Eshley spent the spring semester of 2012 on Semester at Sea, visiting 10 different countries over the course of three months. Eshley reported and photographed for two different publications while at sea. At IU, Eshley is V.P. for communications at Hillel, the donations chair for DoGoodBuy.Us, a member of Sigma Delta Tau, an opinion writer and reporter for the Indiana Daily Student. She works with several Israel Advocacy groups including Indiana’s AIPAC chapter (IIPAC), and Hasbara Fellowships. Eshley works with the American Diabetes Association in funding, counseling and reporting.
Facilitator: Port Salut
Fabienne Douce
Facilitator
Joined January 2013
Born in Port-au-Prince, Fabienne Douce is a lover of photography and everything that has to do with audio visual production. She completed various seminars and trainings to improve her photography and videography skills with Haïti Reporters, a journalism school focusing on audio visual technique and also with other trainers. She did an internship with FOKAL (Kondation Konesans ak Libèté) through Fastforward Haiti in Sinema Anba Zetwal, an educational and social documentary film entitled Le Provences. She is a member of L’Association Nouvelle Image d’Haïti (ANIH), she also works as a volunteer in school sponsorships for children whose economic level are very low. Among other things, in spite of her varying interests, Fabienne continues to pursue her studies in Management Information System, at the University Centre of Management and Productivity.
Facilitator: Miragoâne, Jérémie and Gonaives
Olivia Kemp
Facilitator
Joined January 2013
Olivia Kemp is a Master of Public Administration candidate at Columbia University in New York, specializing in Environmental Science and Policy. She was born in Australia and in the past decade has lived and worked in England, New Zealand, Cambodia, Nepal, Sudan and the USA. Prior to moving to New York in 2012, she was working for the UN World Food Programme in Darfur, Sudan and in Nepal. She specialises in food security and sustainable agriculture, with a focus on the role of women and youth. Olivia holds a passion for photography and its use as a powerful story-telling medium, particularly in places of conflict and disasters.
Facilitator: Miragoâne and Jérémie
Jean Willy Charles
Facilitator
Joined July 2013
After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Sciences, Jean Willy Charles began to work with a Technology Education Project based in the region of Jacmel where he spent six months. Then he joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) where he did more humanitarian work than technological work. He continued to work with IOM in the regions of Leogane, Petit Goave, Grand Goave and Jacmel. He would like to obtain his Masters in Humanitarian Aid in order to further his career in social welfare. He had a great experience with Project Istwa this summer. Willy adores working with the kids and travelling to the different regions of Haiti.
Facilitator: Cap-Haïtien and Fort-Liberté
Alexandra Keough
Facilitator
Joined July 2013
Allie graduated from San Diego State University with a masters degree in Public Health specializing in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. Throughout her studies, she has spent ample time realizing her love for travel. She worked in Spain teaching English as a Second Language, traveled throughout Europe, and volunteered in Peru providing physical therapy to children with cerebral palsy. She currently volunteers at a garden club in an underserved inner city high school, and offers advocacy services to survivors of assault throughout San Diego. She loves working with children, and hopes to continue on in a career working with community initiatives aimed at improving adolescent health and youth empowerment internationally. Allie joined Project Istwa as a facilitator for the Cap Haitien and Fort Liberte workshops in July 2013. She would love to be able to travel back to Haiti in the future.
Facilitator: Cap-Haïtien and Fort-Liberté
Emily Wilson
Facilitator
Joined July 2013
Biography to come.
Facilitator: Cap-Haïtien and Fort-Liberté
Olivia Bell
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Olivia Bell is a MPH student studying Global Health Systems and Development at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, with a focus on Program Design and Implementation. In 2012, she graduated from New York University with a BS in Neuroscience. She is particularly interested in international health, childhood survival, monitoring and evaluation, and malaria. Her goal as a public health professional is to promote sustainable health programs by finding creative, evidence-based solutions to empower individuals and communities.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Emily Briglia
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Emily Briglia is a program manager at an FQHC that provides healthcare to underserved communities in New York City. She is also currently working towards her MPH at CUNY School of Public Health. In 2009, she spent 8 weeks volunteering in Arusha, Tanzania to provide comprehensive HIV education to teens with Global Service Corps, which furthered her passion for working with youth internationally. While working as a health educator for an adolescent pregnancy prevention program in New York City, Emily assisted in the development of public service announcement series where she realized the significant role that visual media can play in youth empowerment and advocacy. Emily is excited to be a part of Project Istwa's team for its 2014 workshops in Haiti.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Renyea Colvin
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Renyea was first introduced to photovoice while working on a community-based participatory research project in graduate school that used photography to mobilize communities and influence policy makers. As an amateur photographer herself, she believes the camera can be a powerful tool for community empowerment andstory-telling. Prior to joining Project Istwa, she also facilitated a photovoice project focused on chronic disease prevention, physical activity and the built environment for high school students in her hometown of Decatur, Georgia. In addition to chronic disease prevention, Renyea is also passionate about health disparities in general and HIV/AIDS prevention specifically. Her prior work experience includes work as a contractor in CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention and the Division of Global HIV/AIDS Prevention. Renyea holds a masters degree in Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavior from Georgia State University. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering, making jewelry, and traveling.
Facilitator: Port-de-Paix
Anne Lisberth Jean
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Biography to come.
Facilitator: Port-de-Paix
Karen Jung
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Karen Jung is the Executive Director of the ExactTarget Foundation, a 501(c)3 focused on childhood hunger, education and entrepreneurship. In her role, Karen oversees all day-to-day operations of the Foundation and focuses on building strategic relationships with philanthropic organizations in ExactTarget communities worldwide.
Karen has spent significant amounts of time in Haiti. She first traveled there in December 2006 and eventually moved to Petite Riviere de Nippes in January 2008, where she lived and worked until April 2009. During this stretch, Karen was the Administrator for the Visitation Hospital, a clinic in rural Haiti that treats on average 80 patients a day.
Karen earned a Bachelor's degree from DePauw University and a Master's of Science in Management from Purdue University.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Chris Martin
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Chris grew up in California and went to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland for his undergraduate degree in International Relations. While at university, Chris volunteered with an NGO in Tanzania working on community healthcare, and as an intern for a local Californian politician. In 2012, he completed an MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics and worked as a student consultant for the UK Stabilisation Unit as part of his MSc. Chris now works in Oxford, England for the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC) as the organization’s Training Officer and has helped to set up an INTRAC’s training program in Bangkok, Thailand.
Chris has been a photographer for several years and has taken advanced photography courses, worked as a teaching assistant in his high school, and has contributed his work to a number of photo exhibits. In the future, he hopes to continue to work in development and combining this with his passions for traveling and photography.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Vladimyr Mathieu
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Vladimyr Mathieu is a table tennis coach and substitute teacher at Quisqueya Christian School in Delmas 75 (Haiti). He attended high school at Catt’s Pressoir College and graduated from The Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medecine at the State University of Haiti (UNIVERSITE D’ETAT D’HAITI - Faculte D’Agronomie ET De Medecine Veterinaire) after 5 years of studies.
He enjoys playing table tennis and became a Level 1 table tennis coach in 2009 when he started to work for the Haitian Table Tennis Federation at Delmas 65 and was sent to Germany for 5 months in 2011 to further his studies and obtained his International Table Tennis Federation Level 2 Certificate at the University of Leipzig – Sports Faculty (UNIVERSITÄT LEIPZIG - Sportwissenschaftliche Fakultät). He returned to Germany to complete his internship in 2012 in order to receive his diploma. Upon completing his most recent studies in Germany (which included coaching and sports medicine & psychology as well and language studies) he returned to Haiti last fall.
Table Tennis is a big part of his life, and he will always save some time to teach it even if one day he would have an opportunity to work in his main field of training as an agronomist.
Over the years he has worked directly with the general public. He worked for DIGICEL HAITI (Customer Care, Digicel Entrepreneur of the Year, Digicel Foundation, Digicel Marketing) for four years before leaving for Germany to study.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Gerold Picard
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Gerold holds a bachelor in business administration from Adelphi University, Garden City, NYand is currently pursuing his masters in Public Administration at Baruch College. Throughout his undergraduate career, Gerold was involved with campus organizations and served as President for the NAACP and Chair of six multicultural clubs focusing on fundraising & giving back to local communities and organizations. Immediately after the recent Earthquake in Haiti Gerold joined with organizations such as Hearts4Haiti in which they held a fundraiser and raised nearly $20K in less than 5 hrs. Thousands of supplies and clothing were collected and shipped to Haiti through Yele Haiti, Doctors without borders, and Red Cross. While working in corporate and retail banking Gerold continues to follow his passion in giving back by participating with organizations that raise funds for Education, Autism, Cancer, Heart Disease, and many non-profit organizations.
Facilitator: Port-de-Paix
Juviza Rodriguez
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Juviza holds a B.A. in International Studies from Iona College and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Community Health Education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
In 2007, she began working as a Health Educator and Patient Advocate through the national service program AmeriCorps, which aims to help alleviate community needs in education, health, and safety. From 2007-2009 Juviza worked on various outreach projects focused on promoting healthy behaviors, disease prevention, and community empowerment. In 2009, she began working as a Research Assistant at Columbia University Medical Center in the division of Cardiology, where she helps coordinate longitudinal studies focused on the heart health of women and their children. Through this role Juviza has been able to understand how socioeconomic factors can influence health behaviors, and in turn has developed a strong interest in health equity. Additionally, given her interest in youth empowerment and development, she serves as a volunteer mentor with the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Scholars Program, where she helps low income, public high school students with the college prep process, as well as setting up academic and career goals.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Kathleen Scanlin
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Kathleen currently works at the NYC Department of Health in the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit within the Bureau of HIV Prevention. Prior to this, she worked at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as a senior coordinator on a large-scale epidemiology study investigating the relationship between cardiovascular health and the built environment. The research focused on identifying disparities in access to food and resources for physical activity within neighborhoods, and on understanding the health behaviors and outcomes associated with the differing environments.
She has a Masters in Public Health degree from Emory Universitiy, with a focus in behavioral sciences and health education. Majoring in psychology in college, she has long been interested in the connection between the individual and the social and physical environments and how the interaction impacts human behavior, and subsequent health outcomes.
Kathleen loves working with kids. She has worked within school systems and at community organizations throughout high school, college and graduate school. She worked as an after-school tutor for AmeriCorps programs in Washington D.C., worked as a camp counselor at a camp catering to kids with developmental disabilities, and helped launch a new science-based health curriculum at a high school in Atlanta, GA. She looks forward to meeting the beautiful kids of Haiti and to facilitating the workshops with Project Istwa.
Facilitator: Port-de-Paix
Amy Smoyer
Evaluator
Joined January 2014
Amy B. Smoyer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, CT (USA). She earned her PhD in Social Welfare at the City University of New York (CUNY) in May 2013.
Her research explores the structural determinants of health disparity with a focus on the impact of criminal justice systems on health, especially HIV and food insecurity. Amy’s work experience includes managing HIV care and prevention research projects and providing services in the HIV/AIDS community as a case manager, community organizer, and non-profit administrator, in Florida, Spain, and the Northeast region of the US.
Facilitator: Gonaives
Maya Stevens-Uninsky
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Maya is an undergraduate student in political science (developing areas), with focuses in education and women’s studies at McGill University. She is focused on development in sub-Saharan Africa, having spent several months in South Africa studying at the University of Cape Town, as well as doing service work, both in informal settlements working with the community to create a better living environment, as well as teaching literacy and numeracy skills to young children. She worked in Malawi in the summer of 2007 in an orphanage, clinic and school, and later returned in 2013 for a few months to work in mobile clinics and take surveys of orphan health and more broadly to research the Malawian public health system. Her travel extends across other countries in sub-Saharan Africa as well as other parts of the world, and she is eager to get the chance to explore more, while doing work that fascinates her. She is passionate about the education of women and children, especially in the realm of health education and hopes to explore this path further. This is her first venture into Haiti, but she is excited to participate in this photo voice program, and put her training to good use. She hopes to take all of these experiences, and move on to a career in public health.
Facilitator: Port-de-Paix
Maranda Ward
Facilitator
Joined January 2014
Maranda Ward is a pre-doctoral candidate in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development studying Curriculum & Instruction at The George Washington University (GW). She joined the GW Risk & Resilience Workgroup as a fellow expanding the research of her academic advisor, Dr. Brian Casemore, on positive youth development through aesthetic peer education models. She also expands the research of Dr. Jeffery Bingenheimer, a professor in the GW School of Public Health and Human Services, as a Child, Adolescent and School Health Fellow funded through the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the protective role of social capital to reduce HIV risk among adolescents in Ghana. Her research is translated into practice as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Promising Futures, a youth development pipeline for youth ages 11 to 24, which uses a social justice approach to positive youth development and hip hop pedagogy. She is a certified trainer for two CDC evidence based interventions- Focus on Youth (FOY) + ImPACT and Video Opportunities in Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES). Working as a community educator with strong program development, evaluation and grant writing and management experience, her research and conference presentations have spanned from urban youth identities and culture/s to the conditions that produce interpersonal violence and sexual risk taking amongst urban youth. She serves on the Advocates for Youth CDC HIV Review Panel for Best Practices in Pregnancy Prevention and as an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) - and has held many leadership positions in its local affiliate - the Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association (MWPHA). She chaired the YOUTH CORE for the DC Community Coalition that planned youth events for the 2012 International Conference on AIDS and works as faculty at the Washington Middle School for Girls. She earned her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from Tulane University and her BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Spelman College.
Facilitator: Port-de-Paix
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