This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is largely targeting people from the countries most vulnerable to displacement from climate-driven disas…
© 2026 Haitian American Foundation for Democracy (HAFFD). All rights reserved.
Voices of Haiti Tour connects the diaspora with voices from Haiti through powerful conversations, expert insights, and community engagement. The program raises awareness, inspires action, and drives advocacy around the realities and future of Haiti.
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Yrvy Frenel is a dedicated and passionate professional with extensive experience in psychology, children's and youth rights, and a deep commitment to her home country, Haiti. With over 12 years of project management experience, Yrvy has demonstrated her ability to lead teams effectively, foster innovative ideas, and achieve project objectives.
She holds a degree in psychology from the State University of Haiti and completed a two-year study at Le Grand Chemin Center in Canada, focusing on drug dependence and emotional dependence. Her professional background has equipped her with skills in personal development, social animation, capacity building, and the supervision of qualitative and quantitative research.
Since 2013, Yrvy has focused on managing and overseeing various development projects. She currently serves as the Program and Outreach Manager for the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy (HAFFD). Initially, she managed the "Voices from Haiti Tour" project, which aimed to create a platform for meaningful dialogue and exchange between the Haitian diaspora and leaders in Haiti, fostering a deeper understanding of Haitian culture, challenges, and opportunities. Now, she oversees all programmatic and outreach activities for HAFFD.
In addition to her current role, Yrvy has worked as a project manager for Lakou Lapè, where she ensured the implementation, execution, and proper management of human and financial resources for a project focused on analyzing and finding solutions to recurring conflicts in Haiti. She has also served as a consultant for the Ministry of Tourism, where she was an expert in project management and social animation, responsible for the socio-community monitoring of the ministry's projects.
Among her other experiences, she served as a project manager for Oxfam for four years, where she managed a Governance and Active Citizenship project for youth, benefiting over 3,000 participants and involving 14 partners. As a coordinating psychologist for War Child Canada, she provided psychosocial training for young tutors and conducted training sessions on child protection and gender-based violence.
Yrvy is multilingual, fluent in French and English, with intermediate proficiency in Spanish and Haitian Creole as her mother tongue. Her diverse skills and unwavering dedication make her a remarkable advocate for personal and community development, both in her professional and spiritual endeavors.
Co-Founder, Haitian Ladies Network.
Ariel Dominique is a Public Engagement Strategist and Cultural Consultant with more than 20 years of extensive experience in developing and leveraging relationships to build and support strategic partnerships. She currently serves as the founding Executive Director of the Miami-based Haitian-American Foundation for Democracy (HAFFD), a national organization whose mission is to engage the Haitian-American diaspora in promoting policies that foster democracy, human rights, economic development, and inclusion.
Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, she has been an active and engaged member of the Haitian American Diaspora for the past 22 years. As such she has worked with a vast network of government officials and agencies, not-for-profit organizations, community leaders, cultural influencers, and civil society groups. She is recognized for her ability to connect grassroots and grasstops, both in Haiti and in the U.S. and has in the aggregate raised more than $1.5 million dollars for a variety of causes, always guided by her strong desire to promote and support positive change in Haiti and its Diaspora.
Early in her career she worked as an organizer at the Haitian Neighborhood Center, Sant La, where she acquired valuable understanding of the diversity of the Haitian American Community. Ms. Dominique worked for Grammy award winning artist Wyclef Jean’s label and as a Consultant, Minister Counselor for the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, she curated events at the U.S. White House, the Embassy of Haiti, the Smithsonian African American Museum, and throughout the US-based Haitian community. She is also a Board Member of foundation Prodev, a Haiti based educational institution founded by her late grandfather and iconic educator, Max Penette. During President Obama’s second presidential campaign, she served as a fundraiser and a Victory Trustee.
Arielle is a co-founder of the Haitian Ladies NetworkTM, the largest global platform connecting more than 85,000 women and girls of Haitian descent. She leads the External & Cultural Affairs, and Sponsorship Committees for this powerful professional and social network.
Born in Haiti, Dina immigrated to the United States at the age of nine with her family and grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York. An advocate for social change, Dina Simon is the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) of New York City, one of the largest pension plan sponsors in the United States, with more than $100 billion in assets and over 230,000 members, retirees, and beneficiaries.
She brings over 20 years of robust experience in state and local government, and has held senior leadership positions, including Chief of Staff and Executive Director of the Pay Equity Cabinet of the NYC Mayor’s Office, Senior Advisor to the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands she later made history when she became the first woman appointed First Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Correction.
Dina holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Long Island University, C.W. Post, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from SUNY Brockport, and is a Harvard Women and Power alumnae.
With Haiti in her heart, Dina founded the My Haiti Travels agency shortly after the devastating earthquake of January 2010 to support the resurgence of tourism and investment in Haiti. My Haiti Travels offered Dina the opportunity to introduce the Haitian experience to members of Haiti’s global Diaspora. My Haiti Travels deepened Dina’s commitment to Haiti and its offered Dina a unique perspective on Haiti’s social, economic, and political issues.
Dina is a board member of the Haitian Roundtable (“HRT”), a not-for-profit organization founded in 2008 by Haitian American professionals committed to civic engagement and strategic initiatives benefiting the Haitian community. Dina’s commitment to Haiti is deeply aligned to HRT’s mission to redefine the narrative about Haiti and its Diaspora.
As Haitians and Haitian Americans sought solutions to address Haiti’s deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Dina joined the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy’s (HAFFD) as a founding member. Dina’s civic and professional experiences are aligned to HAFFD’s efforts to engage the Haitian-American Diaspora to promote policies that foster peace, democracy and sustainable development in Haiti.
Dina has received several honors for her outstanding work in the public sector and commitment to community service. In 2017, The Network Journal named her one of the Top 25 Influential Black Women in Business. In 2022, she was named Alumni of the decade by her alma mater Long Island University for her work in public service. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
The Reverend Father Reginald Jean Mary, lovingly known as Father Reggie, was born in Jean-Rabel, Haiti where he spent his early years. In his teens, he moved to Port-au-Prince and returned to his hometown after earning a degree in accounting. It was in Jean-Rabel, that Father Reginald, volunteering in a literacy campaign was inspired to join the priesthood.
In 1991 Father Reginald migrated to the United States and joined the Archdiocese of Miami. He earned a degree in psychology and a double master’s degree in divinity. In 2001, he was ordained to the priesthood and assigned as parochial vicar at Notre-Dame D’Haiti. In 2004, South Florida’s Haitian community jubilantly welcomed Father Jean-Mary as Notre Dame D ’Haiti’s young and dynamic new pastor. In 2004, Father Reginald launched a capital campaign to rebuild the church and in February 2, 2014 the resplendent Notre Dame D’Haiti was inaugurated with the unveiling of the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Located in the heart of Little Haiti, the church has become a source of pride to Haitian Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Notre Dame also sits at critical crossroads where faith, power and community intersect. Under Father Reginald’s leadership, the church has become the obligatory stop ground for local and national leaders, including President Biden who visited in 2011.
In the midst of the border crisis, Secretary of State Mayorkas, met with community leaders at Notre Dame D’Haiti, community center. Father Reginald’s, honoring his vision of a strong and united Haitian community, has created through the church, a space where Haitian American leaders, elected officials, community stakeholders from Haiti and the US Diaspora come to seek counsel and guidance. Father Reginald is credited for innovative strategies, which have increased membership. He introduced “Jericho” a weeklong, yearly revival where over 7000 worshipers from Haiti and the global diaspora gather in prayer and fellowship.
Father Reginald is excited to join the Haitian Foundation for Democracy’s Board of Directors. He cares deeply about Haiti and about the right of the Haitian people to live in peace and dignity. He believes that the faith community has a pivotal role to play in educating and strengthening the Diaspora’s capacity to be an impactful and transformational agent of change both domestically and in Haiti.
Mona Rigaud migrated from Haiti to Queens, New York in her teens. As an undergraduate at Princeton University, she was a romance language major with minors in African American and Latin American Studies. She went on to study medicine, pursuing a specialty in pediatrics.
At NYU’s Langone Health in New York, a medical establishment known for excellence in pediatric infectious disease, Dr. Rigaud has made her career in clinical research with a focus on pediatric HIV. As a highly respected academic and researcher, she traveled extensively to Western and Central Africa working with local and state institutions to deliver optimal care to children while contributing to pediatric HIV research.
Mona Rigaud is proud to say that her love for Haiti continues to define who she is. Today, she actively supports Centre Educative Reve et Action (CERA), a neighborhood school built by her sister. She is convinced that quality education is a fundamental instrument of change for Haiti. She has also become civically engaged in community building efforts through her involvement with Fondation Aquin Solidarite, (FAS). A hometown association founded on the principles of solidarity and mutual support, FAS promotes environmental, educational, and cultural initiatives that benefit the town of Aquin. While FAS founding members no longer live in Aquin, they have integrated current residents in all aspects of the successful projects they have implemented. Mona Rigaud points to that experience as proof that rebuilding Haiti is possible when all its children are treated with respect, inclusion, and dignity.
Although rarely involved with any Haitian led Diaspora organization, Mona Rigaud knew that Dr. J.P Austin’s invitation to join HAFFD’s board of directors was not a coincidence. In the face of Haiti’s catastrophic implosion, HAFFD, offered her the opportunity to serve as a trusted steward of an organization with the capacity and competence to support, lasting and sustainable change in Haiti.
Michelle Austin Pamies, Esq. was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti and migrated to Queens, New York at a young age. Michelle’s love for Haiti, can be traced back to her frequent trips there as a young adult. Her attachment to her homeland, its culture, its languages and history, have inspired her drive to excel and lead. Michelle is a 1996 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law where she served on the University of Miami Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif.
She is currently a founding partner of Austin Pamies Norris Weeks Powell, LLC and her practice primarily involves representing municipalities and businesses, handling their transactional and litigation needs, as well as providing legal advice and counsel. Prior to joining the Firm, Michelle worked for 8 years as Senior Corporate Counsel – Commercial Law in Union Pacific Railroad Company’s Law Department. Her responsibilities included being the lead attorney for the procurement of goods and services, procurement and management of intellectual property and development of new business ventures.
Michelle’s past experience also includes being General Counsel of Planet Automotive Group, Inc; General Counsel of the Agency for Workforce Innovation, an agency of the State of Florida, Corporate Counsel for AutoNation, Inc.; and Corporate attorney in private practice at Holland & Knight LLP’s Miami office.
Michelle is a former member of the Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County, and Miami- Dade County Ad Hoc Committee for the Creation of an Airport Authority. She has served on numerous non-profit boards, including, Girls Inc. (Omaha) and SantLa (Haitian Neighborhood Center).
She is a founding member and former Vice President of the Haitian Lawyers Association, Inc. and is Co-Chair of the Women of Color Empowerment Institute, Inc. She serves on the boards of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce, the University of Miami Law Alumni Association. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Greater Miami Chapter, Links Incorporated and is a board member and co-chair of the Grants Committee for the Women’s Fund.
Her love for Haiti and her deep concerns about her beloved homeland’s future, have compelled her to become a founding member of the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy (HAFFD). She hopes that through HAFFD’s efforts Haitian Americans will mobilize their resources and collective power to make profound and impactful change in Haiti.
Michelle has received numerous awards, including, among others, the Nostalgia in Gold Caribbean Woman of Excellence Award, the Women of Distinction Award from the Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce, the Women who Inspire Award from the City of North Miami and one for being one of South Florida’s 50 Most Powerful and Influential Black Leaders of 2018 from Legacy Magazine.
Patrick Gaspard is the president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress and the chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Patrick Gaspard was a key figure in President Barack Obama’s administration and held a number of prominent positions during Obama’s two terms in office, including serving as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Africa in the second term.
From the fall 2011 until the spring 2013, Gaspard served as executive director of the Democratic National Committee, where he steered the national party’s role in reelecting the president and oversaw a $300 million budget and 500 staff.
From 2009 until 2011, he was assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Political Affairs. He also served as the associate director of personnel for the Obama transition and the national political director for the historic 2008 campaign.
Gaspard most recently served as the president of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), one of the largest private philanthropies in the world. He first joined the foundation as its global vice president, responsible for its regional programs across five continents and its global advocacy strategy in multiple world capitals. He quickly became president during his first year in OSF in 2017 and went on to serve in that role for four years. As president, he managed and set the strategy for a $1.4 billion dollar budget and a staff of 1,600.
During his tenure, he confronted significant threats to open societies around the globe, including the rise of authoritarian regimes and the spread of COVID-19 worldwide. In 2020, Gaspard conceptualized and stewarded Open Society’s urgent contribution of $200 million in investments to support essential workers and other communities hit hardest by COVID-19. He also shaped the foundation’s $220 million commitment to civil rights groups in the wake of the national reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd.
During his tenure as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, from 2013 to 2016, he led over 1,000 staff and an annual budget of more than $600 million from 29 different government agencies. Gaspard led the effort to redesign PEPFAR—the U.S. government’s HIV/AIDS initiative—to integrate it effectively into the South African health care system. He also successfully led the trade negotiations that led to an unprecedented 10-year renewal of the bilateral African Growth and Opportunity compact between the trading partners.
Gaspard was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to Haitian parents. He grew up in New York City and had a long career there and nationally in organized labor, electoral politics, and public service. He started as a union organizer and rose to become executive vice president for politics and legislation of the Local 1199 branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest unions in the United States. He went on to serve as the national political director for the national organization and its 2 million members.
Gaspard attended Columbia University and is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Columbia University and Bard College. He has also been awarded the Spingarn Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.
Larry Pierre was born and raised in Haiti and moved to the United States in his teens. In 1978, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at Barrington College and went on to obtain a medical degree at the prestigious University of Haiti’s Medical School. He also received a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Miami.
While in training as a visiting fellow at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in the early 80’s, Larry Pierre met a significant number of patients of Haitian origin who were affected by HIV/AIDS and grew alarmed that they were not served adequately due to language and cultural barriers.
In 1989, he founded the Center for Haitian Studies (CHS), to address this problem. CHS, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the conditions of Haitians living in South Florida through the provision of health and social services and community-based research.
From 1988 to date, Dr. Pierre has brought through research and outreach education intervention projects over 40 million dollars to the Haitian community of South Florida. CHS’s clinic meets the medical needs of over 7000 individuals in South Florida. Dr. Pierre’s path to political empowerment was sparked as he engaged CHS and South Florida’s Haitian community in a process of reflection and power building. CHS’ annual Strategic Leadership retreats were organized as cruises, convening political leaders, service providers and stakeholders from South Florida and Haiti. These retreats, originally designed to keep the Center’s staff, Board and researchers updated on the changing conditions of the Haitian population in South Florida and in Haiti, set in motion, Dr. Pierre’s greater involvement in the US political process. They also deepened his commitment to Haiti.
Today, Larry Pierre is considered one of the most powerful political leaders in South Florida for his ability to raise funds in support of policies and causes beneficial to his community and to Haiti.
In spite of his influence, Dr. Pierre points to Haiti’s chaotic situation and the pivotal role played by the US in maintaining the status quo, as the catalyst for the creation of the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy. Through HAFFD, Dr. Pierre understands that transforming Haiti, demands the engagement of a committed, well-informed Haitian Diaspora.
Jean-Philippe Austin left Haiti at the age of 9 and moved to Queens, New York joining his parents, who escaped Papa Doc Duvalier’s bloody dictatorship. Growing up in NY’s community of Haitian exiles, Jean-Phillipe was immersed in a world where ideals of social justice and democracy were uplifted. Jean-Philippe attended New York University majoring in Economics. Upon graduation he attended medical school at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Later, Jean Philippe, his wife Maggie Desroches Austin and their 4 daughters moved from New Orleans to South Florida, and quickly became renown civically engaged philanthropists. While his professional career thrived, Jean-Phillipe’s commitment to social justice and political empowerment endured.
He was a member of President Obama’s National Finance Committee and the Florida Finance Chair for the Democratic National Committee. He has hosted both First Lady, Michele Obama and the President at his home in South Florida.
His unwavering commitment to his community is evidenced by memberships to Boule, a national organization of prominent African Americans and the Florida Alliance, Progressive donor table. His notion of community expanded as he became increasingly immersed in South Florida’s Haitian community, home to over 500,000 Haitians and Haitian Americans.
While living in Miami, Jean-Phillipe found it difficult to ignore Haiti focused social and political issues which consumed the Haitian community’s passion. This interaction reignited his commitment to Haiti and its ongoing crises. Always in search of solutions, Jean-Phillipe understood that strengthening the Haitian Diaspora’s political power in the US, was a critical path to addressing Haiti’s problems.
Recognizing that the Haitian American Diaspora has been weakened by mistrust and misunderstanding he is committed to providing through HAFFD, a path to a well-organized, educated and activated Diaspora. He has no doubt that as Haitian-Americans build and channel their collective power, they will become a force that will affect change both in the US and in Haiti.
Operations Director, Haitian-American Foundation for Democracy.
Su-yen Simon Bertrand is a seasoned Project Management and Communication Specialist, born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haïti.
She began her professional career in 2006 when she joined Digicel Group, an international mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in over 33 markets worldwide. She served consecutively as an Executive Assistant, Finance Controller, and Supervisor in various departments including finance, sales, and customer care.
In 2012, she joined the non-profit arm of the company, where she devoted herself to the implementation of sustainable development programs for the purpose of building stronger and more resilient communities in Haïti. As their Grants and Public Relation Manager of the Digicel Foundation, Su-yen led a team of ten, managing a network of 189 schools and over 200 nationwide projects centered around education, access to water, agriculture, breeding, professional training, and many more. In her leading role, she oversaw the fund development of the Foundation and had collaborated with many international donors and organizations.
Su-yen was also a Marketing and Communication strategist as well as an Operations Manager who had organized numerous marketing campaigns, large conferences, corporate and cultural events, high-level meetings, and press conferences to name a few. She immigrated to the US in July 2021 and lives currently in Florida.
Since she moved to the US, Su-yen has worked with the Haitian Ladies Network as their External Affairs Specialist to realize their 2022 Weekend Conference in Washington D.C, mainly supporting the Conference planner and the sponsorship committee.
Su-yen serves now as the Operations Director for the Haitian-American Foundation for Democracy and also provides support to the Ayiti Diaspora Collaborative Communication Team.
