Nadège T. Clitandre is the founder of Haiti Soleil. She was born in Port-au-Prince and left Haiti at the age of seven for New York City. After spending a year teaching English in Port-au-Prince during her twenties, Clitandre wanted to get involved in community-based projects that focus on youth education and free access to knowledge for social change. She founded Haiti Soleil in 2006 because of her commitment and dedication to the intellectual growth of young Haitians in her native land. Clitandre received her Ph.D. in African Diaspora Studies with a designated emphasis in Women, Gender, Sexuality at the University of California, Berkeley. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature at Hampton University and a Master’s Degree in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. Clitandre is currently Assistant Professor in Global and International Studies at the University of California, at Santa Barbara, where she enjoys the outdoors and quiet places to read and write creatively.
Chair
Timothy Suttle has more than 12 years I.T. experience in a variety of environments. Timothy currently works as the Director of Network and Technical Operations at TechSoup Global, a non-profit dedicated to helping nonprofits around the globe utilize and leverage technology to further their missions. Over the years Timothy has also worked as an I.T. consultant and volunteer for nonprofits in the education sector. In his spare time Timothy enjoys traveling and a number of outdoor activities.
Treasurer
Natascha J. Cadet is a Haitian-American who received her undergraduate degree in International Politics from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently works as a Financial Analyst. She has worked in the field of international development in West Africa. She has tutored and mentored elementary and high school students. Ms. Cadet loves to read and travel.
Claudine Michel is a Professor in the Department of Black Studies. She received her BA in early childhood education from the Université d'Etat d'Haiti and a MA and Ph.D. in International Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Michel's research interests include multicultural education, children's literature, educational television and religion. She is the author of Aspects Moraux et Educatifs du Vodou Haitien and co-author of Etude Comparative des Théories du Développement de l'Enfant. She is also co-editor of Black Studies: Current Issues, Enduring Questions and of Spirit, Myth and Reality in Haitian Vodou. She is currently editor of the Journal of Haitian Studies and Director of the Center for Black Studies at UC Santa Barbara.
Celia Weiss Bambara is a dancer, choreographer and dance scholar with a Ph.D in dance history and theory/critical dance studies from the University of California, Riverside. She is co-artistic director of the CCB dance Project, an African based contemporary dance company formed in 2006 with her husband, Christian Bambara. The CCBdance Project's work has been shown nationally and in the Caribbean. Celia has danced for JAKA in Port-au-Prince and Rachel Thorne Germond in Chicago among others. Her research addresses Haitian dance, contemporary African diasporic dance practices and contemporary dance. Her work is published in Australasian Drama Studies, the Journal of Haitian Studies, Making Caribbean Dance and the Chicago Artist's Resource. She has taught at UC Riverside, University of Illinois, Chicago, Glendale Community College, Occidental College, Romona Highschool for the Arts, and in the Chicago Public Schools as well at dance centers, studios and art houses.
Secretary
Charlene Desir is presently an educational consultant in Miami, Florida. For the past ten years, she has worked in Cambridge, MA as a school psychologist, counselor, and administrator. Dr. Desir received her Doctoral degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a Spencer Resarch recipient, Dr. Desir researched the social adjustment of immigrant students in public schools. Her dissertation is entitled Lòt Bò Dlo: Across Waters: Haitian Students Search for Identity in U.S. Schools. Her larger research interests include the social curriculum, social trauma in schools, and the impact of social issues on cognitive ability. For pleasure, Dr. Desir enjoys traveling and spending quality time with her family.
Art Director
Arabelle L. Clitandre is a painter, photographer and graphic designer. She is also the founder of an independent multimedia design firm Studio Clitandre. Arabelle has participated in numerous art exhibitions including one hosted by Danny Glover. Her photographs have been published in magazines such as Trace, NRG, Time Out NY, and Celebrity Report. She is currently attending Parsons, The New School for Design in the Communication Design program. Arabelle is working on a new series of work focusing on modern spirituality and its affect on personal, racial, and economic relationships. Her most successful work of art is Nunet, her beautiful growing daughter.
Ferentz Lafargue was born in Haiti and moved to Jamaica, Queens in 1981 at the age of five. Prior to completing his PhD in African American and American Studies at Yale University, Ferentz earned his B.A. in Africana Studies and English at Queens College, CUNY. Currently an assistant professor of Literary Studies at Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, Ferentz's essays have appeared in the collections Starting With I (Persea Books, 1997) and Strong Teens, Strong Neighborhoods (2007), the inaugural issue of Bronx Biannual (Akashic Books 2006), and at 215mag.com. Ferentz is also the author of the memoir Songs in the Key of My Life. He occasionally shares his thoughts on contemporary events and politics at The Huffington Post. Ferentz now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
