Vanessa Jean-Baptiste opened the first Black woman-owned dispensary in Brockton.
Legal Greens is a recreational cannabis dispensary and cultivator in Massachusetts.
The U.S. Haitian Chamber of Commerce / Haitian American Business Expo, Inc. received over one hundred nominations throughout the United States this year. After careful consideration, we are pleased to announce the 20 finalists for the 2022 Haitian American Young Professional Awards.
While we don’t know the winners, five finalists for each Haitian American Young Professional awards category were determined by a selected Committee. Here is the complete list of award finalists.
Vanessa Jean-Baptiste opened the first Black woman-owned dispensary in Brockton.
Legal Greens is a recreational cannabis dispensary and cultivator in Massachusetts.
Reginald “Reggy” Liger is a philanthropist, humanitarian, leader and entrepreneur. He’s an alumnus of Georgia Tech where he graduated with a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering.
Reggy is the Co-Founder of Foundation of the World, a non-profit focused on developing young people in education, health and wealth with programs in Florida, New York, and Haiti. He’s helped build and grow the non-profit over the past 10 years. He created the Progress & Accelerated Change through Technology. This is a program to seed, grow and change young people into leaders. Our inaugural country site for the past 2 years has been Haiti. Through partnerships with subject matter experts from industry leading companies around the world, such as Cisco, they conduct technical workshops. The SMEs come from all around the world to grow young leaders in a technology.
Last holiday season in partnership with Cisco, the non-profit donated an IT lab to technical schools in Haiti. The equipment donated is valued at nearly 1 Million dollars. He’s spearheading their aim to reach 10,000 leaders across 10 countries within 10 years or by 2030. We hope to do this with 10 companies and/or technologies that can take them to the next level as leaders. This is our most ambitious goal yet.
He has been at Cisco for 7 1/2 years. Reggy was a part of the Cloud Managed Services organization in CX, where he was a team-lead and lead over global service activation for the Managed Voice team. He was a Cyber Security Sales Specialist for the past 2 years. Currently, he’s a Global Sales Business Development Manager where he’s responsible for increasing Cisco’s SD-WAN market share through channels by developing the global strategy and associated activities to build and enhance Cisco’s channel partner practices related to Enterprise Networking technologies. Reggy has been recognized by Cisco for his work in the community through the Bridge awards and by Citizen Schools as a national teacher award winner.
Reggy is a strategic, self-motivated, and driven leader passionate about driving efficiency, leveraging innovation to solve challenging customer problems and positively impacting the business. He has a lot to share with his new coworkers as he loves basketball, he’s a dancer, enjoys singing, is an avid traveler and volunteer. Lastly, he is a motivational speaker, he loves speaking to and inspiring kids.
A serial entrepreneur with over 10 years’ experience, having co-founded start-ups in the fashion, food and beverage, and online media industries. Erick, the son of a Haitian immigrant, took up tennis during a time of racial tension in the late 1980’s New York City. The sport gave him access to a vision of life beyond Brooklyn, with his first plane ride to a tournament in Bermuda. His playing also earned him a D-1 college scholarship, which led to a Master’s Degree in Urban Policy. Erick is driven by a deep desire to build businesses, and give young people the same opportunities tennis gave him.
Krystina François is a political educator and policy strategist with a proven track record of engaging stakeholders across multiple sectors to advocate for the needs of marginalized communities. As Executive Director of the Office of New Americans of Miami-Dade, she spearheads a countywide initiative to bring legal and financial resources for immigrants out of offices and into the community.
Krystina is a first generation Haitian-American who is driven by the desire to create more opportunities for immigrants and marginalized communities to have a voice. Krystina’s devotion to human rights and social justice began at a young age while attending The United Nations International School in New York City. As a freshman in high school she moved to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, where anti-government protests and political instability gave her valuable perspective on the conditions that force many immigrants to seek refuge in the U.S.
Krystina holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from CUNY-Hunter College. In her previous role as Florida New Americans Program Director at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Krystina cultivated partnerships with 55 community stakeholders to help eligible immigrants navigate the naturalization process through free legal services, education and financial resources. In her position as Co-Director of Law for Black Lives, she coordinated a network of more than 3,000 legal professionals to provide legal support to democratize the criminal justice system. Krystina is also the founder of KMD Consultant Group, where she leads clients through program development, cross-sector collaboration and non-profit innovation.
In her spare time she volunteers with several organizations committed to improving the status of women and Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Krystina is the Co-Founder of The Black Collective, Past Immigration Chair for the League of Women Voters of Florida and is an active member of the Junior League of Miami and the Executive Committee for Leadership Miami.
She has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Miami Herald, NBC6, Bustle, WLRN, NPR, and The Miami New Times for her efforts as an immigration expert and political educator. Krystina received the 2019 Rebecca Herndon Bush Award by the Junior League of Miami, which is given to a member who displays exceptional community leadership inside and outside the League. She is also awarded the 2020 Haitian American Chamber of Commerce “Top 20 under 40”.
Tarah Ernest is a brand new First-Officer for American Airlines flying the Boeing 737 based out of Miami, Florida.
Prior to joining American Airlines, Tarah Ernest was a Captain of an Embraer 175 and a Pilot Recruiter for Republic Airways. She was responsible for the safe operation of Republic’s aircrafts and continual promotion of Republic’s mission of safe and reliable transport.
With nearly 14 years in the aviation industry, Tarah has had the opportunity to work in many sectors ranging from flight instruction, corporate and charter operations, regional airlines, to now a major carrier.
An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate, Tarah has obtained a Bachelors in Aeronautical Science minoring in Air Traffic Control and now pursues a Masters in Business Administration with a specialty in Aviation Management.
In her free time, Tarah enjoys traveling around the world and immersing herself in new and different cultures. When she’s not abroad you will most likely find her visiting her mother to catch up and to eat some of mom’s cooking.
As a Haitian Female Pilot, Tarah understands first hand the many obstacles at the forefront for minorities pursuant of an aviation career. This has instilled within her a passion for mentoring those aspiring to be pilots. She is very involved with organizations such as Sisters of the Skies and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, organizations committed to making aviation more accessible to people of color. Her goal is to help break the barriers and lower the hurdles for minorities in the industry and promote aviation to all.
Aliesha J. Porcena is the Director of Small Business for the City of Boston. She oversees direct services and programming that support over 40,000+ small businesses. In partnership with Boston’s small business community, Aliesha helps build an inclusive, equitable, and accessible economy that works for all residents.
Throughout her professional career, she has worked globally, nationally, and locally- addressing inequalities to ensure communities have the necessary resources to achieve prosperous futures. She began her career in public service working in constituent services for then-City Councilor Ayanna Pressley (now Congresswomen-MA 07), and working at a poverty hotline doing intake for low-income communities. Since then, Aliesha has led donor relations for Partners in Health in Haiti where she developed and coordinated fundraising strategies to support over three million patients including women and children, all while supporting program development.
Most recently, Aliesha served as Director of Growth, Equity, and Impact at Interise, a Boston-based economic development nonprofit, focused on closing the racial wealth gap through small business growth. She directed the organization’s growth strategy with the U.S. Small Business Administration and programming for its 52 cities across the country. Aliesha has built innovative programs and developed partnerships that leverage community capacity. Yet, at the core of her work, it has always centered people. A true public servant, Aliesha is an innovator, convener, and community builder focused on empowering local communities, and those that are underserved and unresourced communities.
Aliesha holds a Masters of Arts in Public Policy from Tufts University, and was a Neighborhood Fellow. She graduated cum laude from Northeastern University with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs. The proud daughter of Haitian immigrants, Aliesha is a Boston native, and currently resides in Dorchester.
Jessicah Pierre is a skilled public relations professional who has spent the last 10 years using her skills to build community and advance social justice work. She currently serves as the Chief of Communications for the City of Boston. In this role, Jessicah leads the City’s press, speechwriting, digital and photography teams and serves as lead communications director and advisor for the Wu administration.
Known as the “People’s Publicist,” Jessicah Pierre formerly worked as the Principal Publicist and Business Strategist at J. Pierre Communications (JPC), a PR agency in which she founded and ran for three years. Through her work at JPC, Pierre consulted and provided strategic communications campaigns for elected officials, political candidates, nonprofits, small businesses and media companies.
When she is not working, you can find Jessicah Pierre mentoring young people, speaking on various panels or events, or connecting others to opportunities to help them grow. In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, being out in nature, listening to music and spending time with loved ones.
My name is Ashley Louis. My husband Clifton Louis and I are the owners and Program Directors of Forever Young Adult Day Health Center. We have one location in Hyde Park and another location in Dedham Massachusetts. We have been in this industry for 8 years now.
We also own Forever Young Construction, Forever Young Group and Healthy Living Home Care. We recently opened up Forever Young Realty with our cousin and attorney, Vanessa St. Leger. Our main mission is to work as a family but also help those in our community.We focus on giving our youth the opportunity to learn and grow into responsible individuals. We provide them with volunteer, paid internships and training positions that often turn into full time positions within our organizations. While providing opportunities for our youth, we always keep our main mission and vision in mind which is to be a provider to the low income elderly community. Once anyone steps foot into any of our centers, they will immediately feel the family oriented atmosphere. They feel love, they feel comfort and they receive all the support that they need. We are currently working on transforming the old St. Angela’s School in Mattapan into a low income elderly housing facility. We hope to help many of our clients that are in need of housing.
Lastly, HULK, which stands for Haiti Unites for Love and Knowledge is our non profit organization. HULK’s mission is to build an after school program in Haiti. While working on achieving that goal, our team conducts sport tournaments for the children in Haiti. During these tournaments we provide meals and clothing to the people in the less fortunate neighborhoods in Haiti.
We love what we do and account all of our success to dedication, hard work and working together. We would not be where we are now without the tremendous support that we have received from our family. We will continue to work relentlessly to achieve our goals and serve our community as much as possible.
Thank you so much for choosing me. I will continue to make my community proud.
I was born in Haiti, a Black nation. I can remember as early as the age of 9 battling self-appreciation and self-esteem due to the bombardment of toys and media imagery fair complexion women with sleek straight hair.
I remember that the perception of self-love started to enter my mind when my uncle gave my sister and I a Black doll to share. I loved that doll. Some of my first memories are of my sister and I fighting over our barbie. That doll was special because it was the first time, we had a doll that looked like us. We were so shocked to see that one existed that we just stared at her in amazement. Now i try to help girls of all hue by creating a diversity of dolls that looks like them. Empowering them to love their looks.
I made a promise to create dolls that would provide that connection for other kids. Through my vision of inclusion for all children wanting to identify with something special to them, fusion dolls were created. It is a platform that gives parents easy access to Black dolls. It is important to learn about self-love at an early age. Since most little kids tend to identify with their dolls, having a doll that looks like them can help build their confidence. Every child deserves to know they are beautiful just the way god created them. Fusion dolls’ mission is to spread diversity, awareness, and encourage our children to love themselves inside and out!
Nora A. Gay is a senior financial strategist who believes in utilizing both data and insight to create extreme wealth for families and businesses. Before she began implementing strategies for her selected clients, Gay built an MFS platform on the blockchain technology to facilitate access to money for individuals in the Caribbean. This effort followed her launch of a market research firm specializing in helping startups and midsize enterprises find their strategic positioning through customer insight.
After years of hosting financial literacy workshops and implementing financial strategies for her clients, Gay has written Get Minted! to bring the financial advisor’s way of growing wealth directly to families.
Her value proposition is simple. She believes in creating the maximum wealth possible under all and any circumstances that transcend generations. Written with humor and wisdom, Get Minted is a fresh and inspiring call to action, particularly to millennials — and a blueprint for financial growth. Get Minted! changes the conversation from what seems impossible to what is during uncertain times. Her next book, Embryo, is set to be released on July 31, 2021.
Sofia Rinvil is a leader, advocate, entrepreneur, mentor, and philanthropist who has helped marginalized people improve their life. Sofia’s dedication to justice and human rights stems from her childhood experiences, which prompted an interest in commerce, technology, law, and policy. Sofia has spent her career working on the front lines of many of the world’s most pressing challenges. At the municipal, state, and federal levels, she advocates for underprivileged populations’ health, education, immigration, global poverty reduction, and civil and human rights.
Sofia also contributes to the community through mentoring students in middle school, high school, college, and graduate school. She has volunteered as a court-appointed advocate to assist foster children in the court system, using her legal knowledge. Sofia has volunteered with organizations such as the American Bar Association, American Cancer Society, the American Constitution Society, America Needs You, Federal Bar Association, LinkedIn, the University of Southern California, Harvard University, and others.
She earned separate degrees in Political Science, Global Affairs and Human Security, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and Law from a number of prestigious universities. Her favorite activities include reading, traveling, boxing and binge-watching TV shows.
When I founded Beyond Wordz with the help of The Fairmount Innovation Lab, I spent a significant amount of time thinking about what sets Beyond Wordz apart from other fundraising and communications firms. The answer is that this business can not be separated from the social change it hopes to impact.
I was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and at the age of seven moved to Boston Massachusetts where I grew up. I graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in Sociology and soon found myself in various non-profit communications and fundraising roles. During my time in the field of community development, I began to recognize that 3 of the pillars for social change in communities of color are entrepreneurship, ownership, and collective wealth building. Beyond Wordz addresses all three. It supports entrepreneurship and ownership by creating high quality content that take Black women-owned businesses and non-profits to the next level. It also promotes collective wealth building as it strives to create a network of women who will partner and do business with one another; share information, resources, and tools; and work to bring about the financial and social well-being of ourselves and our communities.
The journey started in Brooklyn, NY, where chef Erica Carries was born and raised. Growing up in Brooklyn wasn’t always easy but Erica always found solace in the kitchen, whether she was cooking dinner for her family or hosting parties to cook for all her friends, she always had a passion for the Culinary Arts. Erica has always found inspiration in the world around her with her parents being from Caribbean descent she grew up eating and cooking fresh and exotic foods. Upon graduation from high school, Erica decided to turn her love of cooking into a full-fledge career. This is when she enrolled herself into the nationally acclaimed Art Institute of New York earning an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management.
Chef Carries, a hard working and determined individual, worked her way up to the higher echelon of the industry – starting as a line cook to a sous chef to an executive chef, training employees, creating menus, and catering for and to distinguished patrons. She has carried her knowledge and skills from these positions and decided to take a leap and become a private chef. In this role, chef Carries was fortunate enough to book very high profile, elite clientele – serving highly acclaimed and recognized sports figures
in the Miami area, world-renowned entertainers and musicians, and reality television superstars. Chef Carries has had opportunities to travel around the world while pleasing the palettes of the elite. These experiences led chef Carries to fulfill her ultimate dream of owning and operating her own catering company… Je T’aime Catering was born.
As Owner and Executive Chef of Je T’aime Catering chef Carries has hosted several niche events to include large scale exclusive hosting to intimate private affairs. Chef Carries prides herself on assuring all her clients needs are met and exceeds expectations with her creative and unique menu designs and sample carte du jour tasting. Her background as a certified Mixologist allows chef Carries to make the event even more special with her signature drinks and libations created specifically for the individual client/event, giving her clients a highly personalized and extraordinary dining experience.
Chef Carries, a hardworking and accomplished leader with over 15 years as a culinary professional, kitchen manager and events coordinator. Owner/Operator and Executive Chef of Je T’aime Catering, serving a variety of patrons, which include high-end, high –profile clientele. Chef Carries has extensive experience in menu design and development with the ability to cater to client preferences with creative unique and delicious Carte du jour and spirits. Chef Carries is a skilled, dedicated, dependable chef whose highest priority is to serve fresh-high-quality food, leaving her patrons with a memorable and
delectable dining experience.
Currently, Chef Erica serves as an educator to underprivileged and underserved youth who experience hardships that extend from financial to academic. Her current student populations are all considered highrisk and due to prior behaviors are on the brink of adding to the high school dropout rate. With Chef Erica’s care, guidance, and mentorship, these students are experiencing positive lessons and interactions that are helping to change all their lives for the better. Since the implementation of this program, facilitated through Roosevelt High School, Chef Carries has helped her students to gain skills, knowledge, and passion that will help them become contributing members of society. With her teaching style and relationship with her students, Chef Carries has helped to reduce the dropout rate of the High School.
Strong business development career providing leadership, strategic planning and compelling client value in the areas of business-to-business sales, marketing and communications. Results-driven executive with over 10 years of experience in various market segments. Entrepreneurial zeal and drive with technology know-how to propel projects, innovate and launch new strategies.
My name is Shaina Gilbert and I am a proud Haitian-American, Boston native. I serve as an educator in the Boston Public Schools where I teach English as a Second Language to Haitian students. In 2009, I launched Empowering Through Education (ETE) Camp, a free academic, leadership camp that seeks to prepare the most vulnerable youth living in Hinche, Haiti to become the future leaders of Haiti. The camp began with 43 youth participants and after 11 consecutive summers in operation, is a sustained nonprofit that serves over 300 youth living in the community. I received my bachelor’s degrees in Public Health and in Sociology from Brandeis University and my Master’s in Education from Boston University. I look forward to continuing my work of educating and empowering Haitian youth living in both Boston and Haiti.
A first generation American, based in Washington, D.C., Global Entrepreneurship, Government & Corporate Relations Executive and International Arbitration Professional of Haitian-Dominican descent is the CEO of MTA Visions LLC, the world’s first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Government Relations firm and Founder of the Society of Global Impact Entrepreneurs–an incubator, accelerator, and support group for social entrepreneurs committed to solving tomorrow’s global problems today.
Since taking the leap into entrepreneurship in Fall 2016, Ms. Adonis has provided executive business coaching to over 50 entrepreneurs, engaged in speaking engagements on various topics of entrepreneurship, and officially represented the United States across the globe for entrepreneurship. Specifically, Ms. Adonis was selected to serve as: an inaugural judge for the National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo hosted by United States Patent and Trademark Office; mentor and coach for Charlotte City Startup Lab-incubator for minority millennials; steering committee member and contributor to the program content committee for the 2018 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit covering topics such as, growing your business, leveraging technology, acquiring capital, and securing contracts.
Additionally, Ms. Adonis has shared her expertise on entrepreneurship as a speaker and panelist at: Queen City Entrepreneurship Conference, sharing Top 10 Pitfalls a Women Entrepreneur Should Avoid; Sister Cities International, sharing The Success Factor of Women Entrepreneurs and bridging the gap between millennial entrepreneurs and citizen diplomacy; U.S.-China Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities Forum, sharing Policy Implications on the Sharing Economy; First U.S.-China National Pitch Competition serving as a guest judge alongside Shark Tank casting directors providing feedback on the Viability of Chinese Product and Service in the U.S. Marketplace ;and many more.
Most notably, Ms. Adonis was honored as one of the 30 under 30 rising entrepreneurs by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and selected: 1) to join a delegation led by White House Advisor, Ivanka Trump, as United States Delegate to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, India, (a summit originally sparked by former President Obama in 2010 to deepen ties between business leaders, foundations, and social entrepreneurs); and 2) selected as 1 of 50 American entrepreneurs and innovators to serve as Global Innovation Fellow by the U.S. Department of State to join the historic delegation to convene in Shenzhen, China, the Silicon Valley of China, with the goal of developing international business partnerships, and exchanging business practices with Chinese entrepreneurs. The forum was developed on the heels of the U.S.-China Social and Cultural Dialogue, launched by President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to increase people-to-people ties and mutual understanding between the two nations. Ms. Adonis was further selected as 1 of 2 United States entrepreneurs during the forum to unveil the first U.S.-Chinese memorial and plant the tree of “No Worries” in Shenzhen City, China to illustrate the two countries’ friendship and immersion of business talent.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Ms. Adonis’ expertise and experience extends to U.S. Policy and Political Administration, Private International Law (specifically international commercial and investment arbitration), CSR, Nonprofit Management, Diversity & Inclusion, and Community Economic Development. Most notably, Ms. Adonis served as in-house expert on bi-partisan national politics for an education foundation in D.C., where she expanded the foundation’s reach to over 2,000 + senior level contacts; partnerships with 25 + federal governemnt agencies and political and public policy organizations. On the Political side, Ms. Adonis partnered with staff of the 2016 Republican and Democratic National Committees, Office of the First Lady Michelle Obama and Office of Public Engagement under President Obama, and other agencies to execute political and policy education training on various education, immigration, tax, criminal justice, healthcare, financial, telecommunications, opioid and other international topics. Ms. Adonis also secured over 150+ credentials for participants to attend the respective conventions.
Currently, Ms. Adonis serves as Federal TPS Campaign Consultant for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, leading the coalition and its member organizations towards a coordinated and comprehensive federal advocacy campaign to reinstate TPS, keep government accountable via a push for government investigation on initial decision to terminate TPS, and crafting a permanent solution for TPS holders in Florida.
Coupled with over ten years advocating on Capitol Hill and navigating the U.S. federal agencies and the White House on behalf of trade associations, national nonprofits, and corporations, Ms. Adonis has both theoretical and practical international arbitration experience. Specifically, Ms. Adonis received her global arbitration training, simultaneously with her law degree, from Queen Mary University of London, School of International Arbitration. After her training, Maritza was selected to work with the leading business law firm in the Baltics’ Dispute Resolution practice group with a primary focus on international commercial and investment arbitration. After, Ms. Adonis completed her tenure providing technical support for the protection of investments in eastern Europe under bilateral and multilateral investment promotion and protection treaties, Ms. Adonis was selected to work under the Secretariat of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center,one of the leading arbitration institutions in the world.
In an international leadership capacity, Ms. Adonis assisted the Jerusalem Arbitration Center with the utilization of International Commercial Arbitration as a means of promoting the Rule of Law. Ms. Adonis has also provided consultation to the Republic of China with their companies (corporate) law, and have provided feedback to the United States Trade Representative regarding preserving the arbitration provisions in the renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In addition to her commitment to her service as founding board member of the Charlotte International Arbitration Society to promote Charlotte as a seat for International Arbitration, Maritza currently serves as the Vice Chair of Policy for the American Bar Association where she is working on the International Courts and International Arbitration committee’s activities to 1) promote and improve international arbitration as a method of resolving cross border disputes through educational and training programs on procedural and substantive aspects of international arbitration under both institutional and adhoc rules; and 2) formulate international legal and policy positions that are consistent with enhancing the effectiveness of this method of dispute resolution when necessary by identifying and influencing public policy issues important to international law, global business, and international institutions.
Ms. Adonis’ CSR and Nonprofit experience includes providing strategic development and management consulting to several national organizations and corporations mostly in the areas of education, health, and law. Most notably, Ms. Adonis served as the Assistant General Manager to the Haitian National Basketball Team. Highlighted achievements in the field of Diversity & Inclusion and Community Economic Development include: creating tools to enhance cultural competency in the medical and legal profession and expanding access and resources for minority pre-medical and pre-law students interested in entering the medical and legal profession respectively; drafting county Economic Development policy which will serve as the guiding principles for Board of County Commissioners when making decisions regarding assisting current businesses in the County and recruiting new business, arts & tourism, workforce development, and many more; drafting and revising procurement policies to increase contracting opportunities for Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprises; deploying internationl trade missions to liaise between opportunities for business development for both the private and public sectors; and many more.
Ultimately, Ms. Adonis is an innovator, influencer, and change-agent. Ms. Adonis is a South Florida native, North Carolina resident, and Washington D.C. transplant with a proven ten year track record serving as a local, state, and national leader representing the needs and concerns of her respective constituents, creating and implementing programming, affecting change through design and execution of policy, and successfully operating and managing nat’l nonprofits. .
Ms. Adonis’ passion is today’s youth. She has provided direct-client services to over 500 misdemeanant youth and affiliated organizations and associations, discovering, developing and implementing practices that narrow the achievement gap; eradicating barriers impeding access to health care for medically underserved children; and increasing rehabilitation, prevention and retention for juveniles in the juvenile justice system, eliminating retributive practices.
‘Us Keeps Us’ is Ms. Adonis’ life motto because she truly believes that ‘united we stand, divided we fall’ and that it is truly up to “we the people” to be the change we want to see.
In her spare time, Ms. Adonis enjoys planning weddings and conferences; admiring art and playing volleyball, and engaging in youth empowerment and corporate speaking engagements.
Rebecca Zama is a Boston based singer/songwriter/recording artist. Growing up, she found her passion in singing and in music. She has been performing publicly from the age of 3 all around Massachusetts in venues such as Symphony Hall, Ryles Jazz Club, Middle East Downstairs, and the Hard Rock Cafe.
She specializes in R&B/Pop, but sings a bit of everything. She constantly tries a bit of her Haitian heritage, of which she is proud, into her music. Her inspirations include old time legends like Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston and new sensations like Beyonce, Rihanna, Jasmine Sullivan, and Emeli Sande.
She had no formal training until 2011, where she started taking voice lessons to perfect her technique. Since a young age she discovered songwriting and the ability to translate her emotions onto paper and sing them, in her album “brighter than the sun”, a few of her original tracks like “Take it Slow” and “Can’t Get To Me” are featured. Rebecca also released her first book of poetry entitled “Optimum Me”.
Zama was deeply affected by the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital city. She lost some extended family members who perished in the rubble in Port-Au-Prince. The shock was immediate, especially since she had just 11 days before arrived back in Boston from a visit to Haiti.
As Zama grew older, she became more aware of the discrepancies between herself and her family in Haiti.
In 2012, Zama helped her mother launch the Haiti Global Youth Partnership.
The nonprofit organization, which focuses on alleviating issues that include unsafe water and food insecurity, supports hundreds of L’Asile’s children.
Harry Jean-Jacques is the Founder & President of Big Hope Project, a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded by two Haitian-American brothers from Dorchester, Massachusetts that focuses on reparative community initiatives to reduce the cycle of recidivism in communities disproportionately impacted by the War On Drugs.
As a former returning citizen, Harry has long understood the plight of life after entering the criminal system, and the structural economic issues facing his community for decades.
For these reasons, Big Hope Project’s services include free record sealing/expungement, cannabis entrepreneurship & workforce development educational events, and direct outreach for the Massachusetts Social Equity Program.
Harry has a long reputation of being a guiding light for his community, organizing and advocating for the people closest to the pain in his Hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. He is a pioneer for creating accessible online and in-person expungement clinics in urban areas across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving as a regional coordinator for National Expungement Week, serving as a certified Technical Assistance Provider for the Cannabis Control Commission’s first cannabis Social Equity Program, and spearheading municipal social equity ordinance campaigns in the cities of Cambridge & Boston.
Harry is the sole provider for his family and carries the Jean-Jacque legacy for justice and the liberation of his people and culture. His mission to close the gap on expungement eligibility is rooted in his compassion for his fellow melanated diaspora. To learn more about his organizations work, follow @big.hope.project on instagram & feel free to send them a message or email bighopeproject@gmail.com for more information.
Dr. Jean-Marie opened Sage Family Dental in Boston with the desire to provide exceptional general and preventive dentistry using proven techniques and advanced technology. Dr. Jean-Marie serves individuals and families in Dorchester, as well as the surrounding Boston neighborhoods. Dr. Jean-Marie opened Sage Family Dental, a well-organized practice that emphasizes a family-like environment. With her expertise and skill, she provides patients with a wide range of dental services, always with an unwavering focus on open and honest conversations.
Dr. Jean-Marie attended Tufts University for her undergraduate degree then continued at Boston University to gain a Masters degree in Oral Health Sciences prior to obtaining her Doctorate degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. She is a member of the American Dental Association (ADA), the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), and the Massachusetts Dental Society. Dr. Jean-Marie is fluent in both English and French Creole.
Malaika Lucien is an incredible human being, colleague, and Haitian American Young Professional. As the daughter of Haitian immigrants that settled in Mattapan and Hyde Park in the early ’80s, Malaika grew up in Hingham, MA and has returned to Boston after attending Loyola University in New Orleans.
Dedicated to building a better Boston for everyone, Malaika joined the Office of Boston At-Large City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George to advocate for some of Boston’s most vulnerable and most often ignored: our students, our families and residents who are struggling with mental health issues, addiction, and/or housing instability. Malaika has been critical to this office’s capacity to get the word out about our work, the lived realities of so many Bostonians, and the systemic deficiencies that make it harder for folks who are struggling in this city.
Despite the demanding hours and workload of this office, Malaika always has time for residents of Boston. She also makes time for her whole family and many friends, and for championing the Haitian community. Her community ties led to the Boston City Council issuing official Resolutions honoring the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts at the Still Arts Rise exhibit at Boston City Hall and honoring the work and dedication of Franck Toussaint. Malaika has participated in the Haitian Unity Parades for many years, sang at the Annual Haitian Independence Day Gala in Massachusetts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UOIJ-6iaVE), and, as a teenager, participated in many benefit events after the 2010 Haitian earthquake.
Malaika is a kind, talented, and brilliant public servant with a bright career ahead of her. With aspirations to go to law school and to become a judge, Malaika embodies the best qualities of her generation as a current and future leader.
The Haitian American Young Professional Awards have been created to honor and recognize young professionals under 45 who continually demonstrate outstanding leadership, exemplary professional accomplishments, and commitment to their communities.
The winners will be announced on Sunday, October 30, 2022, at the Haitian American Young Professional Awards Gala and Benefit Dinner at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Dedham, MA.
Please join us on October 30, 2022, as we celebrate the outstanding young professionals in the Haitian community.
Please note that the Young Influencer Awards category applications are still under review. The five finalists will be announced soon!
Sponsorship opportunities for the 2022 Haitian American Young Professional Awards are available. To reserve your Sponsorship, contact us at contact@ushaitianchamber.org or call 781-607-7007.