Team

The Board

  • Roger Célestin

    President

    Roger is chair of the French and Francophone Studies Program at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of several books and articles, including From Cannibals to Radicals: Figures and Limits of Exoticism and Universalism in Crisis: France from 1851 to the Present, and the co-founder and editor of the scholarly journal Contemporary French and Francophone Studies/SITES. Roger left Haiti in 1964, earning an M.A. from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Center/City University of New York.

  • Rick Barger

    Vice President

    Rick first visited Haiti in 1997 and has been committed to the transformation of the country ever since. He is the Founder of the Haitian Timoun Foundation. He holds a BS and MS in Civil Engineering and Management (NC State University and the University of Illinois) as well as a Master of Divinity (Trinity Lutheran Seminary) and Doctor of Ministry (San Francisco Theological Seminary). With a rare resume that couples extension construction management and business experience in the Middle East with over thirty years as an ordained pastoral leader, Rick has transformed and grown organizations to missional clarity, health and cultural vitality. He recently retired as the President of Trinity Lutheran Seminary and continues his call to transforming work as an author, speaker, and leadership coach. He resides with his wife, Harriet, in Decatur (Atlanta), Georgia.

  • Derek Jean-Baptiste

    Treasurer

    Derek is a first-generation Haitian American who is currently a Managing Director and Distinguished Engineer in Technology at JPMorgan Chase. He is a native New Yorker and passionate about the power of education to help fix economic inequity. Prior to JPMorgan Chase, Derek was a Managing Director and Technology Fellow at Goldman Sachs, been involved with multiple startups, and worked in Silicon Valley.

  • Sandra Anojulu

    Secretary

    Sandra Anojulu is an Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase.She has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry and technology sector. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, Sandra spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs driving technology innovation and operational resiliency. Her passion for technology led her to a drastic career change in 1999 from being a Scientist to joining the Information Technology Era as an Engineer. Sandra earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Montclair State University and a M.S. in Information System and Management from Stevens Institute of Technology. Sandra was born in Haiti and travels back regularly to her home country to volunteer her time and expertise. She is very passionate about giving back and is committed to driving positive and sustainable change in Haiti. She currently lives in New Jersey with her 2 children and served as a HELP Board Member since 2018.

  • Dan McDonough, Jr

    Member

    Dan McDonough is executive chairman of Elauwit, a holding company with businesses in media and telecommunications. He also is a founding partner of Woden, a brand narrative agency, and is managing partner of the strategic consulting firm Baron Hunter. Dan’s early career was in media, and his news experience includes serving as editorial-page editor for daily newspapers in New Jersey; as a New York City-based special correspondent for the Washington-based Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.; and as a news professional with Gannett Co. and Dow Jones & Co. Dan’s articles on business, technology, and politics have been published in Intellectual Capital, National Review, The Christian Science Monitor, In These Times, and a number of other publications. He also services as the Regional Coordinator for the Burke to Buckley Program of the National Review Institute in Philadelphia. An Eagle Scout, Dan served on the National Committee of the Order of the Arrow and the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America, and has served as an officer and board member for many local council boards of the Boy Scouts. He spends considerable time traveling to and helping to support economic development in Haiti through his foundation.

  • Helen Bodian

    Member

    Helen holds a B.A. in art history and a law degree from NYU and has specialized in civil and human rights law. After assisting in the founding of Prisoners Legal Services of New York, she practiced constitutional appeals for several more years. She then worked at the Center for Human Rights at Columbia University on refugee and migration issues and on children in armed conflict. She is now a photographer based in New York City and has published and exhibited in various venues.

  • Danielle St. Germain-Gordon

    Member

    Danielle is the Director of Development at the San Francisco Ballet. She previously served as the Chief Development Officer at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage, beginning in 2011. Prior to that, she spent three years with the American Association of Museums (AAM) in Washington, DC, most recently as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Before AAM, she served as the Associate Director of Development at Washington, DC’s (LORT B) Shakespeare Theatre Company from 2000-2008. She has focused her career on forging partnerships and is keenly interested in building relationships and matching appropriate philanthropic causes to interested patrons. Danielle holds a B.A. in Humanities/Art History focus with a Studio Art minor from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

Senior Staff

  • Conor Bohan

    Founder & Executive Director

    Conor lived and worked in Haiti from 1996 to 2008. Under his leadership, HELP has grown from a single student to the largest university scholarship program in Haiti. In addition to growing HELP, Conor was a volunteer teacher, Deputy Director of the National Democratic Institute in Haiti, and Director of Haiti Programs for the American Institutes for Research. Conor is an Ashoka Fellow and a Fellow of the RSA.  He has a B.A. in History from Brown University.

  • Garry Délice

    Country Director

    Garry has been educating Haitians for over 20 years. Since graduating from teacher’s college in 1990, Garry has taught at public schools in rural Haiti, directed a Haitian-American magnet school, co-founded a high school, and consulted with Haiti’s Ministry of Education. He joined HELP as Country Director in 2006. Garry has represented HELP at the White House Conference on the Americas and testified before the Haitian Parliament’s joint committee on education. Garry also represents HELP in the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), an international association of French-speaking universities.

  • Amber Walsh

    Director of Operations

    Amber has 12 years of non-profit management experience, many of which have been spent supporting education programs in Haiti. She began her experience in Haiti as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2000 and has since held senior management roles for Outreach to Haiti (formerly Haitian Ministries) and Save the Children, facilitating strategic planning processes as well as managing large-scale programs and operations. Amber has B.A. in political science from McGill University and an M.B.A. from Yale University.

  • Sam Connor

    Director of Development

    Sam leads in the non-profit sector in fundraising, strategy, and marketing; building teams, processes, and platforms for mission impact and transformative growth. Using an evidence-based approach to success he connects purpose to supporters through innovation, creativity, and collaboration. Since returning to the US in 2008 he has served in a variety of senior fundraising and marketing positions for Save the Children and the Anti-Defamation League, as well as running his own consulting firm for several years. Across 15 years in Africa and Asia, Sam worked in field positions for the Peace Corps, PACT, and Population Services International.

Because of HELP, I’m able to face my future with hope.

— Eveline Francois-Benoit, accounting, class of 2013

Pharana-Paula Auguste
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