Igniting Our Power 2022

Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis became Prime Minister of Haiti in September 2008. While Prime Minister, she also served as Minister of Justice and Public Security.

Upon leaving office in November 2009, Pierre-Louis resumed her activities at the Open Society Foundations–Haiti she created in 1995 under the name Fondation Connaissance et Liberté – FOKAL. She is now FOKAL’s President, coordinating special projects in Sustainable Development, Higher Education and National Heritage with an emphasis on human rights and gender justice. She is also a professor at Université Quisqueya, Haïti.

The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean is the former 27th Governor General, Commander-in-Chief of Canada, sworn in September 27, 2005, for a five-year mandate. On October 1st, 2010, the United Nations immediately called on her to become UNESCO Special Envoy to support reconstruction efforts in Haiti. From 2011 to 2014, Michaëlle Jean also served as Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, where her offices as UNESCO Special Envoy were hosted. Seasoned stateswoman and diplomat, her voice is gifted with the power to convene everywhere in the multilateral sphere, in every UN forum, from New York to Geneva, all the way to the Security Council, as well as within the European Union, the European Parliament, the OECD, the African Union.

Freshman Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2022, becoming the first Haitian American Democrat to be elected to Congress. She now proudly represents Florida’s 20th district. Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick is honored to serve on the House Committee on Education and Labor, as well as the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.  She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Haitian Caucus, and the Caribbean Caucus.