Building a Healthier Future: A Panel Discussion on Environmental Sustainability in Haiti

Join us for an essential examination of environmental sustainability in Haiti, featuring a diverse group of panelists who are committed to creating a brighter future for Haiti and its peoples, including Philippe Mathieu, an agronomist and CEO of Agroconsult Haiti; Florentin Maurrasse, Ph.D., a geologist at Florida International University and a renowned expert in tektite layers; Georgette Bain-Clervois, an experienced engineer with a passion for sustainable development initiatives; and Jocelyn David, an engineer, geologist, and environmentalist. Through the collective lens of their unique perspectives and expertise, they will explore challenges, opportunities, and best practices for building a healthier and more sustainable Haiti.

PHILIPPE MATHIEU is the CEO of Agroconsult Haiti and a Haitian agronomist with more than 40 years of experience in development work. He has worked for NGOs, international organizations, and private and public sectors, including the University of Haiti and the Ministry of Agriculture. Mathieu has extensive expertise in agricultural production systems, food security, watershed management, environmental project planning, strategic planning, institutional strengthening, and local development. He is a recognized expert in strategic planning and disaster risk management, having contributed to many reference documents for Haiti’s development. A proud father of three children, Mathieu is a visionary entrepreneur passionate about Haiti’s potential for growth and development.

GEORGETTE BAIN-CLERVOIS is director of operations at Interpol Land Development & Business Services. Her passion lies in developing coordinated, sustainable initiatives and operational plans while empowering communities, families, and individuals to manage environmental, economic, and social issues through regulation and good planning. She reviews and evaluates business procedures; oversees the work of professionals such as architects, engineers, and planners; and is responsible for planning and construction projects. Bain-Clervois monitors revenue margins, project efficiency, productivity, and worker proficiency. She has studied political science at the University of Miami and urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University. She has also served as CEO of Cope & Care Systems.

JOCELYN DAVID is an engineer, geologist, and environmentalist. As one of a handful of geologists and environmentalists specializing in Haitian geological history, he is considered a rare national treasure and is known as “Ingénieur David” in South Florida’s Haitian community. Born in Jacmel, Haiti, David received his secondary school education in Port-au-Prince and studied geology in the United States at Florida International University. In 1981, he was one of three candidates chosen by the government of Haiti to receive training in geological sciences at FIU. Considered an expert on sustainable solutions to Haiti’s energy demands, David’s advice has been sought after by various government and non-governmental organizations.

FLORENTIN MAURRASSE, PH.D., is a renowned geologist and paleontologist who has significantly contributed to the field. He obtained his doctorate in 1973 from Columbia University and holds a Diplome d’Etudes Supérieures in stratigraphy-paleontology and a Licence des Sciences from Marseilles in 1967 and 1966, respectively. Maurrasse’s research areas include the stratigraphy, paleoceanography, and paleogeography of the Caribbean, focusing on radiolarian and smaller foraminiferal biostratigraphy. He is also interested in the climate changes recorded in pelagic sequences and the litho- and biostratigraphy of deep-sea sequences in the Caribbean Sea and exposed deep-sea sequences on land. Maurrasse’s work on the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary in southern Haiti and other Caribbean sites is particularly noteworthy. He also has a keen interest in the development and distribution of carbonate facies in the Plio-Pleistocene carbonates of South Florida and their relation to the region’s hydrogeology.