“Changing Haiti Through Higher Education”: Jacky Lumarque, Hérold Toussaint, Philippe Mathieu & Jean-Baptiste L. Charlot

Jacky Lumarque has been the rector of the Université Quisqueya since 2007. He previously served as president of the Regional Conference of Rectors, Presidents and Directors of Universities in the Caribbean (CORPUCA) from 2012 to 2019. Lumarque was also a member of the board of directors of the Francophone University Association (AUF), in which he also served in the associative council and the management committee, from 2008 to 2017. Under the administration of René Préval, Lumarque coordinated the working group on education and training (GTEF), providing policy recommendations directly to the president.

Jean-Baptiste Charlot, M.D., is an OB-GYN in Miami. After completing his medical studies at the Université d’État d’Haïti, he became certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Nearing retirement, Charlot continues to study human biology, with a particular interest in cellular biology. In his book Understanding the World through Biology, he draws an enlightening analogy between the behavior of our cells and the functioning of human society, emphasizing the lessons that can be derived from nature. As he points out, our leaders and institutions can contribute to a more harmonious and peaceful society simply by mimicking the behavior of a cell, whose various parts protect and enhance one another’s function for the benefit of the entire organism. In Saving Haiti, Saving the World, Charlot explores the role of Christianity in the progress of modern society.

Philippe Mathieu is an agronomist, CEO of Agroconsult Haiti, and a vice chancellor of research at the Université d’État d'Haïti in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.