Renee Clermont was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1941. Her happy childhood was cut short when she lost her father at the age of 10, on Christmas Eve. Her mother had to work several jobs to make ends meet, so Renée and her sister lived with different family members around the city.

Eventually, Renée was accepted to nursing school where she met her future husband, Arnold. After they married and had a daughter, Renée followed her young doctor husband to Canada and eventually to the United States where they settled and had two more children.

After raising her children, Renée earned a Master's Degree in psychiatric nursing. Her final position was counseling children and their families at John Hopkins' Kennedy Krieger Institute - which specializes in pediatric neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries and developmental disabilities.

Renee’s life was turned upside down when Arnold died suddenly in a car accident in 1995. Shortly after his death, Renée decided she wanted to breathe life into Arnold's dream of opening up a hospital in his hometown of Jacmel, Haiti.

But when she visited Jacmel, Renee discovered a pervasive problem of child homelessness. This observation led to Renée's founding of the Clermont Center for Youth. She continues to be a role model and symbol of patronage to the children of Jacmel, whose lives she had worked tirelessly to improve.

Hervé Clermont, son of Renee Clermont and the late Dr. Jacques A Clermont, was recently appointed President of the JA Clermont Memorial Foundation. A graduate of Georgetown University, Herve brings over a decade of experience in branding and messaging for companies such as BMW, Harmon Kardon, VH1, Remy Martin and Cintas. His mission combines the vision of both parents - continuing the legacy of his father by helping the less fortunate in Haiti, and fulfilling his mother's desire to reach as many children as possible, and creating a brighter future for Haitian youth through education. He has served on the board since 2008, and has led several successful fundraising efforts throughout the years.

Regine Clermont is a Registered Yoga Teacher- 200 hours, certified in chair yoga for dementia, certified Stay Active and Independent (SAIL) Trainer, certified Naturopathic Usui Reiki II Practitioner, certified Integrative Health Coach, and has a Master’s Degree in Social Work.

For over 28 years, Regine has worked in the fields of mental health, trauma, abuse, homelessness, affordable housing, and gerontology as a community based from a social worker , program manager to an executive director. She has worked with families, adults, and older adults.

Regine teaches fun-filled seated and floor hatha yoga and general fitness to active seniors from 50 years to 102 years young. Her classes are accessible for older adults with chronic health conditions (e.g., stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s, heart condition, MS, etc.), and those with mobility issues. Regine infuses her yoga classes with health education, and other energy work modalities.

Rose-Anne Clermont was born in New York in 1971. She was the youngest child in the Clermont family. She studied ballet and danced professionally then went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She loved to discuss current events with her father and eventually earned a Master's Degree in journalism from Columbia University.

A Fulbright scholarship sent her to Germany, where she lived with her three sons. She worked as a journalist, editor and journalism trainer in developing countries.

We honor our dear Rose-anne, as she lost her battle to cancer last year. Her love for the children, dedication and commitment to bettering the lives of Haitian children, will live on through our work.

Herve held positions as a Financial Analyst and Institutional Salesperson at Citigroup, Credit Suisse First Boston and several other firms over a 23-year career on Wall Street. As a Financial Analyst, he covered a broad number of technology stocks and ranked 3rd place in Stock Picking category in Wall Street Journal’s “Best Analyst’s On The Street” for 2002.

Kellie N. Kirksey, PhD, is a Holistic Psychotherapist who received her doctorate at The Ohio State University in Counselor Education and Psychology. She is a licensed clinical counselor, an advanced clinical heart centered hypnotherapist, a certified rehabilitation counselor, yoga instructor (200hr), reiki practitioner, dancing mindfulness practitioner, expressive arts therapist, emdr practitioner, poet and wellness consultant. She has practiced and taught in the counseling field for more than 30 years and has focused her work in the area of multicultural counseling, motivation, social justice, integrative holistic counseling and wellness. She was previously a tenured Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Malone University in Ohio where she taught practicum, internship, human development, group counseling, theories and cultural diversity.

Nona Mitchell Richardson is chief strategist at MitchRich Communications, a boutique consulting firm she founded in 2013 to help non-profits and social enterprises improve their audience engagement for greater impact. The firm’s clients serve youth, families and communities in the arenas of K-12 and higher education, economic development, community health, political organizing, environmental sustainability, social justice and racial healing.

Richardson has more than 20 years of experience providing communications support to organizations that are seeking to address some of society’s most pressing concerns. She is an accomplished speech and script writer, publications author and editor, video producer, web content creator, social media strategist and event planner. Her greatest strengths are her effectiveness as a strategic collaborator, relationship-builder, and creative solution finder. Richardson has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in Communication from Johns Hopkins University.

Keith has over 30 years of legal experience, working in both the Public and Private Sector, including serving as Legislative Counsel in the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as Staff Counsel in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He is currently serving as counsel for a Cyber-technology firm. One of Keith’s passions is assisting developing countries with Private Sector Development and Reconstruction. He has assisted the United States Army Corps of Engineers with Construction efforts in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and is currently working with several organizations, assisting evacuation efforts for Afghan citizens who assisted the United States with construction in Afghanistan.

Jeanette Jenkins is a retired public health policy analyst. In retirement, she works in a number of parish ministries including social justice, prison prevention/inmate advocacy, and providing meals for the homeless.

Larry has spent over 31 years in the insurance and financial services arena. 15 years as a financial advisor, 10 years as a risk manager with the Los Angeles Unified School District and currently he serves as the Chief Risk Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Larry has dedicated many hours outside of work as an avid volunteer in the LA community and with his church family where he serves as Chairman of the Deacon Board. Larry is a jack of all trades who is adept at managing projects, overseeing special events, innovative fundraising, networking and troubleshooting in addition to an innate skill of analyzing organizational management and providing recommendations for more effective leadership options for better organizational focus.

Evens Egalit was born in North Haïti, and grew up In Jacmel.

Evens has a bachelor’s degree in Social work in education. He is a certified English teacher, a certified tour guide from the world tourism Organization, and is the founder and CEO of Universal English Institute.

Evens is passionate about social development and entrepreneurship, and creating new opportunities from difficult situations. A problem solver and forward thinking leader, Evens will be integral in impacting more children in the Jacmel community.