Governance

Sixty years ago, a small child with lively brown eyes picked up Barbara’s LIFE magazine and held it upside down to “read” and look at the pictures. Education for Haiti’s rural mountain children has been her passion since that day. Apart from brief interludes in Haiti, her professional career focused on U.S. social policy, first working in HUD’s Model Cities Program, then leading a division of a policy research firm, and finally as President of TERC, a not-for-profit education R&D organization. Since 2001 she has been deeply involved in, and remains an enthusiastic supporter of Matènwa’s progress and dreams.

Chris W Low is the Executive Director of Friends of Matènwa and the Co-founder of Matènwa Community Learning Center. She received her BA in Psychology from Vassar College and M Ed from Lesley University. Chris taught in the Cambridge, Massachusetts Public Schools for 9 years, 5 of which were in a Haitian Bi-lingual school. She also taught at the Atrium School and Fayerweather Street School. She has worked as a teacher, administrator, teacher trainer and curriculum developer. She currently divides her time between Cambridge, MA, Matènwa, Haiti, and Cabarete, Dominican Republic.

Chris has one daughter, Juliette, who lives in Chicago.

Heather Yow is an actuary with over 35 years of experience in the property/casualty insurance industry.  She has a B.A. in Economics from Hamilton College, is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.  Heather is a lifelong friend of Chris Low’s and longtime supporter of MCLC. Heather is committed to helping Friends of Matènwa achieve its mission to support education at MCLC, across Lagonav, and all of Haiti.

Friends of Matènwa’s Executive Director Chris Low and Tim met in 1976 in high school and have been friends ever since. Through this friendship Tim has been following the development of the MCLC school in Matènwa since its inception and visited MCLC on La Gonave in 2015. It was Tim’s pleasure and honor to serve as Board Treasurer from 2015 to 2020. Now as a board member he is committed to help Friends of Matènwa serve the wonderful students and families at MCLC, Lagonav and mainland Haiti.

Marie Françoise D. Gonzales is the Executive Director of Fondation Odette Roy Fombrun in Haiti with 20 years’ experience in education and humanitarian projects, economics, business and financial management in the Haitian private sector, negotiation for health insurance and project management in education and health care. Born and raised in Haiti, she invests her time and energy to create sustainable development projects to help communities grow while using their natural, cultural, and historical heritage and Matenwa is an extraordinary example. She believes that education, personal growth, and compliance with standards are the foundations for continuous development in every community.

After undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon, Tim co-founded GreaterGood.com which raises funds for charity based on the sale of artisan and other products, including products from Haiti. He visited the Matènwa school on his second trip to Lagonav (and his fifth trip to Haiti) and was amazed by the quality of the teaching and impressed by the vision and accomplishments. He is excited to serve on the Friends of Matènwa Board.

Vladimir LaBorde brings more than 25 years of experience in finance, sales, marketing, capital raising, and community and business development. He has extensive expertise in risk management, investment instruments, and private equity transactions, and has managed multi-asset portfolios while providing capital advisory services and investment guidance through select money managers. Vladimir has worked across both the public and private sectors, with significant experience engaging executive leadership, boards of directors, and high-net-worth individuals.

As someone who grew up in Haiti, Victoria has always been passionate about improving the lives of children through education and community support. Joining this board allows her to merge her background in teaching, volunteer work, and non-profit leadership to support meaningful change. She is committed to using her experience to empower the children of Haiti.