Our Board of Trustees represents a wide range of backgrounds and talents therefore offering the diverse expertise needed to effectively lead NOVA’s mission. Our Trustees have overall responsibility for governance and setting the strategic direction of NOVA.  Board membership draws from both the United States and Haïti.

Our Executive Committee, comprised of both Trustees and Officers of NOVA, works closely with the staff in Haiti on managing the day-to-day operations and the execution of NOVA’s strategy.

Executive Committee

Joseph F. Nuzzi, President and Trustee

Mr. Nuzzi is a Pastoral Associate at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York, NY.  He is one of the founding members of NOVA Hope for Haiti.  It was during Mr. Nuzzi’s employment at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ that the first medical mission under NOVA Hope for Haiti was born. He brings great enthusiasm for the goal of providing more ongoing medical care to the people of Cavaillon and surrounding areas. He is actively involved in the planning, recruiting and operations of our bi-annual volunteer medical clinics in Cavaillon.

Janice Mansley, Vice-President and Trustee

Ms. Mansley earned her BS in Finance from Lehigh University and an MBA in Strategic Management from Pace University. She retired from a career in Global Institutional Sales at Deustsche Bank to raise her two sons. Ms Mansley is presently on the Advisory Board of the Dyson College of Arts and Science at Pace University. She has been actively involved in fundraising for NOVA since 2009 and her strong organizational skills led to her appointment as Secretary in 2013 and Vice President in 2015. She participated in her first mission to Haiti in 2014 and her dedication to serving the poor makes her an invaluable leader.

Jennifer Henkind, MD, Medical Director and Trustee

Dr. Henkind graduated from Wesleyan University with a major in Chemistry. After college, she spent two years at Emory University conducting medical research. She then attended medical school at SUNY Buffalo, graduated Cum Laude and completed my pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital in Buffalo New York. Dr. Henkind joined Stamford Pediatric Associates in 1994, has been actively involved with New York Medical College and holds a position as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Henkind went on her first medical mission in 2017 and accepted the position of Medical Director in 2018.  NOVA is very fortunate to have Dr. Jenny’s skills and resources as part of NOVA’s mission in Haiti.

Solanges Toussaint, Chargé d’Affairs for NOVA in Haïti and Trustee

Ms. Toussaint was born and raised in Haiti.  She attended college in Nashua, New Hampshire where she earned a BA in Administration and Human Resources.  Upon graduation, she lived and worked in New York City for eight years where she was employed by Alcan & Cie, a latex import/export company.  She returned to Haiti and worked during the next four years as an administrative assistant for the exporting company, Haitian American Meat Packers.  She then moved to the Haitian Division of the First National Bank of Boston where she served as an executive in the Human Resources department for eighteen years. Her energy, altruism and intimate knowledge of Haiti provides a tremendous resource for NOVA Hope for Haiti.

Paul Rowland, Grant Writer, Advisor and Trustee

Mr. Rowland has served as an active advisor to NOVA since 2018. As a retired healthcare administration executive, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge in the areas of leadership, administration, medical facility capital projects and healthcare information technology.  He has applied for and received various grants for NOVA.  Mr. Rowland participated in the January 2019 operations / oversight mission to Haiti and NOVA’s various fundraising events over the last few years.  Mr. Rowland has a MSW in Research, Public Policy, and Administration.  He currently serves on the board of IPRO, an international quality review organization, as Treasurer / Chair of the Finance Committee, and is a member of NYS Dept of Health’s Data Governance Committee, charged with the protection of patients’ confidential health information.

Cordelia Boise, Secretary

Ms. Boise serves as the Secretary of NOVA.  A former global head of Human Resources, she has recently retired and is now running her own non-profit and actively volunteering with a number of other non-profit entities.   In addition to participating in two operations / oversight missions for NOVA, she actively works with the Executive Committee and Haitian management on many administrative, governance and organizational initiatives.   Ms. Boise earned a BA in Psychology from Lehigh University and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from New York University.

Thomas Mansley, Treasurer

Mr. Mansley serves as the Treasurer of NOVA.    He is an investment executive at GAM Investments specializing in the mortgage and asset backed securities (MBS and ABS) sector.   He joined GAM after their merger with Singleterry Mansley Asset Management, where he was the CIO for six years.   Prior, Mr. Mansley held a wide range of senior level positions within MBS.  Mr. Mansley holds an MBA from Pace University, an MS in Mathematics from the Courant Institute of New York University and a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from Pace University.   As a former EMT, he has participated in medical and non-medical missions.

Non-Executive Trustees

Kevin Carroll, Trustee

Mr. Carroll is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. Prior to Morgan Stanley, he worked for over 12 years at Goldman Sachs as a Private Wealth Advisor and five years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a CPA.  He obtained his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Notre Dame and MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  In addition to NOVA, Mr. Carroll is actively involved in a number of other charities.   His industry contacts, educational and professional distinctions, and outreach work bring a wealth of strategic ideas and new perspectives to NOVA Hope for Haiti.

Max Elibert, Trustee

Mr. Elibert was raised and educated in Haiti. Born in Les Cayes, he grew up in Cavaillion and began his secondary education at the Phillippe Guerrier Lyceum in Les Cayes. He then graduated law school at The University of Port-au-Prince and continued his studies in economic sciences at Long Island University in New York.  He has worked as a lawyer, a district attorney and judge in Aquin, Haiti. He also served as the General Director of the Ministry of Justice in Port-au-Prince for three years.  Mr. Elibert’s impeccable service within the Haitian justice system and experience with the practice of law in the country, as well as his many legal ties within the community, are strong resources for NOVA Hope for Haiti.

Susan M. Fisher-Ogle, President, Haitian Pilgrims and Trustee

Ms. Fisher-Ogle has a Bachelors in Business Studies degree, cum laude, and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from Dallas Baptist University.  She has held executive level positions at Xerox Corporation, CONEXIS, and TIAA-CREF.  As a result of her 2001 mission trip to Haiti with the Haitian Pilgrims of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic church, she became a passionate supporter of the people of Haiti.   Over the past 18 years, Ms. Fisher-Ogle has served as the fundraising coordinator, Secretary, Treasurer and today is the President/Chair of Haitian Pilgrims.  Besides participating in NOVA’s medical missions, she spent 10 months in Boileau teaching English in St. Therese school. She also provides consulting services to a private family trust that supports educational needs in two communities in the Les Cayes Diocese.

Kevin Guarderas, Trustee

Mr. Guarderas has been President of Direct Market Designs, a marketing execution company supporting Fortune 100 companies’ corporate communications since 2007.  His company develops and protects corporate brands through various forms of direct marketing.  Prior to his current role, Mr. Guarderas spent a number of years in Finance, including roles as CFO and in investment banking as well as mergers and acquisitions.  As a multi-linguist, he has lived around the world including Brazil.   He earned his undergraduate degree from SUNY Buffalo and his MBA from New York University.

Jerry Hoogendoorn, Trustee

Mr. Hoogendoorn, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of HBC Company, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry.  For 20 years, he has been leading his company in an assortment of electrical projects that include but are not limited to highway lighting, airport lighting, and alternative energy sources throughout the New York and New Jersey region.   His expertise are vital to NOVA as we rebuild our clinic and in the on-going maintenance of our buildings.

Max Jean, Trustee

Mr. Jean was born and raised in St-Marc, Haiti, approximately 60 miles north from the capital. In 1997, he moved to Boston where he first completed his BA with a concentration in Finance at Salem State University and then obtained his MS in Finance from Suffolk University.  He worked in the banking sector in both Boston and New York for the majority of his career to date, specifically in Human Resources and Compensation.  He then relocated to South Florida and moved into the manufacturing industry.   He just started a new position as Senior Compensation Manager for Chewy, an online retail company of food and veterinary care for pets.  Mr. Jean became involved with NOVA in 2013 and has been on four mission trips since then.

Jocelyne M. Faustin Lamour, Trustee

Ms. Lamour was born and raised in Haiti, and then came to the U.S. in the early 1970’s to further her education. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Chemistry from the College of Staten Island, CUNY, she had a successful career of over 30 years as a Laboratory Technologist and recently retired from her position as  Chief Technologist of the Special Chemistry Laboratory at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.  Since 2005, Ms. Lamour has been a core member of the medical missions.  Jocelyne’s dedication to better the lives of the impoverished Haitian people and her understanding of the underlying Haitian culture makes her an invaluable board member of the NOVA Hope for Haiti team.

Colette McDermott, Trustee

Ms. McDermott is a founding member and has been on the NOVA Board since 2005.  She has a degree in Allied Health Services.  She has been a practicing radiological technologist in the orthopedic field for over twenty-five years.   Her family served as “host parents” for a sick and injured Haitian child through the “Healing the Children” program, and they subsequently adopted this young girl.  Her administrative talents coupled with her strong passion to improve medical care in Haiti have been paramount to NOVA’s efforts.

Lionel Roy, Trustee

Mr. Roy earned his Bachelor’s Degree in finance from the University of Puerto Rico. He then completed graduate coursework in International Finance working towards an MBA at New York University. His background in International Finance was honed during a ten-year tenure with Chase Manhattan Bank where he held various positions within the Credit Division and was based out of offices in the United States, France and South America. He returned to his native Haiti in 1980 to begin his own business and has been active in the Haitian industrial, commercial and banking sectors. He has served as a member of the board of directors at both the Haitian development bank as well as a regional commercial bank. The integral ties Mr. Roy has to the business and financial communities in Haiti aid NOVA in its efforts to maximize local Haitian involvement.

Mary Silverberg, RN, Medical Mission Chairperson and Trustee

Ms. Silverberg has been an active volunteer of NOVA since 2006. After receiving a degree in Secondary Education from SUNY Plattsburg, she obtained a Masters in Nursing from Pace University.  She has been a cardiovascular nurse for most of her career. She is currently employed by Montefiore Medical Center as a full-time RN in the Cardiac Catherization Lab at the Einstein Campus.  Ms. Silverberg is involved in many facets of NOVA’s operations including fundraising, ordering medical supplies for the two clinics in Haiti, and co-leading medical missions to Haiti.  She was elected to the Board in 2018.

Frederic Toussaint, Trustee

Mr. Touissant was born and raised in Haiti. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Universite Quisqueye in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He went on to pursue his MBA in Finance at Pace University in New York. Mr Toussaint began his accounting career as an external auditor for KPMG in their Haitian affiliated office. After his graduate studies, he then joined Ernst & Young as a consultant in their Risk Advisory Services group in New York City, where he has been involved in consulting projects, primarily in the insurance sector. Mr. Toussaint has been a member of NOVA’s board since 2006.

Anna M. Vincenty, Trustee

Ms. Vincenty is the Executive Sales Administrator of MetroMultimedia Services Inc., an Audio-VIsual Production Service Provider headquartered in New Jersey.  She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 1990 and has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.  She joined the Board of Directors of NOVA in 2011.

Advisor to the Board

Father Bob Stagg

Father Bob Stagg has been an ordained Roman Catholic priest for over 35 years.  He is the past pastor of the St. James Church in Springfield, NJ and has been pastor of the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ since 2006.  He is active in the New Jersey Priest Senate and the Personnel Board of the Archdiocese of Newark.  He holds membership on the Development and the Building Boards of the Archdiocese and his construction expertise derived from this experience is a valuable asset for NOVA in the planning and staged growth of our organization.