Conference Overview

Overview:

For its fifth conference, the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals (NAAHP) has selected the United States capital for its annual three-day forum. The Raben Group, a Washington DC public policy firm, is partnering with NAAHP to host the largest gathering of Haitians that the District of Columbia has ever seen.

There are very powerful Haitian-Americans in Washington D.C. This includes Congresswoman Mia Love, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, and high-level political operatives on Capitol Hill, in the White House, and the Executive Branch of the U.S. government.

This year’s theme focuses on leveraging the Diaspora’s political and economic power. Over 1 million Haitians reside in America. This important market is dynamic and includes middle class families and senior level professionals.

Distinguished leaders, officials from Haiti, industry experts, and millennials will participate on panels, workshops, roundtables to discuss strategies to leverage the assets, talents, and capacity of the Diaspora. The goal is to identify concrete solutions to advance the homeland and help Haiti realize its full potential.

Highlights:

Topics will include STEM education, technology and innovation, environmental sustainability, and Haiti’s intertwined history with Cuba, Israel, and the U.S.

During the conference, NAAHP holds interactive seminars and discussions to provide professionals with the guidance and tools they need to successfully navigate their field. NAAHP invites expert speakers from the U.S and Haiti to impart their knowledge and engage in thought-provoking dialogue with conference attendees.

Objectives:

• Discuss professional advancement strategies that prepare professionals for a competitive global workforce.
• Forge a viable advocacy framework for governments to effectively collaborate with the Haitian Diaspora and non-profit groups for the acceleration of Haiti’s development.
• Share knowledge of philanthropic and social entrepreneurship opportunities related to improved economic success in Haiti.

Outputs:

• Facilitate platform for experts to continue engagement on key issues after the conference, enabling increased awareness and ongoing debate.
• Create space for critical thinking and analysis that can lead to in-depth understanding of complex problems and ultimately result in the development of concrete solutions for advancement.
• Foster effective and collaborative interactions between Haiti and its Diaspora that can lead to innovative partnerships in the long-term.
• Influence future policies to advance Diaspora communities abroad and the Haitian people.

Participants:

Members of Congress, Policy Makers, Haitian Officials, Business Leaders, Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Millennials, Academics, International Affairs Practitioners, Advocates, and Students.

Language:

English, French, Haitian Creole

Background

The NAAHP assembles a diverse team of stakeholders from across the Haitian Diaspora and Haiti to help shape and guide conference programming. Partnering with various organizations, the NAAHP creates a weekend dedicated to exploring long-term, sustainable solutions for advocacy, foreign aid and investment.

The Annual NAAHP National Conference is always held on college campuses and universities along the East Coast that have large or growing populations of Haitian-Americans. This has included Columbia University in New York, NY and Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.  The 2015 annual NAAHP conference was held at the Kovens Conference Center at Florida International University.

Founded in 2011, the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established by diverse group of forward-thinking industry experts, youth leaders, faculty, public and nonprofit sector professionals from Haiti and its global diaspora. NAAHP is focused on connecting a global community of peers with career advancement resources, as well as, fostering transformative relationships between NAAHP members and committed stakeholders to rebuild Haiti through philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.