Guirlaine Ritha Belizaire
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Development Guild DDI

Guirlaine Ritha Belizaire (she/her) is an accomplished relationship builder, innate servant leader, inveterate idealist, purposeful proponent for diversity, equity, and inclusion, champion of people and planet, perennial student, and intentional gatherer.
She has had the great privilege to serve in the nonprofit sector for the entirety of her career, first as a math and science teacher to middle and high school students in New York City, then raising awareness, partnership and funds for such impactful organizations as UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), Cambridge University, the TANENBAUM Center for Interreligious Understanding, and Catholic Charities New York.
Currently, she is a senior consultant and Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Development Guild DDI, a for-profit consulting firm that caters exclusively to the nonprofit sector.
Born and raised in New York City, Guirlaine now resides in Southern Maryland. She enjoys deep and rich conversations, reading, writing poetry, listening to all kinds of music, travel, long and meandering hikes, dogs, children, dance, and practicing restorative yoga.
Deeply devoted to the work of justice, Guirlaine recently received a certificate in collective trauma healing. She is a proud trustee of One World Girl, a nonprofit committed to reminding girls and women of their agency. Further, Guirlaine has served as a fundraising consultant to organizations ranging from faith-based to those with an international reach, including the Haitian Global Health Alliance in Support of GHESKIO.
Guirlaine received a Master of Arts in Biology from Hofstra University and earned her bachelor’s degree in molecular genetics from the University of Rochester, where she is an active alumna and serves on the Black Alumni Network Executive Committee.