Our Board
James Louis-Charles
Founder
James Louis-Charles is the Founder and Director of FC Juvenat. He holds a B.A. in International Studies from American University and a Master’s in Sustainable Peace Through Sport from the International University of Monaco. A seasoned soccer coach with over 20 years of experience, he has served as Country Director for GOALS Haiti and Athletic Director at Union School. A lifelong student of Haitian history, James is known for writing and sharing Haiti facts and for his deep commitment to giving back to his country and community through sport, education, and youth development.
Lissette Acosta Corniel
Board Member
Lissette Acosta Corniel is an associate professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies in the Department of Ethnic and Race Studies at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Michael Anello
Board Member
Michael Anello was a child psychologist in Charlottesville Virginia for the 32 years before moving to Haiti in 2011. Currently, he is employed as the executive director of Haiti Reforestation Partnership and the in-country director for Family Health Ministries. Both these roles meet his passion of working with the underserved population.
Joseph Cassagnole
Board Member
Lucien Derosena
Board Member
Lucien Derosena is a Human Resources Consultant and Career Coach with more than ten years of experience in recruitment, talent strategy, and professional development. He advises organizations on hiring initiatives and provides strategic guidance to leaders. Committed to supporting individual career growth, Lucien has helped professionals at all stages enhance their marketability, clarify their career goals, and navigate a competitive job market. His leadership extends into the community as a Youth Mentor with The Leader Shop and a Volunteer Mediator with the Chicago Center for Conflict Resolution. He also serves on the Board of the Career Transition Center of Chicago. Lucien holds an MPA from DePaul University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Magdalene Derosena
Board Member
Magdaline Derosena is a mission-driven leader with over 15 years of experience across the tech and civic tech sectors. Her career spans startups, digital banking, health technology modernization, and public-sector innovation, where she has led enterprise product strategy, user experience, and agile delivery at scale.
She most recently served in a supervisory role in civic tech, coaching and mentoring early-career technologists working on mission-driven, public-impact initiatives. Across her career, she has advanced agile practices, built high-performing cross-functional teams, and championed inclusive leadership within complex organizations.
Raised in the Midwest, Magdaline holds a degree from Loyola University Chicago. She brings a lifelong commitment to inclusive innovation, community impact, and ethical technology. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hiking along the West Coast, and exploring global cuisines.
Patrick Domond
Board Member
I live by a principle often echoed in martial arts: “Your hands are there to receive, but also to give”. Treasuring the knowledge I’ve gained and sharing it with others is a philosophy that enriches my journey and deepens my connection to community. I’m a passionate sports enthusiast, especially drawn to soccer and youth programs that strengthen communities. Professionally, my background is in engineering and project management, where I thrive on solving complex challenges and driving results in defense and healthcare industries. Outside of work, I’m an avid reader with a deep interest in emerging technologies: particularly clean energy and environmental sustainability.
Dianne Jean François
Board Member
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Ryan French
Board Member
A former American soccer player who spent a season in Haiti, Ryan brings extensive experience as a coach and club director. Inspired by his work with the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, where he helped launch the Kumasi Soccer School, he believes Haiti is full of potential and is committed to supporting pathways for young talent to thrive. Ryan previously served as Executive Director of a large youth soccer club near Chicago affiliated with the Chicago Fire FC. He has also worked as a Coaching Director and Director of Operations for other Fire affiliates. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and an MSc in International Project Development from Rouen Business School.
Beatrice Klimes
Board Member
Beatrice was raised in Haïti and moved to the United States as a teenager, an experience that deepened her connection to her roots and shaped her commitment to giving back. Passionate about Haitian culture, she strongly aligns with our mission to empower youth through sports, education, and meaningful opportunities. With more than 25 years of experience in finance, leadership, and organizational management, Beatrice brings extensive expertise and strategic insight to our team. Her professional background and dedication to service position her as a powerful advocate for our initiatives, and as a board member she will help guide and strengthen FC Juvenat’s long-term goals.
Gregory Louis-Charles
Board Member
Gregory Louis-Charles is a Haitian-born technology executive and entrepreneur with a background leading digital initiatives at global organizations. He brings strategic leadership, innovation experience, and a strong commitment to youth development to the FC Juvenat board.
Stacia Morris
Board Member
A 2025 Women Innovators Honoree, Ms. Morris is the founder of Your Life TREK. She is an Educator, Speaker, Executive Leadership Coach and Author. She has authored financial literacy and workforce development books. As a catalyst for the improvement of life, Ms. Morris has run workshops and trained thousands of multi-level global participants using her books and proprietorial materials. Topics have included Financial and Entrepreneurial Literacy, Success, and Leadership Development. Her current focus is the development of global Micro Enterprise Programs. She holds a post-MBA and an MBA, Pace University, NY, and a BA, University of the West Indies. A popular International Keynote Speaker, Moderator and Panelist, Ms. Morris has appeared on numerous media platforms.
Carl Narcisse
Board Member
Carl Narcisse is a technical recruiting leader with 10+ years of experience across agency, in-house, and venture capital. He most recently served as a Talent Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), supporting the firm’s global AI Apps portfolio. Previously, he spent five years at Slack as a Senior Technical Recruiter, driving process improvements, mentoring recruiters, and strengthening engineering hiring. Carl began his career recruiting for high-growth startups such as Counsyl and TrialPay, gaining extensive full-cycle experience in fast-scaling environments. He holds a degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Alix NijimbereBoard Member
Born and raised in Bujumbura, Burundi, Alix Nijimbere is an international development professional and strategic leader with over a decade of experience in humanitarian action, sustainable development, and multilateral coordination within the United Nations System. His career has taken him across the globe, including Burundi, Chad, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Canada, the United States, and Haiti. Rooted in social development, crisis response, policy advocacy, and partnership building, Alix has a proven track record of creating solutions that strengthen resilience and open pathways for youth empowerment. He is particularly passionate about the transformative role of sport—especially soccer—as a tool for social inclusion, leadership development, and community building. Drawing on his lived experience in Haiti and his global perspective, Alix will contribute meaningfully to FC Juvenat’s mission to provide hope, purpose, and opportunity to young people through sport, education, and mentorship.
Sophie Rutenbar
Board Member
Sophie is a researcher, writer and analyst in the field of international peace and security, with a particular focus on Haiti. She is a non-resident fellow with the Prevention, Peacebuilding and Protracted Crises Program of NYU’s Center for International Cooperation, as well as a non-resident fellow with the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. A former UN staff member, Sophie worked in Port-au-Prince with the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) between 2019 and 2023, as well as serving at UN Headquarters in New York in various capacities. In addition to the UN, she has worked in countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America doing policy, research, planning, best practices, and monitoring and evaluation for non-governmental organizations, USAID, and the UK Department for International Development.