Fifteen years ago, in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, a group of Haitian leaders came together with a vision for their country’s future.

Among them were Coady graduates Maryse Pénette-Kedar, Magalie Noël Dresse, and Claire Cécile Pierre, who recognized that lasting change would come from investing in the knowledge, strengths, and leadership of Haitian people.

Working alongside former Coady Institute director and now Canadian Senator Mary Coyle, they helped establish the Centre haïtien du leadership et de l’excellence (CLE Haiti) in 2011, with Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University as a founding partner.

CLE’s recent 15th-anniversary celebration brought together various partners who reflected on what inspired the organization’s creation.

“Haiti’s greatest resource is its people,” Magalie says.

That vision also attracted the support of former New Brunswick premier and Canadian ambassador to the United States Frank McKenna and his family, whose longstanding connections with Coady and StFX helped establish an enduring relationship with CLE.

“To the Coady Institute, and especially Eileen who is with us today, thank you. Thank you for helping lay the foundations of this journey,” Magalie says.

She also recognized the McKenna family for believing in CLE’s vision and supporting the organization from its earliest days. 

Investing in Local Leadership

From its beginnings, CLE’s approach has reflected principles central to Coady’s work: active citizenship, cooperation, inclusion, and asset-based community development (ABCD).

“From the very beginning, this really aligned with the Coady Institute’s vision and mission as well,” Coady Executive Director Eileen Alma says.

“And we’ve been proud to stand alongside CLE as a founding partner, bolstering the capacity of the fledgling organization and a larger grassroots and primarily youth-led movement.”

Early collaboration focused on leadership education, organizational development, and documenting Haitian examples of citizen-led change.

Today, CLE has trained more than 5,000 leaders, predominantly young people and approximately half women, and established a national network reaching all ten Haitian departments.

“Over the past 15 years, our partnership has grown and it’s demonstrated the power of investing in local leadership,” Eileen says.

From Leadership Education to Social Entrepreneurship

As CLE’s network expanded, the organization recognized that leadership education alone was not enough. Emerging leaders also needed access to financing, mentorship, technical expertise, and professional networks to sustain and grow their initiatives.

In 2019, members of CLE’s team participated in Coady’s social enterprise course, marking another step in the evolution of the partnership.

The collaboration deepened through ENGAGE: Women’s Empowerment and Active Citizenship (2019–2026), an initiative co-designed by Coady and five international partners, with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

Through ENGAGE, CLE launched its Fanm Angaje fellowship in 2021, supporting Haitian women social entrepreneurs through leadership education, mentorship, and practical resources.

“Through the ENGAGE project led by Coady and supported by Global Affairs Canada, we had an extraordinary opportunity to deepen the work with women and emerging youth leaders and develop a much more comprehensive model of accompaniment,” CLE Executive Director and two-time Coady graduate Lucía Di Poi says.

Building on that experience, CLE’s ANGAJE fellowship has now recruited 250 social entrepreneurs across three cohorts. Its current cohort of 100 entrepreneurs is 65 per cent women.

CLE has also established new financing opportunities, helping entrepreneurs access the capital they need to grow their enterprises and expand their community impact. 

Sharing a Different Story About Haiti

While CLE continues to strengthen leadership and economic opportunities within Haiti, its contribution increasingly extends beyond the country’s borders.

Through ENGAGE and Coady’s international learning networks, Haitian leaders have shared their experiences with development practitioners in countries including India, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.

“It’s also sharing a very different story about Haiti to the world in terms of the capacity that exists, the talent that exists in Haiti,” Eileen says.

“It has become a model that others are learning from, whether it’s here in Canada or it’s in other parts of the world.”

Despite significant political, economic, and security challenges, CLE continues to invest in Haitian leaders and their visions for change.

For Lucía, what has emerged over the past 15 years is something greater than an organization or a network of graduates.

“It is far beyond a network. It is a movement.”

As CLE marks this milestone, Coady celebrates the vision of its founders, the dedication of its staff and partners, and the thousands of Haitian leaders working to shape their country’s future.

“We’re deeply grateful for this enduring partnership,” Alma says, “and we look forward to continuing our shared work of nurturing leadership and advancing community-led change in Haiti for many years to come.”

See the entire anniversary celebration at: CLE 15 Years Anniversary Webinar. – YouTube