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BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Mr. David Morisset, Esq. is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Haitian American Business Network Chamber of Commerce (HABNET). He is a duly licensed and admitted attorney-at-law, currently maintains a solo practice at The Law Offices of David Morisset, P.C., located in the Boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, David Morisset is the proud child of Joseph and Giselaine Morisset, both of whom migrated from the Republic of Haiti.  While attending the State University of New York at Binghamton, David volunteered for the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leadership Course and successfully completed the Crucible.
As a recipient of a partial Dean’s tuition scholarship, David Morisset attended the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School with a concentration in civil litigation. As a law student David participated in the Community Economic Development Clinic, where he incorporated not-for-profit enterprises and counseled small businesses.  Set on honing in skills, David Morisset competed in three separate legal competitions; clerked for the Honorable Kevin M. Dillon, Justice Supreme Court and was an associate of the Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal, during his law school years.
After graduating UBLAW, David Morisset volunteered 40 hours per week as a pro-bono ADA at the Kings County District Attorneys Office, then spent three years as an associate for Greenberg, Greenberg & Guerrero, LLP, a litigation and adoption firm in New York City. Subsequently, David Morisset returned to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office and prosecuted hundreds of cases, taking pride in seeking justice for the People of the State of New York.
Continuing his work in the public sector, David Morisset went on to work for New York City Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene of the 40th District as Chief of Staff, where he continued to seek out justice and assist those in need.  Following his period with the New York City Council, David Morisset continues to help New Yorkers who find themselves thrust into New York’s legal arena.
As a litigator David Morisset’s practice is focused on Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, Trust, Estates and Government Affairs; in Harlem, New York.  Last year, David Morisset expanded his practice by opening his second office, in the heart of Brooklyn, on Church Avenue between Nostrand and Rogers Avenues.  David Morisset currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two children.

Mr. James Sanon is a first generation Haitian American. James Sanon has spent all his whole life in Brooklyn. He was raise, educated and served is Brooklyn community. Mr. Sanon has a Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors in Television and Radio from City University of New York at Brooklyn College.

Mr. Sanon has over ten years of Broadcast television experience in the tri-state area. He has won a New York Emmy and other awards. He also heads the training video unit within New York City Transit. He has also been involved in event videography. He is the owner of his own media production company Frame by Frame Moments. His company produces wedding videos, seminars talk shows and many more.

From a very young age Mr. Sanon understood the importance of giving back to his community. While in high school he was the president of the 67th Precinct Youth Council. In college, he was the Vice President of the undergraduate CLAS Student Government at Brooklyn College the treasurer of the Graduate Student Government.  Mr. Sanon has long history of being politically engaged in the political races in the city. His first citywide race was Rev. Al Sharpton for Mayor in 1997, Kevin Parker for City Council in 2001, Jumaane Williams for City Council in 2009 and many more.

Mr. Sanon is committed to seeing that the Haitian community is Educated, Participates, Elevates and are Empowered in the Diaspora and that’s why he serves on the board of HABNET.

Mr. Fritz Clairvil is the Senior Advisor of HABNET Chamber of Commerce.  He was born in Haiti and has been living in the United States since 1974. Mr. Clairvil attended George Marc College in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He earned a Bachelor degree from NYC University of New York and continued on to earn his Master of Science in Organizational Management at Mercy College of Dobbs Ferry, New York. Mr. Clairvil worked in different fields with manifold responsibilities; among them Chemical Bank in Wall Street for five years as a Supervisor in a department that dealt with "Trusts and Investments". Mr. Clairvil is currently President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vest Net Capital; a New York City based company founded ten years ago by Mr. Clairvil. Vest Net Capital is a real estate and investment company with the mission to buy and renovate moderately priced residential and commercial properties for resale. He has assembled a dynamic team of professionals with a strong foundation in ethics and customer satisfaction. Similarly, Mr. Clairvil has been the principal of a real estate brokerage firm, OPTIMUM REALTY & PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CORP; a New York State licensed company, doing business in the areas of sales, purchases and development.

    Recently, the company has taken on a number of development projects in Haiti. A swift list of clients included: The Belle Rive Project in Jacmel, a twenty-four acres of hotels and resorts as well as condominiums and the Serenity Aqua Resorts in Petit Goave, Haiti. Recently Mr. Clairvil has teamed up with Rodney Leon, the famed architect for the African Burial in New York City, to develop a 50 condominium unit in the affluent neighborhood of Chelsea in New York City. He is presently working as a consultant in a three hundred fifty million dollars HIP HOP MUSEUM project in the Bronx, New York.
  In October of 2007, Mr. Clairvil traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti together with the top management of SIMACT, to gather support for the Belle-Rive project. The meeting was held with five (5) cabinet ministers and several elected officials (Senators, Deputies) and the Mayor from Jacmel. The meeting was the first of its kind in Haiti. The intent was to create an atmosphere of collaboration in a sphere of partnership with the private sector and the Haitian government. During the same trip, Clairvil deemed it necessary to engage the local banks to discuss a possible joint venture to launch this unprecedented project resort hotel in Jacmel. These two successful meetings showed Mr. Clairvil’s keen ability to bring people together for a common cause, as well as his polished negotiation skills. In addition to being a respectable and savvy businessman, Mr. Clairvil’s has a long standing community record in participating in community issues. In that, he has co-founded and governed on the board of many community-based organizations (CBOs) such as HAAPA, HABNET, 18 Mai Committee and the Consortium for Haitian Empowerment (CHE). Mr. Clairvil was instrumental in the campaign to bring about the first Haitian-American elected to the New York City Council. Mr. Clairvil is the host of weekly radio shows on Radio Tropicale Internationale, Radio Pa nou and Radio Optimum.
   Mr. Clairvil worked with several Community Based Organizations dedicated to serve the Haitian Diaspora and Haiti. In 2000, he joined with other members of the Haitian Community to form Haitian American Census 2000 Task Force. The latter worked in partnership with the Department of Commerce of the United States to educate the community about the importance of the census. Mr. Clairvil is a very well respected businessman in the Caribbean community and has proved to be, over the past twenty-four years, a consensus builder.
Mr. Yvans Morisseau is the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Haitian American Business Network Chamber of Commerce (HABNET).  He currently serves as Director of Advocacy.  He arrived in the United States from Port-au-Prince, Haiti at the end of 1989. He always had the best interest of the community at heart. In 1986, he became the president of “Le Committee de Relevement de Fontamarra."  The objective of that organization was to enhance the quality of life in the community through education, sports, and moral support for the youth. His commitment and leadership skills were recognized at the "Centre Sportif de Carefour" where the football team proved itself as professionals and a well-prepared force with which to be reckoned.
 In 1992, Yvans joined the American Red Cross as a Volunteer and from 1993-1997.  He became the chairperson for the Disaster Service Volunteer for the Brooklyn Chapter. Yvans' goal is to lead effectively by serving the community with honesty, dignity, and by using his knowledge, skills and experiences for the betterment of the community he serves.  Yvans holds a Bachelor's degree in Professional Studies from Metropolitan College of New York (Audrey Cohen School of Human Services).  Prior to graduation, he co-founded the Haitian American Business Network which was developed as a division of HAAPA,  dedicated to promoting higher business standards and better business methods as well as fostering trade and commerce in the community.  On November 2004, Yvans participated along with a delegation from New York to assess and assist the flood victims in Gonaives, Haiti after Hurricane Jeanne.  In 2005, Yvans moved from New York to South Florida. He now resides in Miami and works as a Community Relations Assistant for Miami Dade County office of Community Advocacy.  Yvans Morisseau is an active volunteer of the American Red-Cross in Greater Miami and the keys and continues to assist in the community whenever duty calls.
As a Goodwill ambassador he was a Volunteer for the Carnival 2009 in Port-au-Prince with the Committee communal Protection Civil and the organization USICAN (Unite de Secours et d’Intervention en cas de  Catastrophe Naturel. The results were a success after contributing to the training of 200 volunteers who helped and treated over 800 people who were injured during the festivities. One of the rare times no one died as a result of lack of emergency medical assistance.  Yvans Morisseau is also Vice-Chairman of the Haitian American Emergency Relief Committee.
    

Ms. Margarette D. Tropnas is a Haitian Community Activist, a Licensed Social Worker. She will begin her new assignment as Field Advisor at Silberman School of Social Work, beginning in January 2015. Margarette was named Extraordinary Woman of 2010 (as per Brooklyn DA, Charles Hynes); as well as one of 100 Haitian Women of Distinction. Margarette is the recipient of the Medgar Evers Community Service Leadership Award for her commitment to serving youth in the community and beyond, Women Celebrating Women Award, Proclamation Award from City Council of NYC, Distinguished Service Award from NYS Office of Children and Family Services, Regional Office, Certificate of Appreciation for devoted service and dedication to the community by the Police Department City of NY & numerous other Awards.
Margarette graduated from SUNY, Stony Brook, where she was awarded a BS in Psychology, in 1983. In 1989, she earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University. In 2011, she completed a five Month Management Certificate, NY-Haitian Leaders’ Fellows Program with the Jewish Community Relations Council Organization and the Executive Education Certificate at Fordham University Center for Nonprofit Leaders, in April 2010. Margarette was named Field Instructor of the year in 2011 by Long Island University and in 2010 by NYACK College.
Since entering the field of social work, Margarette has been active in issues pertaining to the Caribbean Community at large, including the advancement of multiculturalism in neighborhood schools and ready access by Creole Speakers in social service delivery. Margarette has served as Coordinator of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. As part of her commitment to adolescents’ issues, Margarette has volunteered for two years as Community Liaison in the Governor’s Youth Conference in Albany, New York.
Margarette is a former Local employee with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where she had helped with the recovery of many communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Margarette has volunteered with United Way of New York City, City Council Sandy Relief Efforts, Transit Forward Coalition and United Neighborhood Services (UNS) providing relief efforts to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Margarette worked as the Program Director at Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Preventive Services Program. A well-established multi-service agency providing services to families and children since 1918. ECS dedicated staff composed of professionals trained in Social Work and related human services fields. Under her leadership, staff had provided an array of culturally sensitive and highly effective services to immigrant families and individuals whose need varied from mental health issues to families affected by substance abuse and child abuse and neglect. ECS had continuously expanded its range of services and involvement in the surrounding neighborhoods while working to help families improve their lives. Margarette was the Executive Director of Dwa Fanm (Women’s Rights in Haitian Creole), a grass-root organization committed to empowering women and young girls to become self-sufficient. Margarette is the former Assistant Executive Director of the Flatbush Haitian Center (FHC), a community-based, non-profit organization which had served the Flatbush and East Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn for twenty-six years; working collaboratively with other service providers in the community to help families improve their lives. Margarette worked at FHC for twenty years providing various services to the Caribbean community. She is a former Associate Adjunct Professor at New York University’s School of Social Work. Margarette has earned her certification in such areas as Leadership Practices, finance, fund-raising, board development and cultural diversity, field work instructions, substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect prevention, stress management, parenting skills, HIV/AIDS, adolescent pregnancy prevention and Disaster Preparedness training, while working for FEMA assisting Hurricane Sandy survivors.
At present, Margarette serves on several Community Boards and is a Board Member of United Nations Association Brooklyn Chapter. She is the Board President of Social Tap, Inc. /The Haiti Initiative, a non-profit based in New York and Jacmel, Haiti. Margarette Directed for ten years, the New Hope Outreach Shelter Ministry at The Brooklyn Tabernacle providing men and women at shelters inspirational messages that offer them hope, motivation and personal growth. Margarette’s professional experience and organizational skills all blend together to form the basis of her commitment to family, friends and the community at large.

Hassan Bakiriddin is currently a Board Member of Community Board #17; President of the Schenectady Avenue Block Association; President Of Political Power through Organizing; Member of the Community Volunteer Corp (through Councilman Jumaane Williams office); Member of the Youth Anti-Violence Initiative through Councilman Jumaane Williams Office; Co-Chairman of the Public Safety Committee for Community Board #17; and Co-Director of the Civilian Observation Patrol Of East Flatbush.

Hassan Bakiriddin also serves as the Treasurer for the 67th Precinct Community Council; Board Member for Wyckoff House; Steering Committee Board Member for Participatory Budgeting; Advisory Board Member for East Flatbush Village, New York Cares, Junior Achievement and other various organizations as well.

Hassan Bakiriddin works tirelessly in the pursuit, of a better Community in East Flatbush, Harlem USA, Queens New York and the Bronx. Throughout his life Hassan Bakiriddin has loved and enjoyed community work and has always given 100% looking for creative ways to improve the community.

Hassan is currently working as a Business Development Executive at Incisive Media Inc. North America office in New York City. He works in the Business Development sales team to drive sales in the US, Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, and is central to Incisive Media’s growth in the U.S. Hassan establishes relationships with clients to better understand their business needs. Hassan Bakiriddin has earned the distinguished honor of being “Sales Person of the Year” at Incisive Media in 2016.

Prior to his role at Incisive Media, Hassan has worked in publishing companies i.e. Elsevier, John Wiley, Procurement Leaders, and Institutional Investor just to name a few. During Hassan Bakiriddin tenure in publishing he was extremely active in community work.

Hassan is a graduate of John Jay College of criminal justice with a B.A. degree in legal studies. Hassan Bakiriddin resides in Brooklyn, New York.


Ms. Mahadya Mary has worked with the City of New York for the past 17years, 15 of which has been with the NYC Department of Small Business Services. Currently, in her role she works collaboratively with community based –organizations across the five boroughs by helping them access city funding for neighborhood improvements initiatives in excess of 1.7 million dollars ($1,700,000). Additionally, she is an active Board Member for several Business Improvement Districts, providing oversight on behalf of the Mayor and is a certified interpreter in Haitian-Creole. She is the owner and operates her own make-up artistry business for the past 5 years where she helps women enhance their lives.

         An important aspect of her life is her 12 year old son Dylan. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from the City University of New York and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in Labor Relations at CUNY School of Professional Studies/Cornell.

Jamaal Patterson is a young leader fighting to bring the youth to the forefront of community development and world affairs to ensure they take their place as stakeholders in the world they inherited from the predecessor generation. Patterson was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1984 to West Indian parentage from then island of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Jamaal was appointed Chairperson of the 501(c)3 non profit New Future Foundation Inc., by its founder Queen Mother Dr Delois Blakely. Jamaal with his partner written many proposals designed to impact health education in minority communities which have been supported by Congressional as well as city elected officials. Jamaal has proposed projects for the nations of Senegal, Haiti and Mali in areas of education as well as economic and social development." In 2010 Jamaal Patterson was named Caribbean American Chamber Of Commerce Business Visionary.
“My passion is working with young people in order to impact our future, I have come to recognize the most valued education did not come from attending college but from networking with the young leaders I met there. College institutions while beneficial, does not have a sole monopoly on education. Practical application of acquired skills through participation within your community organizations, and working with your elected officials are all important to your development. This type of practice has lead me to nontraditional educational disciplines that I am seeking to grow out of its infant stage, to full maturity within the auspices of conventional education. Eliminating the disparities within traditional education takes a nontraditional approach, and it's up to my generation to infuse our inherited society with our trademark under the guidance and tutorship of our predecessor generation."