Return 2 Haiti Organizational Structure
Co-Founders/Staff
Pierre Balthazar – Co-Founder and Director of In-Country Projects and Cultural Liaison
Pierre, who is originally from Belle-Anse, Haiti, co-founded with David Smith, the school Lekol Pa Nou (Creole for “Our School”) and the nonprofit Education for Prosperity. Until 2014, he was a counselor at Eastern High School in Lansing, Michigan and also taught mathematics at Lansing Community College. Currently, Pierre is enjoying his retirement and spends time volunteering to help others as well as traveling to visit with his family. He has a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling, with an endorsement in Guidance Counseling, from Michigan State University. Pierre is the father of four children who are proud of their Haitian roots and support his efforts to help those in his home country.
Cynthia Balthazar – Co-Founder and Director of Sustainability and Coordinator of Research and Development
Cynthia grew up in Cadillac, Michigan. She has visited Haiti at least twice a year since 2008, often traveling with her own children and students. She is a co-founder of Return2Haiti, formally known as BUCOSEH, a non-profit dedicated to supporting a school near Port-au-Prince that was organized by local Haitians and which served children who survived the January 2010 earthquake. Cynthia has a PhD in Community Sustainability from Michigan State University, a Masters in Chemistry from Central Michigan University, and a Michigan Secondary Teaching certificate in mathematics, chemistry and physical science. She currently teaches chemistry for Haslett Schools. Cynthia is the mother of five children, all of whom have traveled to, and served in Haiti with her.