[MIAMI] – In today’s City of Miami commission meeting, the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust was approved to appoint its new board members, as nominated by Chairwoman and Commissioner Christine King of District Five.
Each board member was carefully selected as Haitian Americans or Little Haiti and District Five residents to ensure a deep understanding of the community’s needs.
Board Members
Lesline Anglade-Dorleans
A first-generation Haitian American with 20 years of experience in the Child Welfare community in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. She has served on multiple statewide committees including but not limited to the State Child Abuse Death Review. Plus, the CIRRT (Critical Incident Rapid Response Team) Advisory Committee. As the Family and Community Services Director for the Southern Region including Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, she oversees every aspect of Child and Family Welfare in those counties for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Anglade-Dorleans believes the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust will allow her to continue to serve the community in an even larger capacity. It is an honor for her to be a part of a board that works tirelessly to help the Haitian Community in the City of Miami thrive.
Alisa Cepeda
RH Engineering Group’s VP, she is an experienced professional with more than 20 years of service in the public and private sectors. Cepeda currently resides in District Five. The Little Haiti Revitalization Trust is important to Cepeda because she lives in the area and would like to see it developed responsibly and inclusively. It is her sincere hope that stable, safe housing and homeownership opportunities can be created through the Trust for long-time area residents.
Robert Holland, Esq
Born and raised close to Little Haiti and now resides in District Five. Holland is a prominent attorney with experience in land use and zoning law as well as procurement. He is responsible for over five billion dollars in economic development in the South Florida Area. Holland is the former Chairman of the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust and former Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. He believes that inclusivity and economic gains of the area through responsible development are crucial to the strength and livelihood of the Little Haiti community.
Dufirstson Julio (“D.J.”) Neree, Esq
A Haitian American who was raised in the City of Miami and now resides in Little Haiti. Neree is President & CEO of the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation (MLKEDC), a Florida not-for-profit corporation established in 1975. He is an international development economist, general manager, and business lawyer by training.
Prior to joining MLKEDC, Neree worked for the Inter-American Development Bank. In this role, he financed private sector infrastructure projects in Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia. He later served as representative for IDB Group Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Neree is interested in using his experience in community development finance. Especially to advance the mission of the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust. He is familiar with the Trust’s target area and local community. He received his education locally and attended YMCA in Allapattah and Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Liberty City.
A graduate in the top of his class at Curley Notre Dame High School. He returned to Miami after graduating from Brown University. Neree started the Little Haiti-Edison Federal Credit Union. Best of all as a community development credit union to serve low-income residents of the area. This included Miami’s Lemon City, Little Haiti, and Buena Vista neighborhoods, the Design District, Midtown, and parts of Liberty City. He has been an active volunteer and board director with several community-based organizations including the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust; City of Miami Code Enforcement Board; City of Miami Nuisance Abatement Board; Little Haiti Housing Association; Legal Services of Greater Miami; as well as Catholic Charities Legal Services.
Ashley Toussaint
A Haitian American, Little Haiti resident, first generation college graduate, homeowner, and business owner in Little Haiti. Toussaint has been an educator for 20 years and is currently the Dean of Students at KIPP: Liberty Academy. With so much change and development occurring, he wants to ensure that the Haitian American culture and presence are preserved in Little Haiti. As a member of the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, he will advocate to bring the necessary resources and pay it forward to the community that raised him.
“The Little Haiti Revitalization Trust is an important lifeline to this vibrant and significant community in our city,” said District 5 Commissioner and Chairwoman Christine King. “I’m happy to see such key community members on the board so we can continue to support Little Haiti.”
