Board of Directors and Advisors
MISSION: Our mission is to support young Haitians to gain access to colleges, universities and trade schools in Haiti primarily through financial assistance in the form of scholarships and private donations. This will be accomplished through fundraising and establishing strategic partnerships with Haitian educational institutions and other charitable organizations with complementary missions operating within Haiti.
Our mission was inspired by Mr. and Mrs. Coleman ‘Coley’ Gorham of Portland, Maine. Their mission to provide educational opportunity for Haitian youth spanned more than 20 years. Coley completed many projects in Haiti during his retired years, which he began at age 80. Coley has now passed the torch to our organization, and we are committed to continue pursuing his dream of seeing the youth of Haiti empowered through education, so that they may change the fortunes of the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
VISION: Our vision is to provide young adults in Haiti an opportunity to pursue higher education that will lead to fulfilling careers and growing prosperity, which in turn will have a positive impact on their communities, and ultimately, their country.
HELP for Haiti Board of Directors and Advisors
Jeanne Otis
Jeanne Otis is a retired RN. She began her mission work in Haiti in 2016, after becoming involved with Coley Gorham’s own mission work. She answered a ‘calling’ in early 2019 to help keep Coley’s vision alive by founding a charitable nonprofit organization to provide access to higher education for young adults in Haiti. She is the President of the organization Higher Education and Leadership Program for Haiti.
Paul Boudreau
Paul Boudreau is the Fundraising Chairman for Higher Education and Leadership Program for Haiti. Paul is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and earned his Master’s Degree at the University of Maine in Orono. He was a member of the State Legislature in Maine from 1976-1980. Paul has worked for Honeywell for 25 years as the Vice President of Corporate and Government Relations. He also worked for the Morris County Chamber of Commerce in New Jersey as President for the past 10 years. Paul has helped raise funds for a variety of Nonprofit Organizations around the country and at one time, he also served as the Executive Director of the Honeywell Foundation.
Elise Rossignol
Elise Rossignol is the Treasurer of Higher Education and Leadership Program for Haiti. She has been a teacher at Temple Academy in Waterville, Maine for over 40 years and also served as Principal of the school for 10 of those years. She has been married to her husband John for 45 years and has three adopted children: her daughter Michelle and two sons, Daniel and David, both born in Haiti.
Chip Cain
Charles ‘Chip’ Cain is a retired Social Worker and the Vice President of Higher Education and Leadership Program for Haiti. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling. Chip has been doing mission work for several years and has spent a considerable amount of time in Haiti since 2016.
Joshua Reny
Joshua Reny is an advisor for Higher Education and Leadership Program for Haiti. He works as a manager in municipal government and has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies. He is also a veteran, having served as an officer in the United States Air Force for more than 20 years, including experience in developing nations.
Cecile DeRoche-Cain
Cecile DeRoche-Cain has accepted the secretarial position for HELP for Haiti. She graduated from The University of Connecticut and received her Master’s Degree in Music from The University of New Hampshire. She has been employed for over 50 years as a Music Director in numerous churches in southern Maine while teaching piano at Waynflete School in Portland and in her home studio.
She and her husband Chip share three children and a love of service to others. She spent time doing mission work in Bolivia and Kenya.
Susan Inman
Susan Inman received a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston College and a Masters of Public Administration from Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University. Ms. Inman has worked for the past 13 years in municipal administration in Massachusetts, and previously spent twenty years in the private sector as an Assistant Vice President/Communications Manager at a global insurance brokerage firm in Boston. She joined this venture in its infancy helping to write the original article which appeared in a Portland, Maine newspaper telling Coley Gorham’s story. Ms. Inman continues to volunteer her time to assist HELP for Haiti with communicating its message.
