Our Board of Trustees represents a wide range of backgrounds and talents therefore offering the diverse expertise needed to effectively lead NOVA's mission. Our Trustees have overall responsibility for governance and setting the strategic direction of NOVA. Board membership draws from both the United States and Haïti.
Our Executive Committee, comprised of both Trustees and Officers of NOVA, works closely with the staff in Haiti on managing the day-to-day operations and the execution of NOVA's strategy.
Executive Committee
Joseph F. Nuzzi, President and Trustee
Mr. Nuzzi is a Pastoral Associate at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York, NY. He is one of the founding members of NOVA Hope for Haiti. It was during Mr. Nuzzi’s employment at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ that the first medical mission under NOVA Hope for Haiti was born. He brings great enthusiasm for the goal of providing more ongoing medical care to the people of Cavaillon and surrounding areas. He is actively involved in the planning, recruiting and operations of our bi-annual volunteer medical clinics in Cavaillon.
Janice Mansley, Vice-President and Trustee
Ms. Mansley earned her BS in Finance from Lehigh University and an MBA in Strategic Management from Pace University. She retired from a career in Global Institutional Sales at Deustsche Bank to raise her two sons. Ms Mansley is presently on the Advisory Board of the Dyson College of Arts and Science at Pace University. She has been actively involved in fundraising for NOVA since 2009 and her strong organizational skills led to her appointment as Secretary in 2013 and Vice President in 2015. She participated in her first mission to Haiti in 2014 and her dedication to serving the poor makes her an invaluable leader.
Jennifer Henkind, MD, Medical Director and Trustee
Dr. Henkind graduated from Wesleyan University with a major in Chemistry. After college, she spent two years at Emory University conducting medical research. She then attended medical school at SUNY Buffalo, graduated Cum Laude and completed my pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital in Buffalo New York. Dr. Henkind joined Stamford Pediatric Associates in 1994, has been actively involved with New York Medical College and holds a position as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Henkind went on her first medical mission in 2017 and accepted the position of Medical Director in 2018. NOVA is very fortunate to have Dr. Jenny’s skills and resources as part of NOVA’s mission in Haiti.
Colette McDermott, Trustee
Ms. McDermott is a founding member and has been on the NOVA Board since 2005. She has a degree in Allied Health Services. She has been a practicing radiological technologist in the orthopedic field for over twenty-five years. Her family served as “host parents” for a sick and injured Haitian child through the “Healing the Children” program, and they subsequently adopted this young girl. Her administrative talents coupled with her strong passion to improve medical care in Haiti have been paramount to NOVA's efforts.
Solanges Toussaint, Chargé d’Affairs for NOVA in Haïti and Trustee
Ms. Toussaint was born and raised in Haiti. She attended college in Nashua, New Hampshire where she earned a BA in Administration and Human Resources. Upon graduation, she lived and worked in New York City for eight years where she was employed by Alcan & Cie, a latex import/export company. She returned to Haiti and worked during the next four years as an administrative assistant for the exporting company, Haitian American Meat Packers. She then moved to the Haitian Division of the First National Bank of Boston where she served as an executive in the Human Resources department for eighteen years. Her energy, altruism and intimate knowledge of Haiti provides a tremendous resource for NOVA Hope for Haiti.
Paul Rowland, Trustee
Mr. Rowland has served as an active advisor to NOVA since 2018. As a retired healthcare administration executive, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge in the areas of leadership, administration, medical facility capital projects and healthcare information technology. He has applied for and received various grants for NOVA. Mr. Rowland participated in the January 2019 operations / oversight mission to Haiti and NOVA’s various fundraising events over the last few years. Mr. Rowland has a MSW in Research, Public Policy, and Administration. He currently serves on the board of IPRO, an international quality review organization, as Treasurer / Chair of the Finance Committee, and is a member of NYS Dept of Health’s Data Governance Committee, charged with the protection of patients’ confidential health information.
Cordelia Boise, Secretary
Ms. Boise serves as the Secretary of NOVA. A former global head of Human Resources, she has recently retired and is now running her own non-profit and actively volunteering with a number of other non-profit entities. In addition to participating in two operations / oversight missions for NOVA, she actively works with the Executive Committee and Haitian management on many administrative, governance and organizational initiatives. Ms. Boise earned a BA in Psychology from Lehigh University and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from New York University.
Thomas Mansley, Treasurer
Mr. Mansley serves as the Treasurer of NOVA. He is an investment executive at GAM Investments specializing in the mortgage and asset backed securities (MBS and ABS) sector. He joined GAM after their merger with Singleterry Mansley Asset Management, where he was the CIO for six years. Prior, Mr. Mansley held a wide range of senior level positions within MBS. Mr. Mansley holds an MBA from Pace University, an MS in Mathematics from the Courant Institute of New York University and a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from Pace University. As a former EMT, he has participated in medical and non-medical missions.
Non-Executive Trustees
Kevin Carroll
Mr. Carroll is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. Prior to Morgan Stanley, he worked for over 12 years at Goldman Sachs as a Private Wealth Advisor and five years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a CPA. He obtained his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Notre Dame and MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to NOVA, Mr. Carroll is actively involved in a number of other charities. His industry contacts, educational and professional distinctions, and outreach work bring a wealth of strategic ideas and new perspectives to NOVA Hope for Haiti.
Max Jean
Mr. Jean was born and raised in St-Marc, Haiti, approximately 60 miles north from the capital. In 1997, he moved to Boston where he first completed his BA with a concentration in Finance at Salem State University and then obtained his MS in Finance from Suffolk University. He worked in the banking sector in both Boston and New York for the majority of his career to date, specifically in Human Resources and Compensation. He then relocated to South Florida and moved into the manufacturing industry. He just started a new position as Senior Compensation Manager for Chewy, an online retail company of food and veterinary care for pets. Mr. Jean became involved with NOVA in 2013 and has been on four mission trips since then.
Jocelyne M. Faustin Lamour
Ms. Lamour was born and raised in Haiti, and then came to the U.S. in the early 1970’s to further her education. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Chemistry from the College of Staten Island, CUNY, she had a successful career of over 30 years as a Laboratory Technologist and recently retired from her position as Chief Technologist of the Special Chemistry Laboratory at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Since 2005, Ms. Lamour has been a core member of the medical missions. Jocelyne’s dedication to better the lives of the impoverished Haitian people and her understanding of the underlying Haitian culture makes her an invaluable board member of the NOVA Hope for Haiti team.
Omana Douce-McDermott
Having been born in Haiti and raised in the U.S. for the majority of her life, Ms. Douce-McDermott has always had a strong sense of service to others, which eventually led to her earning a Bachelor’s degree at The College of New Jersey with a focus in Public Health. As an advocate for health, healing and wellness in communities throughout the world, she joined the Peace Corps where she served as an Adolescent Health Promoter in Guyana, South America. After her service in the Peace Corps ended, she was accepted to the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, graduating with a Masters of Public Health with a focus in International Health and Sustainable Development. Ms. Doucet-McDermott has worked several related positions including as a COVID-19 Contact Tracer, Research Assistant under several professors at Tulane, and Program Coordinator at Tulane organizing workshops on incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion. She currently works as a State Coach for GirlTrek, the largest non-profit organization focusing on Black women’s health and wellness, and for an organization in New Orleans focused on promoting health and healing amongst people in the community.
Kristin N. Preziosi MSN, APN
Ms. Preziosi received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Anselm College and her Master of Science in Nursing from William Paterson University. Since her first mission with NOVA in 2012, Ms. Preziosi has served in multiple capacities. She has worked as a nurse and provider, assisted in the pharmacy and played an active role in mission leadership. She has also worked to promote NOVA’s work by speaking at masses at The Church of the Presentation, volunteering at Ministry Fairs and assisting with the website and social media. She has worked on multiple fundraising efforts including the Casino Night Committee, community nights at local restaurants and presenting leadership with the Amazon Smile program. Ms. Preziosi is currently a nurse practitioner for Valley Hospice in NJ.
Advisor to the Board
Father Bob Stagg
Father Bob Stagg has been an ordained Roman Catholic priest for over 35 years. He is the past pastor of the St. James Church in Springfield, NJ and has been pastor of the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ since 2006. He is active in the New Jersey Priest Senate and the Personnel Board of the Archdiocese of Newark. He holds membership on the Development and the Building Boards of the Archdiocese and his construction expertise derived from this experience is a valuable asset for NOVA in the planning and staged growth of our organization.