NOVEMEBER 4, 2008 (MIAMI) -Leonie Hermantin, Deputy Director of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, will be speaking on "Disaster Relief and Sustainable Development" during a special lecture for Honors Society Gamma Epsilon Phi and the Honors College on Thursday, November 13, 2008. The lecture begins at 3:30 PM in Deuxieme Maison (DM)100 at University Park Campus.

Leonie M. Hermantin has more than 10 years of grassroots community experience in Miami's Haitian community. She was born in Haiti and migrated to the United States at the age of twelve. She grew up in New York, very much shaped and influenced by New York's "émigré" experience of the 70's. It is in this environment of a community-in-exile that she received the intellectual, cultural and emotional groundings which shaped her lifelong commitment to her beloved Haiti. Her experience in this country also forged her resolve to focus on the Haitian American community's conditions of adaptation and integration in the United States.

Ms. Hermantin's career reflects her commitment to Haiti and to the Haitian Diaspora community. She is the Deputy Director of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, a community foundation supporting grassroots initiatives in Haiti's rural communities. She is also responsible for outreach and education in North America. Formerly the Director of Research and Strategic Planning at the Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami, she has over ten years of non-profit management experience.

Ms. Hermantin holds a Juris Doctorate from University of California at Berkeley as well as a Master's degree in Urban and Environmental Planning. She has received numerous awards for her activism and civic contributions.

For immediate release

CONTACT:    Juan Carlos Espinosa, The Honors College
(305-348-4100), espinosj@fiu.edu