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YASMINE CHARLES is a native of Haiti, a US Navy veteran, and a published author. Her recent book, The Cost of the American Dream, is a Haitian immigrant’s story about food, trauma, resilience, and overcoming adversity. When out of the kitchen, she advocates for homeless veterans and black migrants. She enjoys the arts and running outdoors.

MYRIAM VAUGUES-COLEMAN was educated in Haiti, and lives and works in the Hampton Roads area. She is the Founder and Owner of House of Mymy Event Planning, and loves to be around fun, positive people. Myriam left Haiti in the '90's, but she still has fond memories of her native country, and keeps the Haitian cultural values and memories not only close to her heart, but also as a part of her life here in the US. 

DAPHNÉ VALMOND-BOURGOIN, is the owner of Tisaksuk LLC, a social enterprise promoting and selling Made in Haiti products worldwide. She is the executive director of Atelier Tisaksuk Inc. a non profit organization fighting poverty in Haiti through economic and civic empowerment. Daphné is also the Co-Founder of Woy Magazine, a bilingual Haitian online media project. She is a Haiti advocate, fighting for social change, encouraging civic engagement through Nou Pap Dòmi, a Haitian civil society organization that advocates for social justice, anti-corruption and accountable governance. 

Haitian native ROBENSON MATHURIN n is a New York-based dance artist performing, choreographing, and teaching Haitian Folklore, Konpa, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, and Afro-based dance styles. His professional dance career began in 2012 as a principal dancer in the international Compagnie de Danse Jean Rene Delsoin, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through which he toured in the USA, Trinidad, and Taiwan. In 2017, he created the platform Robenson Dance & Fitness to support better health and dance training in Haiti and abroad. He has worked with such US-based companies as Jean Appolon Expressions  and Alison Cook Beaty Dance Company.

Though Chef ARIETTE JEANISCA was born to Haitian parents in the Bahamas while they were waiting in transit to come to the US, she and her parents immigrated to Miami's Little Haiti by the time she was 2. She graduated from a primarily Haitian high school, then enjoyed a career in the US Navy. Since she'd been cooking full Haitian meals since she was 13,  Chef Ariette received her AS degree  in Culinary Arts from Norfolk's Johnson & Wales University after the Navy, then BS in Hospitality Management from Florida International University. After having her son, she returned to Norfolk,  where she created Fusion Melange, and through which she has been mixing her Haitian heritage with her culinary skills to create  unforgettable  dining experiences.

FRANTZ DERENONCOURT, JR. is a first generation Haitian-American born to Haitian parents in Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of Virginia State University in Petersburg, where he majored in Business Management. As a child growing up in Brooklyn in the early 80s, Frantz was often picked on for being Haitian. At times, he felt ashamed to be Haitian until he started reading about Haitian history. The fact that Haiti was the first country to have a successful slave revolt and win its own independence gave him a tremendous sense of pride that he wanted to share with other Black youth after an enthusiastic reception from his kids. Thus, Thorobred Books was born.

CINDY CHARLES is the Founder of Divine Worth-Ship Counseling and a Research Clinician with the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She is  Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Psychoanalyst with a passion for providing Emotionally focused clinical counseling that builds one’s exterior through internal transformation. Cindy is a Dedicated Systemic Therapist and Haitian Resource Community Advocate with extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Her mission is to help others access the skills needed to achieve their highest level of functioning. This includes her passion for advocating and navigating resources within the Haitian community.

RITA 'KK' ADDICO COHEN is TACA's Founder/Executive Director. A native of Accra, Ghana, she was primarily educated in the US (Ba in Classical Music - University of Virginia; MM in Classical Voice Performance - Manhattan School of Music). Rita has been performing and dancing and singing professionally since the age of 4. A fluent speaker of several languages, she has fused her skills and talents with the Storytelling, Egli or Anasesem, that her late Aunt used to entertain her and her cousins as a child to create African Story Time and ACE (African Cultural Education) with TACA, which she has brought to over 50 schools and organizations since its inception in 2020. 

PRAYER BROWN is a freshman Biology Pre-Professional at Norfolk State University. She loves dancing with the NSU Dance Theatre.

TAMYA EDWARDS a sophomore Drama and Theater major at Norfolk State University. This is her first year and second semester being with the NSU Dance Theater. Prior to coming to NSU, she also I  danced within and outside of her church.

JAILA HARRIS is a sophomore Exercise Science major at Norfolk State University. This is her second year with NSU Dance Theatre.

AMARI NICHOLS is a Drama and Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Performance. She has been in the Norfolk State University Dance Theatre Company for four consecutive years, and serves as President.