Monday, May 15, 2017
Reshaping the Haiti Narrative: A Movement in the Making
A Conversation with Ambassador Altidor and Andy Shallal
Join us for a fireside chat with Haiti’s Ambassador to the US, Paul G. Altidor, and the owner of Busboys and Poets, Andy Shallal. You can look forward to an intimate discussion on a wide range of topics.
Location: Busboys and Poets (5th and K – 1025 5th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20008)
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Cost: Free
RSVP: Not required – Open to the public
Ambassador Paul G. Altidor
Known for his innovative and strategic leadership with extensive background in the private sector, Paul Getty Altidor was named Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Haiti to the United States on January 2012 and presented his credentials to President Barack Obama in May 2012. Ambassador Altidor spent his early years where he was born in Jérémie, Haiti. He attended primary school in Jérémie then studied at the Centre d’Etudes Secondaire in Port au Prince. His family later moved to Boston where he completed his secondary education. Ambassador Altidor received his undergraduate degree from Boston College. He earned an advanced degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and also pursued graduate studies in law and economics at the University of Paris X, in France. Before assuming office, Ambassador Altidor was Vice President at the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Altidor has an extensive private sector background. As a management consultant, he counseled firms in different countries on corporate governance and responsibility. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, Ambassador Altidor led a team of professors and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Community Innovators Lab down to Haiti. At the request of Haitian authorities, the team provided guidance to reconstruction officials on housing policy and financing. Prior to the earthquake in Haiti, Ambassador Altidor worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where he advised governments on infrastructure projects and public-private partnerships. He has also worked for the World Bank. Ambassador Altidor has taught at Ecole Supérieure Catholique de Droit de Jérémie (ESCDROJ), a law school in his native town of Jérémie, and he is a frequent speaker at universities in Haiti and the United States. As one of the youngest appointed Ambassadors in Washington and a former coach, Mr. Altidor takes a special interest in seeing young men and women reach their best potential. Outside of work, you can find His Excellency on a soccer field partaking in a competent match and connecting with local athletes. Ambassador Altidor has dedicated his tenure to shifting the narrative of Haiti towards a more constructive approach. Most recently, he initiated a number of series to offer the diverse members of the Washington community an opportunity to rediscover Haiti and all it has to offer.
Andy Shallal, Founder and CEO of Busboys and Poets
Anas “Andy” Shallal is an artist and social entrepreneur. He is the founder of Busboys and Poets, an environment where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted. Spaces to feed the mind, body and soul and where art, culture and politics take center stage and collide. With 6 locations in the Washington Metropolitan Area, Busboys and Poets has become home for progressives, artists and intellectuals including such notables as Howard Zinn, Cornel West, Alice Walker and Nikki Giovanni to name a few.
Shallal’s businesses are members of the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) and the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) focusing on sustainable business and employment practices. Busboys and Poets has been at the forefront of environmental stewardship being one of the first businesses in Washington DC to be 100% wind powered and are at the cutting edge of the local/sustainable food movement winning many awards and recognitions locally and nationally. Shallal has received numerous awards including the Mayor’s Arts Award, Employer of the Year from the Employment Justice Center and the Mayor’s Environmental Award.
Shallal has founded or co-founded several peace and justice organizations and holds leadership positions in numerous others. He is on the board of trustees for the Institute for Policy Studies and a founding member of Think Local First DC, a local business association. He also sits on the board of several arts and peace organizations and was appointed by the Mayor to head the Workforce Investment Council, an advisory board for the Mayor on how to spend workforce development dollars more effectively. Shallal continues to strive to make his hometown of Washington DC a more livable community.