Our Team

OUR TEAM & BOARD AT FLM HAITI

DIANE NEELY BATES, DIRECTOR

Diane Neely Bates is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. She guides her life according to this saying: "I am blessed to be a blessing to Others". When she was a young woman, her parents stressed service and giving back to family and community. She has lived her life so that her children (Ken, Juan, Andrea and Charity) and her grandchildren (Drew, Jala, Jordan, Adrian and Kinny) can be proud of her giving and blessing others. She wants them to say: “I want to be like my mom/grammie when I grow up. Bates' life of service includes ministry to Light of Life Rescue Mission (Inspirational Programs and Pre-Thanksgiving Event); Urban League Women Family Services (Coat-athon program); Reformed Presbyterian Home (Ministry Events for Senior Residents); UPMC Children’s Hospital (Make-a-Wish Program) and Pre-Christmas Community Program for the Needy/Forgotten. She has been recognized by the New Pittsburgh Courier as a “Woman of Excellence,” which was an honor that she shared with others who helped/sponsored her in Ministry. She said she just wants to make her parents, George and Robena Neely proud and continue their legacy of service!

VERNA CRICHLOW, DIRECTOR

Verna Crichlow, Elect Lady, is a retired math teacher for the Woodland Hills school district; the owner of Caribbean Vibes Steelband; a former WYEP Volunteer deejay for Caribbean Rhythms; a volunteer for Global Pittsburgh with the Pittsburgh Council of International Visitors; and a Sunday School Teacher at Holy Cross Episcopal Church. She is also a cancer survivor who volunteers at the Hillman Cancer Center. She is an organizer with the FLM-Haiti annual walk-athon. 

GINA DESSOURCES BENJAMIN, DIRECTOR

Gina Dessources Benjamin was born in Haiti and grew up just outside of Boston. For almost two decades, she has served the poor and those with mental health issues as a Clinical Social Worker in Boston. She is active with the Haitian community and her local church, where she helps to meet the social service needs of Haitian immigrants at the Mount Olives Community Center. Dessources Benjamin, a licensed social worker, is a seminary student at the Boston campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she focuses on global leadership and missions, partnership development, and the intersection between spirituality and global mental health. She serves on the medical committee with FLM Haiti (Pittsburgh) and is a board member of FLM Haiti (Boston Chapter). She speaks Haitian Creole fluently and travels to Haiti frequently on missionary assignment.

ERVIN E. DYER, PHD, DIRECTOR

Ervin Dyer is a senior editor/writer with Pitt Magazine at the University of Pittsburgh. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in journalism and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. He serves with the communications committee on the FLM-Haiti board. When he is not traveling, writing, or playing tennis, he is thinking about and praying about how to help the people of Haiti.

DR. ROBIN MCGUIRE, DO, DIRECTOR

Robin McGuire is an obstetrics and gynecology specialist in the Pittsburgh region. She has more than 25 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1996. She has traveled annually with FLM Haiti mission teams since 2014 and joined the medical committee in 2015. She joined the FLM Board in 2020.

ROSE ELLEN MOCOMBE, DIRECTOR

Rose Ellen Mocombe of Oviedo, Florida, is a happily married housewife with two teenage boys. Her desire is to make the world a better place for all. She enjoys reading, eating good food, and spending time with family and friends. As a Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti board member, Mocombe hopes to use her administrative skills to collaborate on current and upcoming fundraising projects that will benefit the people of Haiti. Mocombe’s work experience varies and includes positions across multiple industries, everything from being a class coordinator, support representative, community director, and administrative assistant. She holds an M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, and a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University, Hamilton, NY.

LYNN MORAN, PHARMD, DIRECTOR

Lynn Moran has been a Joint Commission surveyor since 1990 and also serves as faculty for The Joint Commission in-home care and hospital pharmacy programs. Previously, Dr. Moran was Pharmacy Manager for Caremark in Columbus, Ohio, managed two hospital-based infusion companies in the Columbus area, and was employed as a pediatric pharmacist with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In addition to other pharmaceutical roles, she worked as a clinical pharmacist for UPMC St. Margaret’s from 2010-2014. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh, and her PharmD from The Ohio State University. She has served as the pharmacist on the medical team many times in Haiti. She loves Haiti and its people.

DANIELLE M. SMITH, DIRECTOR

Danielle Smith is an award-winning audio journalist and on-air personality with WGBN AM 1360 Gospel Radio Station in Pittsburgh. Smith hosts a weekly community affairs show called Good News. The show spotlights individuals who are making a positive impact in Pittsburgh and globally. In 2012, she organized a Church of God in Christ annual luncheon to educate local churches about the organization and the work needed to assist the Haitian people. Smith captured first-place honors in the Radio/Public Affairs category of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation 2017 Robert L. Vann Media Award for her feature interview “SisterFriend Provides Feminine Care Products to Homeless Women.” In 2016, Smith was selected as one of the 50th Women of Excellence by the New Pittsburgh Courier. Smith holds a bachelor's degree in broadcasting from Point Park University.

RHONDA TALIAFERRO, PHD, DIRECTOR

For more than 35 years, Rhonda Taliaferro was a teacher and administrator with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Though retired, she continues to serve in education as a part-time university supervisor in the Education Department at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Duquesne University, and master’s and doctorate degrees in educational administration and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh. She has served on the Education Committee with the FLM-Haiti Board for two years. Some of her favorite pastimes include international and domestic travel, cooking, theater, sharing with friends, classical music, and jazz, jazz, jazz. In gratitude, she serves with FLM-Haiti’s educational colleagues to empower children in Haiti.

ALLIANCE d’ ACTION CHRETIENNE

(BOARD OF DIRECTORS, HAITI)

OFFICERS

  • Bishop Leon D. Pamphile, Executive Director

  • Pastor Osse Paul, Deputy Executive Director

  • Stanley Avena, Director

  • Patrick Canon, Director

  • Pastor Duriel Clermont, Director

  • Eluid Jean-Jacques, Director

  • Pastor Romilus Jean-Louis, Director

  • Pastor Elizer Dusaintil, Director

  • Arra Saintime, Director