Jean-Philippe Austin
Jean-Philippe Austin left Haiti at the age of 9 and moved to Queens, New York joining his parents, who escaped Papa Doc Duvalier’s bloody dictatorship. Growing up in NY’s community of Haitian exiles, Jean-Phillipe was immersed in a world where ideals of social justice and democracy were uplifted.
Jean-Philippe attended New York University majoring in Economics. Upon graduation he attended medical school at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Later, Jean Philippe, his wife Maggie Desroches Austin and their 4 daughters moved from New Orleans to South Florida, and quickly became renown civically engaged philanthropists. While his professional career thrived, Jean-Phillipe’s commitment to social justice and political empowerment endured.
He was a member of President Obama’s National Finance Committee and the Florida Finance Chair for the Democratic National Committee. He has hosted both First Lady, Michele Obama and the President at his home in South Florida.
His unwavering commitment to his community is evidenced by memberships to Boule, a national organization of prominent African Americans and the Florida Alliance, Progressive donor table. His notion of community expanded as he became increasingly immersed in South Florida’s Haitian community, home to over 500,000 Haitians and Haitian Americans.
While living in Miami, Jean-Phillipe found it difficult to ignore Haiti focused social and political issues which consumed the Haitian community’s passion. This interaction reignited his commitment to Haiti and its ongoing crises. Always in search of solutions, Jean-Phillipe understood that strengthening the Haitian Diaspora’s political power in the US, was a critical path to addressing Haiti’s problems.
Recognizing that the Haitian American Diaspora has been weakened by mistrust and misunderstanding he is committed to providing through HAFFD, a path to a well-organized, educated and activated Diaspora. He has no doubt that as Haitian-Americans build and channel their collective power, they will become a force that will affect change both in the US and in Haiti.
