Pierre Jonas Imbert

Pierre Jonas is the founding CEO of the Ayiti Community Trust, Haiti’s first endowed fund, building on the country’s assets, driven by Haitians’ needs locally while providing resources for sustainable solutions. Previously, Pierre served Barr Foundation’s Global program as senior advisor for Haiti. Prior to joining the Foundation, he was deputy director of the Program and Organizational Performance Management for the California’s Department of Social Service. In 2005, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney appointed Pierre director of the Commonwealth’s Office of Refugees and Immigrants. In this role he helped the state encourage new Americans, and refugees to legally settle in Massachusetts by providing them with the tools needed to live successfully.

Before his years in state government, Pierre was executive director of the Haitian Multi-Service Center, a community-based organization of Catholic Charities in Boston. During his tenure there he was selected as a member of the inaugural class of Barr Fellows in 2005. Pierre is a co-founder of Hope On A String, Inc., a striving organization in rural Haiti that uses the power of music to build civic engagement and deep social capital in communities. Pierre brings two decades of executive experience in non-profit, philanthropy and government to advise Hope on a String as Senior Country Advisor.

Pierre received a Master of Science degree in Public Affairs at the John McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, and a BA in Community Planning and Management from the University of Massachusetts. In May 2006, Pierre received a Doctorate in Public Administration degree, honoris causa, from Boston College. In 1999, he was recognized by the Boston Chamber of Commerce as one of Boston’s Ten Outstanding Young Leaders