Founder, Reina del Caribe Labs
Co-Founder, Delice Dental Health Initiative
Chris Francois is the co-founder and vice-president of the Delice Dental Health Initiative, a premier health-oriented nonprofit founded in 2015 and headquartered in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Unfortunately, the organization recently sunset its programs after six years of serving the community due to ongoing security issues impacting delivery in Haiti.
The organization provided sliding-scale dentistry services as well as oral health education to communities in the metropolitan area and beyond and has treated thousands of patients throughout its existence through various clinical programs as well as partnerships with foreign non-governmental organizations.
Several years after working with the Initiative, Chris founded Kreyol Lakay, a society and culture org and website that provided bite-sized educational content on Haitian Creole to the wider Haitian diaspora in the United States and Canada, as well as presented articles on issues affecting Haiti.
In their free time, Chris also runs an online agency helping prospective graduate students and remote workers secure their dream offers through application package editing and counseling as part of Reina del Caribe Labs. The business also collaborates with brands for advertising.
Chris has also appeared in regional media and national media including the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and the North Manchester News-Journal. Moreover, Chris has written letters and op-ed articles that have been featured in various print and online mediums, one of which received the Golden Pen Award from the Journal Gazette.
Chris also features on a number of interviews including Yo Soy Negra at the Mexican Institute for the Radio on the plight of Haitian asylum seekers, Table Talk with Wendy Khasandi speaking on the experiences of Black Students at PWIs, and Vox Dominicano with Axel Cardona-Olivero on Haitian-Dominican relations.
They earned their bachelor of science from Manchester University, graduating summa cum laude with an honors program degree in peace studies with two certifications in mediation and conflict resolution, along with experience in facilitation for programming and dialogue circles.
During their time at the university's Peace Studies Institute, their research focused on stateless populations on the island of Hispaniola by specifically targeting bilateral government solutions to de jure statelessness using transitional justice and reconciliation theory which was presented at the University of Notre Dame's annual peace studies conference.
Chris also gained a master's degree in global affairs through the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in China. Their research focused on COVID-19 policy and responses within the global health system by non-state actors, with a specific focus on Chinese orgs. This research project was eventually presented at the Center for China and Globalization, a top think tank within the country.
Chris is currently pursuing their second master's degree in development studies at York University in Toronto, focusing on Latin American newcomers' experiences of belonging in the Canadian context, and the impact of diaspora communities on their integration.
Chris has earned a variety of academic accolades, including the honor of serving as Keynote Speaker for the Manchester University Research Symposium and the Honors Program Undergraduate Research Academic Excellence Award.
In recognition of their work in fostering community on the North Manchester campus during their years in student organizations at Manchester University, Chris received the Outstanding Senior Leadership Award from the Office of Student Life.
On the global stage, Chris has received various honors over the years. Recently, their work as a social entrepreneur was honored by the Universal Peace Federation, an international institution in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, which named them an Ambassador for Peace.
Additionally, Chris received the prestigious Schwarzman scholarship, the first ever Haitian and Manchester alum to receive that honor. They also received a named fellowship prize in the Schwarzman Scholars program, the Elman Family Fellowship, due to their work in peace research.
In their current academic pursuit, Chris hold a master's fellowship and a graduate entrance scholarship from York. Within the university's organized research units, they hold Research Associate status with the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Harriet Tubman Institute for the Study of Africa and its Diasporas.
Chris has also been invited as a noted public speaker to numerous events including the Mayor of Wabash's Diversity and Inclusion Forum, Manchester University's Race at MU convocation, as well as a recent panel speaking to MU honors students on career and educational opportunities post-grad.
As an academic, Chris has also participated in numerous academic panel events, including on democracy and politics, the antiwar movement in the United States, the impact of DEI work in university settings, as well as the depiction of racialized persons through film.
Chris is fluent in multiple languages including Spanish, French, English, and Haitian Creole and maintains a home base in CDMX and Toronto.
The organization provided sliding-scale dentistry services as well as oral health education to communities in the metropolitan area and beyond and has treated thousands of patients throughout its existence through various clinical programs as well as partnerships with foreign non-governmental organizations.
Several years after working with the Initiative, Chris founded Kreyol Lakay, a society and culture org and website that provided bite-sized educational content on Haitian Creole to the wider Haitian diaspora in the United States and Canada, as well as presented articles on issues affecting Haiti.
In their free time, Chris also runs an online agency helping prospective graduate students and remote workers secure their dream offers through application package editing and counseling as part of Reina del Caribe Labs. The business also collaborates with brands for advertising.
Chris has also appeared in regional media and national media including the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and the North Manchester News-Journal. Moreover, Chris has written letters and op-ed articles that have been featured in various print and online mediums, one of which received the Golden Pen Award from the Journal Gazette.
Chris also features on a number of interviews including Yo Soy Negra at the Mexican Institute for the Radio on the plight of Haitian asylum seekers, Table Talk with Wendy Khasandi speaking on the experiences of Black Students at PWIs, and Vox Dominicano with Axel Cardona-Olivero on Haitian-Dominican relations.
They earned their bachelor of science from Manchester University, graduating summa cum laude with an honors program degree in peace studies with two certifications in mediation and conflict resolution, along with experience in facilitation for programming and dialogue circles.
During their time at the university's Peace Studies Institute, their research focused on stateless populations on the island of Hispaniola by specifically targeting bilateral government solutions to de jure statelessness using transitional justice and reconciliation theory which was presented at the University of Notre Dame's annual peace studies conference.
Chris also gained a master's degree in global affairs through the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in China. Their research focused on COVID-19 policy and responses within the global health system by non-state actors, with a specific focus on Chinese orgs. This research project was eventually presented at the Center for China and Globalization, a top think tank within the country.
Chris is currently pursuing their second master's degree in development studies at York University in Toronto, focusing on Latin American newcomers' experiences of belonging in the Canadian context, and the impact of diaspora communities on their integration.
Chris has earned a variety of academic accolades, including the honor of serving as Keynote Speaker for the Manchester University Research Symposium and the Honors Program Undergraduate Research Academic Excellence Award.
In recognition of their work in fostering community on the North Manchester campus during their years in student organizations at Manchester University, Chris received the Outstanding Senior Leadership Award from the Office of Student Life.
On the global stage, Chris has received various honors over the years. Recently, their work as a social entrepreneur was honored by the Universal Peace Federation, an international institution in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, which named them an Ambassador for Peace.
Additionally, Chris received the prestigious Schwarzman scholarship, the first ever Haitian and Manchester alum to receive that honor. They also received a named fellowship prize in the Schwarzman Scholars program, the Elman Family Fellowship, due to their work in peace research.
In their current academic pursuit, Chris hold a master's fellowship and a graduate entrance scholarship from York. Within the university's organized research units, they hold Research Associate status with the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Harriet Tubman Institute for the Study of Africa and its Diasporas.
Chris has also been invited as a noted public speaker to numerous events including the Mayor of Wabash's Diversity and Inclusion Forum, Manchester University's Race at MU convocation, as well as a recent panel speaking to MU honors students on career and educational opportunities post-grad.
As an academic, Chris has also participated in numerous academic panel events, including on democracy and politics, the antiwar movement in the United States, the impact of DEI work in university settings, as well as the depiction of racialized persons through film.
Chris is fluent in multiple languages including Spanish, French, English, and Haitian Creole and maintains a home base in CDMX and Toronto.
