Article about Isabelle Clérié, one of our former students

Isabelle Clérié is one of our former undergraduate students. She went on to earn, I think, two Master's degrees. One, if memory serves, is in non-profit management and the other in applied anthropology. She is working in Haiti, and a columnist at Forbes has posted a short profile of her recent work. Although I lament that she did not continue studying archaeology, I have to admit that the work she is doing instead is probably more important. She is a testament too what you can accomplish with brains, fortitude, and charisma. I could not be more delighted with her great success. Congratulations, Isabelle!

Haiti--Lessons for Nonprofits

It's always uplifting to see one of your former students both doing well and making a difference. Isabelle Clérié is a prime example. She studied archaeology with me as an undergraduate and then got a Master's degree in nonprofit management. She has worked in her native Haiti, where she is one of the few people who has been alert to alarming degradation of archaeological and historical sites. She currently works for the Franklin Institute, a major science museum in Philadelphia.

Isabelle recently contributed an insightful essay about the work of nonprofits in Haiti to the blog of Michael Rosen. She explains the situation in Haiti as she has witnessed it, and she advocates three changes to the way most nonprofits have been operating there. She summarizes her points as follows:

• Be an anthropologist!
• Work together!
• Go where the people need you!

Great advice and a very interesting article.