Growing up in Haiti in the 1980s, my world was shaped by two very different but equally powerful influences: the discipline of my family’s business and the wonder of early technology. My parents owned a brush manufacturing facility, and from a young age I found myself sitting beside them, helping with accounting sheets, payroll calculations, and weekly reports that had to be sent to company headquarters in New York.

I didn’t fully grasp it at the time, but those evenings spent reviewing numbers and preparing documents taught me responsibility, precision, and the importance of operational excellence long before I ever stepped into a corporate role.

I didn’t know it then, but those experiences were planting the seeds of a 30‑year journey through the information technology industry, a journey that would take me across continents, into global boardrooms, and into the heart of some of the world’s most transformative technological shifts.

From my first roles in tech support to leading global organizations through AI‑driven transformation, every step has been a testament to how early exposure, opportunity, and relentless curiosity can chart a career path far beyond anything a young boy in Haiti could have imagined.

Moving from New York to Haiti

Growing up in Haiti in the 1980s, my world was shaped by two very different but equally powerful influences: the discipline of my family’s business and the wonder of early technology. We moved from New York to Haiti because my parents owned a brush manufacturing facility, and from a young age, I found myself sitting beside them, helping with accounting sheets, payroll calculations, and weekly reports that had to be sent to company headquarters in New York. I didn’t fully grasp it at the time, but those evenings spent reviewing numbers and preparing documents taught me responsibility, precision, and the importance of operational excellence long before I ever stepped into a corporate role.

At the same time, my private Christian school, which my siblings and I attended, opened another door, one that would change the trajectory of my life. The school had a small computer lab, rare for Haiti at the time, and the moment I touched a keyboard, something clicked. The Commodore 64 became my playground. While other kids rushed to recess, I stayed behind, exploring BASIC commands, playing Dungeons and Dragons, experimenting with programs, and asking endless questions. My computer teachers quickly noticed my curiosity, and before long, I wasn’t just using the lab; I was helping maintain it. Together, we set up systems, troubleshot issues, and prepared the machines for other students. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was learning the foundations of IT support and systems management as a teenager.

From Haiti to Howard University in Washington, DC

From Haiti to Howard University in Washington, DC

By the early 1990s, when I arrived at Howard University, the world of computing had evolved dramatically, as had I. Windows 3.1 felt like stepping into a new era. The graphical interface, the productivity tools, and the sense of possibility all expanded my understanding of what technology could do. Howard’s computer labs became my second home, just as my school’s lab had years earlier. But now, I wasn’t just learning how computers worked; I was learning how technology could shape industries, careers, and global innovation.

Those early experiences, between balancing schoolwork with helping my parents run a manufacturing business, learning the discipline of reporting and operations, and spending countless hours in computer labs, laid the foundation for everything that came next. They prepared me for the moment, years later, when I joined the team that helped deploy IBM Watson (now watsonX) in Support during the late 2000s. Watson wasn’t just another project; it was a glimpse into the future of artificial intelligence. Being part of that initiative felt like the natural evolution of the curiosity that began with a Commodore 64 in Haiti.

Today, as I work with Generative AI and Agentic AI Agents, I often think back to that young boy in the private school computer lab and the teenager helping his parents close out payroll. The journey from those early experiences to leading AI‑driven transformation feels almost poetic. Every step, from the manufacturing floor to the computer lab to global boardrooms, has been a continuation of the same story: a deep belief that technology, when paired with purpose and humanity, can transform lives.

And in many ways, I’m still that curious kid in Haiti, exploring, learning, building, and imagining what’s possible next.

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