Buck Close fell in love with Haiti when he visited there as a high school student in 1968.  His mother sent him as a courier to the Salesian Sisters with whom his family has had a continuous 52 year relationship  in support of their many schools and orphanages.  After this visit he felt the allure of Haiti and returned to work in what is now  Cite Soliel under the guidance of Father Arthur Volel, a Salesian Priest.  He maintained his attachment to Haiti through his adult life and decided to expand his involvement when he conceived 1000jobsHaiti in 2008. 

Buck is a graduate of Tulane University where he was an Economics and Latin American Studies major.  After being involved for 30 years  in the textile industry, he was ordained to the  Permanent Diaconate in the Episcopal Diocese of the New York in 2000.  He and his wife, Lucy, live in Little Compton, RI and have three grown children.

Lucy's devotion and involvement with Haiti runs parallel to that of her husband of 40 years, Buck.  Over the years, she has been involved in regular visits and interactions with the Salesian Sisters and took over fully the artisanal endeavors of 1000jobs as the industrial side of the organization evolved.  Between her trips to Haiti to oversee the feminine co-ops, she takes their products on the road for sales.  She is a mother of three and many critters of all shapes and sizes !

Jacky is President and Executive Director of FATEM, a Boston-based nonprofit community organization assisting in Mirebalais, Haiti in areas of education and economic development.  He holds a Master's Degree in social work and a Microsoft Certified Professional certificate.  He volunteers as a coordinator at MACHHA, an alliance of Massachusetts-based Haitian hometown associations, nonprofit entitties and individuals, who work for sustainable development and social justice in Haiti.

Jacky lends his time to several other nonprofit organizations, including FAMILY, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts and operating in Verrettes in the areas of education and economic development through agriculture.  Jacky lives in Brockton, Massachusetts with this wife, Carline, and their two daughters.

Joe Parenteau has had an extensive experience in the areas of project development, project management, construction and law in the US and abroad.  He is a graduate of Duke University and the initiator of the CEB (compressed earth block) program in Tabarre.  Joe lives in New York City with his wife, Ellie.

Frednel Isma earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Université Adventiste d’Haïti. He also earned a post-graduate degree in Population and Development from Université d’Etat d’Haiti via Faculté des Sciences Humaines (Human Sciences Faculty). He has 12 years of experience working in different institutions and fields. He spent 5 years working as an Accountant, and from 2005 to 2007, worked as a Project Manager and Logistics Assistant in United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Haiti. He also taught Accounting and Accounting software at Université Adventiste in Haiti, as well as courses in Demography at INHSAC prior to his arrival at Ohio University as a Fulbright Scholar in 2007. His thesis, titled “Trends, Composition, and Demographic Structure of Haitian Employment: Census and Policy Analysis from 1971 to 2003”, analyzes Haiti’s development policies and economic constraints and their impact on employment, and is available online through Google Scholar.

Bob Brooks has been involved in a variety of humanitarian and human rights issues, including: hurricane relief in South Carolina and Louisiana, HIV/AIDS in South Africa and Rhode Island, and peace and justice issues in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Bob is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. He spent 20 years in the investment management business, after which he attended Episcopal Divinity School. Bob served three parishes as Rector, retiring from parish ministry in 2010. Bob and his wife Rhea live in Little Compton, RI. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.

Cathy joined 1000jobs in the Spring of 2011, and is grateful for the opportunity to work with this project. Her previous work experience at Grace Episcopal Church, (Providence, RI) in the areas of leadership development and newcomer ministry and at a retail quilt shop prepared her well for her various responsibilities at 1000jobs. She assists Lucy with many of the day to day operations of the Online Store from organizing and tracking inventory to packaging and preparing items for shipping. Her duties also include administrative tasks. Cathy and her husband Steve live in Cranston, RI. They have two adult daughters.

Jazon works as a translator and facilitator of all 1000jobs projects.  He worked as a linquist with MINUSTAH, a Chilean Batallion, in 2004-2005 and with the Multinaitional Force of the United Nations in their peace keeping mission in Haiti from 1994 to 1998.  He has  degrees in electricity, music and several languages.  He worked in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 8 years where he earned certification in Elaboration and Managing Projects.

Edly works as an Administrative and Logistics Assistant.  Before working for 1000jobs, he worked in data entry at the University Antonio De Nebrija (Madrid, Spain), where he has earned a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics. In 2009 he earned a Certificate for Project Management (PMDPRO) and a certificate from the Organization of American States in Agro-Eco Tourism.   He also worked as a  manager of REF computers and accessories.

Quesly Alexis is a Civil engineer and licensed General Contractor with extensive experience in the engineering design and construction industry.  Prior to joining 1000Jobs, Quesly worked as a military contractor, conducting conditional assessment on existing structures, as a structural and field engineer, inspecting new construction, and as a construction manager, overseeing new construction from conception to delivery.  He also has over 13 years’ experience in education; teaching undergraduate Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Construction Plan Reading and Estimating.

Quesly is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology with a major in Civil Engineering with emphasis on structure analysis and design.  He also holds licenses in Post-Tensioning Inspection, Certified General Construction, and OSHA Construction Safety Inspector.