Our Team
OUR TEAM MEMBERS
(In Alphabetical order, we need you too!)
Faiz Afzal
Mr. Afzal currently works for Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies Company as a Senior Analyst in Mergers and Acquisitions and Business Development. His prior experience with United Technologies as part of their financial leadership program provided him the proper project management and communication skills to assemble corporate support via community awareness and endowments. Faiz holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Faiz is currently the Corporate Relations Liaison for South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated. He plays a key role in shaping the business direction, providing financial analysis and implementation of project milestones. Having lived on three continents, Faiz has gained a vast appreciation for the imperative nature of education. Faiz is well versed in many languages, including English, French and Urdu.
Henri Alexandre
Attorney Henri Alexandre is a highly respected trial attorney with over 27 years at the Connecticut Bar. Most recently, Attorney Alexandre served as Department Head in the office of the State Attorney General.
As a result of his admiration for his community, Henri has given back in several ways. Henri serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Legal Services, the Connecticut Haitian- American Organization and has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Community Health Center in Hartford, CT and as Chairman of the City of Hartford, Human Relations Commission. He has also been a guest lecturer, at the University of Hartford, on Haitian history, politics, culture and current events.
Henri speaks French and is fluent in Haitian Creole. Henri received a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut, School of Law, in 1982 and a Bachelors of Art in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University in 1976.
M. Saud Anwar
Dr. Saud Anwar is a Pulmonary Critical Care Occupational Environmental Medicine and Public Health Specialist in South Windsor area. He has been active in the community. He is currently serving as the president of South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated.
Dr. Anwar also serves as the Chair of the South Windsor Human Relation Commission. He is the Chair of the Civil Rights Committee of Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission of the State of Connecticut. Dr. Anwar has been a board member of Ibtida, an organization focused on improving literacy and supporting schools for progressive thinking in the rural parts of Pakistan.
He has been a part of ethics committee of regional hospitals. He was a part of team of physicians and other medical personnel who went to Haiti after the earthquake to help with rehabilitation, medical and psychological management of people in Haiti affected by the earthquake.
Dr. Anwar’s volunteerism and coordination of response in the aftermath of 9/11 earned him an official recognition from the American Red Cross. He has testified on critical issues in the Connecticut legislature, as well as, the 109th US congress.
Yusra Anis-Anwar
Dr. Yusra Anis-Anwar, resident of South Windsor, trained at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Internal Medicine and specializes in Hypertension and Vascular Diseases.
Since 2000 she has been working as a Primary Care Physician in South Windsor. Yusra has been recognized as a best intern and subsequently resident amongst all the trainees at University of Connecticut Primary Care Residency program. She has been a contributing author of many textbooks, as well as publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
She has been active participant and supporter of the South Windsor Haiti School, Inc.
Taseen Anwar
Taseen is a 6th grade student government representative at the Timothy Edwards Middle School, in South Windsor. Taseen, like his parents, remains active with trying to raise awareness of humanitarian disaster relief in different parts of world. After the earthquake in Haiti, he donated all of his savings towards helping the children in need.
Taseen joined the South Windsor Haiti team to increase awareness at the middle school and develop a partnership between the middle school students in South Windsor with the children in Haiti.
Tim Appleton
Tim Appleton is a legislative aide for the Connecticut General Assembly, working with the Senate Democrats. As a Senior Outdoor Emergency Care Trainer/Evaluator with the National Ski Patrol, Tim Also volunteers at the Mount Southington Ski Area. He also serves as a Commissioner of the South Windsor Inland Wetland Commission for the last five years.
Tim has been working with the South Windsor Haiti School Taskforce since the project’s inception, and was one of the first members of the group to go on a fact-finding mission to Port-au-Prince, Haiti this past spring.
Tim’s focus has been working on the South Windsor Haiti School Taskforce’s media efforts, with special focus on new media strategy and website design.
Sheila Appleton
Sheila Appleton is currently an Analyst in the Affiliate Business Operations team at ESPN. She has worked previously for a variety of media companies including the Hartford Courant and as a manager Cox Communications. She is serving her second term on the South Windsor Board of Education and also serves on the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC).
Sheila has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Canisius College. She is currently working on the Educational Program committee of the South Windsor Haiti School taskforce, helping to develop strategy for hiring teachers, the principal and developing additional curriculum.
Sheila has also actively participated in Girl Scouts with her daughters.
Both of the Appleton’s daughters are currently active student members of the taskforce, working with other students in town to increase awareness in South Windsor Schools. They lead the sign design and creation project undertaken to raise awareness and traffic to our website.
Hernan Cortez
Hernan Cortez background is in Financial Management, Treasury Risk consulting, overseeing customer service, operations and production divisions. He is currently employed with Bank of America. Hernan and his wife also own their own Internet based Product Distribution company.
Hernan has also worked as a mentor and volunteer. Utilizing his leadership skills and corporate knowledge he has aided multiple different efforts with in different companies,and has been instrumental in working on financial endeavors for South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated, most recently working as treasurer.
Cile Decker
Ms. Decker is a real estate broker and consultant, owner of Cile Decker Associates in South Windsor, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in languages.
She has previously served on the South Windsor Town Council and South Windsor Board of Education, as President of the Hartford Association of Realtors, on the executive board of the Connecticut Association of Realtors. She is currently serving as Vice President of the South Windsor Community Foundation, Vice President of the Wood Memorial Library and Museum.
She is also serving as board member for the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce, the South Windsor Cultural Arts, the Connecticut Women’s Alliance, Interval House, the South Windsor Redevelopment Agency, the South Windsor Democratic Town Committee executive board, and the South Windsor Voices for the poetry project. She is a Cooperator of Eastern Connecticut Health Network and Rockville Bank as well.
Cile has spent her life in actively working to make a difference in our community and is well respected by people in our community and beyond for her volunteerism. Her commonsense approach towards building, strength and community work has lead Cile to take the role of Committee Chairman for Facilities for South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated.
Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman
Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman is a Reform rabbi, serving Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor. He received his BA and public school teacher certification from Wesleyan University, an MAHL and ordination from Hebrew Union College, and an MBA from University of Connecticut.
His 24-year rabbinate includes working in underserved communities, founding and running a home for pregnant teens in Missouri, teaching college courses and developing schools in Ethopia. He remains active at various levels within the South Windsor community and beyond. He is currently serving as a member of the South Windsor Human Relation Commission.
Nilofer Haider
Mrs. Haider is a resident of South Windsor, currently working for Catholic Charities. Nilofer is active in multiple different organizations across the Connecticut and beyond.
She has served as a Board of Trustee for the Charter Oak Cultural Center. She is a member of the Human Relation Commission of the Town of South Windsor. She has been active with the Pakistani-American Association of Connecticut. She is also one of the founders and officer bearer of the group “Women for Community Harmony”.
Both Nilofer and her husband Mateen have been active in helping with the awareness and importance of education in United States and beyond and have been a part of this important work. Nilofer works as a teacher for English as a second language for refugees and is also is an active member of Hartford Public Library.
Thomas Jardim
Thomas Jardim graduated from New Jersey Institute of Technology with a degree in architecture, minoring in history. Since then, he has worked in firms in New York City and Sun Valley in Idaho, doing a variety of large-scale projects from mid-sized condos to historic preservation work and reuse of a misused down town revitalization project. He also completed smaller projects ranging from residential to retail branding.
Most recently, he has been volunteering in the earthquake-ravaged Haiti. After the earthquake, he went to Haiti and subsequently stayed on there for approximately four months’ time, helping build up, use his architectural and building experience, to do hands on work by recruiting and working with community members in Haiti, recruiting workers and also developing plans for building schools. He has been involved in building four school buildings in Haiti already. He is a part of the South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated on looking at a school building works and options in Haiti.
Mark Jardim
Mark Jardim has been involved in many volunteer organizations throughout his life. He has traveled to Mexico with an outreach program four times and helped to build an orphanage for young children.
Recently, he has worked as the President of the Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Company. He has been instrumental in helping raise funds for the Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Company, as well as raise awareness of volunteer efforts for the Town of Windsor in general. Mark Jardim graduated from CCSU with bachelors in Management Information Systems and is thrilled to bring his business and technical strengths to this project.
Elizabeth McGuire
Ms. McGuire is currently a producer at CTN, Connecticut Public Affairs Network. She is the owner of Elizabeth McGuire Voice Over Services. Elizabeth background includes many years as a radio and TV reporter, producer and public relations specialist. A long term volunteer, Elizabeth currently serves as a president of the East Catholic High School Parents Association.
Elizabeth has served on various town commissions in the past, as well as a Girl Scout Leader, and as a South Windsor representative to the Two Rivers Magnet Middle School.
Elizabeth is working with the South Windsor Haiti School task force in the area of public relations and media. She has been instrumental in press recognition of South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated efforts to build a school in Haiti.
Kevin Morse
Kevin Morse is a student at South Windsor High School. He is active in a variety of school clubs such as, Student Council, Future Business Leaders of America, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, and was also elected to the junior executive board. Kevin is also a student athlete, running Cross Country as a member of both the South Windsor High School team and the South Windsor Sports Group Junior Olympics team, most recently qualifying for Nationals.
Kevin has served our community by setting up and implementing, as well as acting as an instructor, in a leadership skill-training workshop for the children in South Windsor. He has joined South Windsor Haiti team in attempt to raise awareness and support from the South Windsor High School community, and do whatever he could to help South Windsor Haiti School Inc.
Sarah Wicks
Sarah Wicks does not recall a time in her life when she did not help her family in their efforts to support literacy and education in Haiti. She will be traveling to Haiti in the spring of 2011 with her parents to help develop a better understanding of the needs of Haitian children and to share an awareness of these needs with her peers and teachers in the South Windsor school system.
Her November 2010 trip to Haiti was postponed due to political unrest. She is thrilled that her community is building a school in Haiti and is helping to make this dream a reality. She continues to support literacy through her work with The Reading Room, Inc.; a nonprofit created by her family to share the joy of reading with children in Haiti.
Elizabeth Wicks
Mrs. Wicks, a literacy specialist, employed by Har-Bur Middle School in Burlington, Connecticut is also the co-founder of The Reading Room Inc. The Reading Room, a 501(c) 3, is a nonprofit literacy initiative that brings the joy of reading to children in Haiti.
She and her husband Paul created The Reading Room after observing that Haitian children were not reading due to lack of access to books. Haiti has an estimated literacy rate of 55%. Along with providing Haitian schools with libraries, school supplies and vitamins, Elizabeth is working with Haitian teachers by providing professional development workshops in literacy instruction. Elizabeth and Paul have worked in Haiti for the past 20 years supporting education and literacy at multiple schools.
As a member of the South Windsor Haiti School Inc., Elizabeth is helping further support literacy and education in Haiti. She recently traveled to Haiti in November 2010 to lead a professional development seminar and identify and work with potential teachers and students for the new school. Elizabeth has taken on the role of Committee Chairman for Educational Program for South Windsor Haiti School Incorporated. Her work will help create the educational understanding and goals with the local community.
Elizabeth will travel to Haiti again in early 2011 to further support the development of the school and support local families in the decision making process/goal formation for this new school.