SOIL Staff

Sasha Kramer
Executive Director & Co-founder

Sasha has been living and working in Haiti since 2004. She first came to Haiti as a human rights advocate, and in 2006 co-founded SOIL with Sarah Brownell. During that year she also received her Ph.D. in Ecology from Stanford University and completed a postdoctoral research position coordinating an ecological sanitation project in Haiti. Sasha has continued her ties with academia as an Adjunct Professor of International Studies and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Miami. Each January she hosts students in Cap-Haitien where she teaches an intersession course called Sustainable Development Challenges in Haiti: from Theory to Practice.

While SOIL has primarily worked in the North, following the January 12 earthquake, Sasha relocated to Port-au-Prince to assist in relief efforts there. After weeks of distributing emergency aid and attending WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) cluster meetings, SOIL began to set up an office in Port-au-Prince in response to the sanitation crisis. As the Executive Director, Sasha has assembled a small staff in Port-au-Prince and partnered with OXFAM GB to build toilets in small IDP (internally displaced persons) camps.

SOIL has continued its work in Cap-Haitien during this transition, thanks to the help of its Haitian sister organization, SOL. Sasha is also a co-founder of SOL, a Haitian non-profit dedicated to promoting environmental justice and ecologically sound development.

Nick Preneta
Deputy Director

Nick made his first visit to Haiti in 2005. He lived in Cap-Haitien for 3 years, where he worked with street kids and began mastering his Kreyol. In 2008, he returned to the U.S. to attend Tufts University, where he began studying for his Master's in Public Health, with an emphasis on Emergency Settings. Following the January 12 earthquake, Nick deferred his studies in order to return to Haiti and assist in the relief effort in Port-au-Prince. What began as emergency aid distributions transitioned into sanitation work, and soon enough Nick became the Deputy Director for SOIL. Nick has since continued to grow his knowledge on all things WASH and acts as a vital part of our Port-au-Prince team, bringing a strong work ethic and knowledge of the culture. Nick will remain in Port-au-Prince until August, at which time he will return to Tufts to finish his degree. After his graduation in December 2010, all bets are off. We're keeping our fingers crossed he comes back to SOIL.

Amy Ross
Program Manager

Amy first came to Port-au-Prince in 2008 to work with Honor and Respect Foundation, training teachers and promoting grassroots organizing. She partnered with local youth to found a community center and worked alongside local volunteers at a school for street kids. Upon her return to the U.S., she continued to advocate and raise awareness about conditions in Haiti, while working as a social worker and youth advocate in San Francisco. Following the January 12 earthquake, Amy returned to Port-au-Prince to assist SOIL with sanitation efforts and to set up a new base office. Her organization and creativity have helped to bring order in the chaos, as she keeps SOIL on task and well fed. When she's not trekking around the city in the back of a truck, you'll find her at the computer keeping everyone up to date on SOIL's progress and adventure.