Daniel Tillias 

Daniel Tillias is a community development agent with over 20 years of experience. He is a social entrepreneur and a visionary behind several sustainable initiatives all over Haiti including, ALAVET AYITI, FATRAKA, and Generation Leader 2030, and was most recently awarded the 2019 CNN Hero award.

Daniel’s focuses much of his work on the neighborhood of Cite Soleil, the largest underserved community in Haiti, as well as many other underdeveloped communities. In 2006, he co-founded the largest Community Center in Cite Soleil known as SAKALA (Community Center for Peaceful Alternatives) which is now home to the largest urban garden in Haiti. SAKALA and has been awarded several innovation prizes from all over the world, including Austria, USA, and Haiti.

Daniel received his master’s degree in peace building and community development and has had fellowships in Leadership and Management with Gather Institute of Chicago, a management fellowship with Columbia University through 92Y, and has studied Advance Management with INCAE Costa Rica. Daniel works as a consultant for many churches in Haiti and some of the largest NGOs in the world. He is also a writer and author, with recent publications including a book of poems “Cry for Hope,” and an autobiography, “I Can fly” which details his experience growing up in Cite Soleil and his vision for a better, greener community. Daniel has been everywhere in Haiti, listening and learning about what works, what does not, and why. For him, opportunity and alternatives are key words for development in Haiti and he believes green Jobs and education through an integrated involvement of the Haitian diaspora will make Haiti the better place that it deserves to be.