About

Doris Frame- President

Serving others was learned as a child by my Mother’s example and reinforced with my Father’s example in his retirement. Volunteering has been a passion from PTA, church and food banks. My connection to Haiti started after the 2010 earthquake. Seeing the needs of the Haitians, I began my volunteer work with Jacmel Haitian nonprofits. After multiple trips to Haiti, I found my support of Jakmel Ekspresyon and Kay Angel Children’s Home could be best served with a nonprofit which was created September 2018. Working with people has always been another passion. For 25 years as a Consultant & Senior Director for The Pampered Chef, I shared my love of cooking and encouraging others to reach for their dreams in my work. Retired in 2015, I now continue my volunteer work through JCEF and IHelp which feeds the homeless.

Stewart Young- Vice President

I’ve worked in and around health and well-being for almost 40 years and have come to appreciate the importance of a strong support system for all of us, especially young people, and especially young people in difficult environments. My friendship with Sue Frame, the Director of Jakmel Ekspresyon, has deepened as I’ve come to understand the important work that she and JE have been doing for the youth of Haiti since 2010. Having been raised in a progressive and activist household, in retirement I try to be an ally for diverse communities, supporting them with my voice and actions.

Russ Frame- Treasurer

Doris and I started Jakmel Community Empowerment Foundation (JCEF) in September 2018, originally to support Sue’s work in Haiti with Jakmel Ekspresyon (JE). I believe JCEF’s support has allowed JE to have a very positive influence on hundreds of Haitian youth and children with programs and classes that would otherwise not have been available to them. There is a pent- up demand for the affordable training that JE offers its students and the community, and I am very proud of what JE has accomplished. My background is in engineering and geology which prepared me to work with numbers, math and spreadsheets. I retired in October 2015. My personal interests include classic British cars, 4-wheeling in the Arizona desert and creating carved gourds. Doris and I were married in 1969 and are the proud parents of two children, Russ and Susan (Sue).

Judy Hartegan- Secretary

After working in the utility industry for 32 years I graduated from college with a degree in Interior Design a career I worked in until retirement. I represented the utility company then myself in community non-profit endeavors serving on boards of directors as member and as an
officer.

I became involved in international non-profit work after traveling to Haiti to teach a class at Jakmel Expresyon. Witnessing the needs of the community, children’s homes, and students furthered my involvement. The eagerness of the young adults and youth to learn and participate in a community setting was inspirational.

Alex Polotsky- Board Member

Alex Polotsky is a refugee from the Ukraine who has called Chicago home for the last 30 years.  His interest in Haiti was sparked by a visit with friends in 2007 for a music festival held in Jakmel. Since then Alex has been involved with various arts organizations in Jakmel, Haiti. Currently serving as a board member for Jakmel Ekspresyon. Alex believes that the success of Jakmel Ekspresyon lies with a close relationship between the art center staff and clients. These clients  who take advantage of the graphic design, sewing, drawing, math, engineering and science classes offered at Jakmel Ekspresyon make it a vibrant and vital place of connection for the local community. 

Alexus Foster- Board Member

Alexus Foster, is an Atlanta born and raised musician and live coder. Her passion for music and computer science led her to pursue her undergraduate studies at Bard College where she received her B.A. in Jazz Studies and Computer Science. Bard is where she also collaborated on a TLS project that worked in collaboration with Jakmel Ekspreyon. That Summer of 2018, she traveled to Jakmel where she and her classmates led a course on Data Mapping, Data Collection, and Data Presentation. It was during this experience that she met the amazing staff at JE and knew she had made a lifelong connection. Since 2021, she has served as one of JCEF’s board members and she hopes to return to Haiti to see her friends as well as revisit the beautiful mountains and cities.