Leadership & Board
Haitian school staff and leaders gathered together in the mountains of southern Haiti
The work in the mountains is Haitian-led.
Back in Arkansas, a small staff and a volunteer Board of Directors keep the promise to every donor: the mission comes first, and the books stay open.
Five priests, each in his own parish
Five Episcopal priests serve the mountain parishes where the schools of Haiti Education Foundation (HEF) stand, and each one carries the same sacred trust in his own community.
Build something Haitians own, lead, and sustain.
The single most important decision in the history of this ministry was made before most of its current leaders were involved: build something that Haitians own, Haitians lead, and Haitians sustain.
Our objective is to help Haitians help themselves.
Knows Every School
Each priest knows every school in his parish, by name and by need.
Recruits the Teachers
Every qualified teacher is recruited and supervised by the priest who serves that community.
Supervises Instruction
Daily instruction is overseen locally, in the parish, not from an office thousands of miles away.
Preaches in Creole
The gospel is preached in Creole, in the language and the voice of the people it is meant for.
Walks With Every Family
Each priest knows the families in his parish as he serves to enrich them spiritually.
School staff serving in one of HEF’s mountain parishes. 
A teacher leads instruction in a parish classroom.
A staff that has never stopped showing up
650
Haitian employees, steadying the mission
650 Haitian men and women have kept HEF’s schools open through earthquakes, hurricanes, pandemics and gang violence.
35+
Ministering through Education for more than 35 years in the mountains of southern Haiti.
12 months
Paid reliably, every year
Haitian government teachers often go months without pay. HEF’s staff are paid reliably twelve months a year, plus a thirteenth-month bonus.
When both founders were gone, the mission did not stop.
Père Albert and Frances Landers founded this ministry. Père Albert died in 2005 and Frances Landers in 2010. Susan Turbeville has led the ministry since 2010.
No single leader has ever held this ministry together alone. When American leadership had to change hands in a single year, Haitian priests continued without hesitation. Continuity came from the model itself as much as from any one person.
How It Works
Five priests and 650 Haitian employees run the schools in the mountains, and none of them answer to an office in the United States. Back in Arkansas, two people keep the lights on. They open the mail, balance the books, and make sure every dollar lands where you sent it.
Susan TurbevilleExecutive DirectorFirst came to Haiti in 1979, on staff since 2001.“While growing up in the First Presbyterian Church in El Dorado, AR, Frances and Gardner Landers began going to Haiti. Our church was very involved with many aspects of their medical mission, fundraising and packing supplies. This was my first experience with Haiti. Soon after, Frances began her ministry of education and once again, as a youth in the church, I heard about what the Landers were doing and took interest. In early 2001, a good friend of Frances wanted her to have an assistant and offered to pay for a part time employee. I was looking for a part time employment opportunity and am thrilled to have had the blessing of working with Frances as I did. She taught me so much about faith and HOPE and that education is Haiti’s best chance out of poverty!”
Vicki LambertFinancial SecretaryJoined the staff in 2010, after the earthquake.“When I first came to work for the Haiti Education Foundation, I only knew of Frances Landers as the wife of my ophthalmologist and Susan Turbeville through mutual friends. Susan approached me after the earthquake in Haiti asking me if I was willing to help them out with the abundance of correspondence they were receiving at that time. I have since learned lots and still have lots to learn about the Haiti Education Foundation, but with PRIDE I am quick to respond to others that I am affiliated with the Haiti Education Foundation.”
Eight people who volunteer their time to lead this ministry
Rob CrittendenBoard PresidentInvolved since 1994, leading mission trips from his church.“When our family first moved to Roanoke, VA, in 1993, we joined Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church. RCPC was already involved with HEF and had decided to fund the building of a school, now called the Allison School, in Larevoir, as part of a large fundraising effort. One mission trip had already been taken; I joined the next three, leading the second and third ones. I really admired the work that was being done and found Père Albert to be the greatest person I had ever met. I loved the fact that HEF uses 100% of all donations for direct Haitian aid, as the administrative fees are covered anonymously by others. And HEF’s work was the most palpable example for me of how the power of God can work through two ordinary human beings. I wanted to be part of such a great mission.”
John LoweryBoard TreasurerTook two trips to Haiti after hearing about HEF at church.John served as youth director at First Presbyterian Church in El Dorado, where he learned about HEF. That led to two trips to Haiti to visit HEF’s schools, and like most who make that trip, he came home with a big heart for the children of Haiti.
Martha MillerBoard SecretaryFirst visited Haiti in 1999 with her husband and their church.In 1999, Martha and her late husband Don took their first trip to Cherident, Haiti, with two others from Westminster Presbyterian Church. It was life changing, and she knew God had called her to this ministry. In addition to serving on the HEF board, she also serves on the board of Haiti Healthcare Partners.
Mickey QuinlanBoard MemberGot involved in 2015 through his Episcopal church.“As part of our Episcopal church’s search for an international outreach partner, we were invited by our friends at First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport to listen to Susan and Ancy speak about the story of HEF. We were immediately inspired, and I took a ‘come and see’ trip. I was immediately hooked, and St. Paul’s agreed to sponsor the preschool at St. Mathias in Cherident. Since 2015, St. Paul’s members have averaged at least two trips a year and developed amazing friendships with our partner school and the people of the Cherident community. My wife and I truly consider our friends in Haiti an extension of our family.”
George BrandonBoard MemberInvolved since 1997, leading mission trips for decades.“I have taken several trips to Haiti, most of which I have led. I am active in HEF because God called me to do so. I knew this from the first day I visited the people of our parishes in Haiti. I haven’t always been obedient to that call, but I’m trying.”
Mary Jo OliverBoard MemberInvolved since the very beginning, back in 1979.“As a member of First Presbyterian Church, El Dorado, I was inspired and engaged by the work the Landers were doing in Haiti. My daughters and I began to seek ways of helping by packing supplies for the Landers’ trips and helping to raise money for their mission. As the size and scope of the mission grew, I offered to help Frances with tasks such as making deposits and securing help with promotional materials. After HEF became a 501(c)(3) organization, there were numerous accounting jobs to be done, and I stepped in to relieve Frances of these responsibilities so she could invest her time in communicating the word about Haiti. Trips to Haiti and the people of Haiti really sealed the deal as far as my love and passion for this organization and its work.”
Rev. Cathy UlrichBoard MemberA pastor taking mission trips to Haiti since 2011.“After moving to Arkansas in 1989 I immediately heard stories of Frances Landers and her work with the children of Haiti, told to me by members of the church I was serving as a pastor. When we moved to Fort Smith, Chris McRae talked about HEF and its ministry. When asked to join the board I gladly agreed and took some trips to Haiti with Susan. These are never to be forgotten.”
Jeffrey LandersBoard MemberGrandson of founder Frances Landers, first trip in 2011.“Growing up as a child in El Dorado, AR, I attended countless speaking engagements with my grandmother and founder of HEF, Frances Landers, when she was raising money to help grow the foundation into what it is today. My family has always been involved with missions in Haiti, and I had the opportunity to take my first trip to the island in 2011, where I visited nine schools in the southern region and the hospital in Léogâne. It was during that trip that my grandmother’s passion, started three decades earlier, was passed on to me, and I now truly understand just how much the people of the southern mountains of Haiti depend on HEF for their education and future.”
Young students in paper hats gather outside their classroom at an HEF school
Stand behind the people already doing the work.
Your gift goes to the work in Haiti: five Haitian priests and 650 Haitian employees, backed by a volunteer board and a small staff who keep every promise to donors.