The McNulty Foundation and the Aspen Institute announced today that Jean-Claude Brizard, president and CEO of Digital Promise and an Aspen Pahara Fellow, and Nedgine Paul Deroly, co-founder and CEO of Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA), have been named joint recipients of the McNulty Foundation’s prestigious John P. McNulty Prize due to their work equipping the next generation of education leaders in Haiti. Presented in partnership with the Aspen Institute, this prize is awarded annually to Fellows who are “breakthrough leaders” and demonstrate “moral courage, bold vision, and deep, sustainable impact.” Alongside the other selected organizations, APA will receive $150,000 to continue its vital work.
Based in Haiti, APA is an organization which “seeks to raise education outcomes in rural Haiti by promoting teacher excellence and student success—rooted in Haitian culture, customs, and community.” APA was recognized for its work to disrupt an “oppressive colonial education system by offering a new model of civic leadership and community transformation.” In addition to drastically improving education outcomes for learners, APA also provides a promising model for community-led transformation in other contexts around the world.
“Transforming teaching and learning in Haiti is a collaborative effort. There is power in recognizing local assets, local leaders, local culture—combined with the technical expertise of our allies and partners,” shared Deroly. “It is an honor to receive the McNulty Prize, which shines a spotlight on this vital work and the urgent need for continued investment in our justice-focused efforts.”
Born and raised in Haiti, Jean-Claude Brizard has been a close advisor to APA since its inception and served as founding chair on its board of directors. Since 2021, APA and Digital Promise, alongside other local and international organizations, have partnered to implement a blended learning pilot program in rural Haiti.
“It has been an immense privilege to partner with Nedgine to improve educational outcomes in my home country of Haiti—from conceptualizing the vision for APA more than a decade ago to expanding digital equity and access to technology through our current pilot program,” shared Brizard. “The transformative work that Anseye Pou Ayiti is implementing across Haiti to shift beliefs, mindsets, and community norms around education is only possible due to the bold, unwavering vision and leadership of Nedgine Paul Deroly. I can think of no leader in this space more deserving of this award.”
Digital Promise and APA have joined forces with a consortium of partners, including Blue Butterfly, Model School Network (MSN), and Summits Education, to introduce a pilot project around blended learning, which combines digital and face-to-face instruction, to 12 rural primary schools. This highly collaborative effort, leveraging the support of local and international partners—including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the McNulty Foundation, and Learning Equality—has led to promising initial results, including improvements in teaching quality, student engagement, and access to high-quality, culturally relevant educational resources. Taking a grassroots approach, APA has played a critical role in the pilot by leading implementation in eight schools, providing pedagogical training and coaching, and ensuring strong community alignment and leadership.
“The promising initial results coming out of the blended learning pilot program in Haiti, alongside the long-standing success of APA’s efforts at the local level, underscore why we must continue this work,” shared Brizard. “It is my hope that Nedgine’s trailblazing work with APA continues to gain international recognition and support, and that we can seek opportunities to apply this pioneering model in other contexts around the world.”
Brizard and Deroly will be formally recognized for the McNulty Prize at the Resnick Aspen Action Forum on July 23 at 8 p.m. ET, which can be livestreamed here.
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