Krystina François

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Krystina François is an organizer, immigration expert, political educator and policy strategist with a proven track record of engaging stakeholders across multiple sectors to advocate for the needs of BIPOC and immigrant communities. Krystina is a first generation Haitian-American who is driven by the desire to create more opportunities for immigrants and BIPOC communities to wield political power. She is currently completing her PhD in Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center, where she is focused on the political power of diasporas and cities.

Krystina’s devotion to human rights and social justice began at a young age while attending The United Nations International School in New York City. As a freshman in high school she moved to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, where anti-government protests and political instability gave her valuable perspective on the conditions that force many immigrants to seek refuge in the U.S. Most recently, Krystina served as the founding Director of the Office of New Americans for Miami-Dade County and Co-Founder of the Black Collective. Krystina is also the founder of Diasporic Minds, where she leads clients through cross-sector collaboration, political strategy, strategic advising and non-profit innovation.

Krystina holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from CUNY-Hunter College. In her previous role as Florida New Americans Program Director at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Krystina cultivated partnerships with 55 community stakeholders statewide to help eligible immigrants navigate the naturalization process through free legal services, education and financial resources. In her position as Co-Director of Law for Black Lives, she coordinated a network of more than  3,000 legal professionals to provide legal support to Black organizers and to democratize knowledge of the law.

Krystina is a board member of the Junior League of Miami, The Nyah Project,  and the Executive Committee for Leadership Miami. She has been featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, Miami Herald, NBC6, Bustle, WLRN, NPR, El Sentinel and The Miami New Times. Krystina is the  2019  Rebecca Herndon Bush Award recipient by the Junior League of Miami, which is given to a member who displays exceptional community leadership inside and outside the League. She is also awarded the 2020 Haitian American Chamber of Commerce “Top 20 under 40”.