"This is a historic day for the state of Florida," [Jeb Bush] said. "But this appointment goes beyond symbolism. It represents a coming of age of a population that has made significant contributions to the state of Florida. Dr. [M. Rony Francois] joins an incredible group of aspiring Haitian Americans who are making a difference in our state." Francois, who will make $155,000 a year in the state post, will succeed Dr. John Agwunobi as secretary of the Department of Health. Agwunobi is leaving Tallahassee to become an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Francois will take over on Monday. A native of Port-au-Prince, Francois first came to the United States in 1979 and eventually earned a medical degree from USF in Tampa, as well as a master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Central Florida and a doctoral degree in toxicology from USF.
Haitians or anyone with an intimate knowledge of Haiti knows what a historic event [Michaelle Jean]'s selection is. For her, and for Haitians in Canada and throughout the world. We all know what an improbable and almost impossible choice this is for anyone, except perhaps for Michaelle Jean. Born in Port-au-Prince, Jean and her family fled from Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier's regime in 1968, and came to settle in Montreal when she was only eleven years old. "I have come a long way," Jean told a news conference in Canada's capital on August 4th, when she was introduced as Canada's 27th governor general. "My ancestors were slaves, they fought for freedom. I was born in Haiti, the poorest country in our hemisphere. I am a daughter of exiles driven from their home by a dictatorial regime." "I think it's a fascinating appointment," John Aimers, director of the Canadian Monarchist League was quoted by the CanWest News Service. "Because of the astonishing range of work she's done in Quebec, she's clearly a federalist voice who will be listened to and respected."
