Sarah is the Program Director of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship program for Partners in Health and works clinically in the PICU and Emergency departments at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Sarah has been working in Haiti for over 10 years and spent 2 years living in Haiti while she was the Director of Critical Care Nursing Education at the University Hospital of Mirebalais. She is a strong advocate for continuing nursing education in the Caribbean and in developing countries. She graduated with her Nursing degree from The Ohio State University and her Masters of Science in Nursing with a minor in Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco.

Krysten Chin MD, MPH is a board-certified Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, currently practicing in St. Petersburg, FL. She was raised in Kingston, Jamaica and still considers Jamaica her home. Krysten obtained her undergraduate degree from Columbia University in the City of New York, her medical degree from Stony Brook University School of Medicine in Stony Brook, New York, and most recently her Masters of Public Health from the University of Southern California. She completed her pediatric residency at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, FL where she then served as chief resident. She completed her pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she served as the chief pediatric emergency medicine fellow.

Throughout her career, Krysten’s main interests have focused on global health and improving pediatric care in low resource settings. She has been involved in medical missions and educational courses in Thailand, Peru, Ghana, Jamaica and Costa Rica. As a Jamaican, she feels very strongly about using the skills that she has developed to help improve pediatric care across the island. With both the medical knowledge and experience, and the public health background, she aims to positively impact the health of children, increase access to quality health care, and provide health education to families.

Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP is a board-certified general pediatrician with over 30 years of experience including founding her own practice, Kressly Pediatrics in Pennsylvania. Dr. Kressly has served in multiple leadership roles within the American Academy of Pediatric Practice including Practice Management, Payer Advocacy, Practice Transformation, Health Information Technology and Improving Population Health through Quality Improvement.

Sue has had the privilege of serving as a physician volunteer on several of the Issa Trust Foundation’s medical missions. She dedicates much of her advocacy efforts to promoting health and wellness of communities by investing in and supporting children and families. While children and adolescents may represent a fraction of the total population, they are 100% of our future!

Jan M. Polack

Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Polack currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Couples Resorts. With 35 years in the hospitality industry in the US and the Caribbean, she has a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate complex information to varied stakeholder groups and manage the day-to-day financial operations of a world-class company to ensure optimal performance. Ms. Polack is an exceptional team builder and problem-solver with a wealth of experience in corporate financial planning. She is resolute in her personal commitment to the mission of the Issa Trust Foundation to promote well-being, health and development of the people of Jamaica. Her focus at Couples is to oversee financial and IT operations and facilitate company expansion through careful budgeting and planning. Prior to her work with Couples, Ms. Polack was the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Caribbean Producers Jamaica Limited for 12 years, a publicly held company listed on the Jamaica Junior Stock Exchange. A former Director of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, she currently serves as a Director of Ironrock Insurance Co. Ltd. Ms. Polack is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Accounting from St. Leo’s University, Florida.

Howard Mitchell

Vice President
A lawyer by profession, Mr. Howard Mitchell maintained a successful Commercial Law Practice for thirty-five (35) years, with concentrations in Mining Law and Taxation, before retiring in 2010. Mr. Mitchell has demonstrated a strong commitment to Public Service for decades and was appointed to the Board of the National Housing Trust (NHT) in 1987 and again served as Chairman from February 2008 to June 2012. He serves as a Justice of the Peace (JP) and 2017 he was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) for outstanding service to Business and the Public Sector. He has also served as Chairman on the following Boards:
  • Coffee Industry Board; Jamaica Bauxite Institute; Bauxite and Alumina Trading Company Ltd. 2008 – 2012
  • Cocoa Industry Board – 2009 – 2011
  • Director of the Jamaica Deposit Insurance Corporation – 2012 – 2016
  • Vice President of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA) – 2013 to Present
  • Director of Cari-Med Limited and Kirk Distributors Limited – 2013 to Present
  • Chairman of The Financial Services Commission – June 2016 – July 2017
  • Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica – December 2016 to Present
  • The Gaming Commission – 2016 – 2017
Mr. Mitchell has negotiated a number of Mining Agreements on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and continues to provide advice on developments in that sector. His contribution to Private Enterprise includes the resuscitation of the Sports Development Agency (SDA) to become the Jamaica Lottery Company Limited (operators of Jamaica’s first successful private lottery) and the co-founder of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) (which was the forerunner of the CHASE Fund), as well as  his leadership of the popular chain of Island Grill Restaurants and the establishment of Jamaica’s largest packaging manufacturing plant, Corrpak Jamaica Ltd., before selling the company in 2016. Mr. Mitchell is currently the President of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and is also currently serving as Chairman of All Jamaica Air Services (AJAS) Limited, Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica as well as Company Director of TM Traders Ltd., CariMed and Kirk Distributors Limited. Mr. Mitchell’s philanthropic activities include his financial support of numerous charities and his membership on the Board of Mustard Seed Foundation and former Chairmanship of St. Patrick’s Foundation.  His interests include fishing and politics. He has been married for over 40 years, and has 2 daughters. Mr. Mitchell has negotiated a number of Mining Agreements on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and continues to provide advice on developments in that sector. His contribution to Private Enterprise includes the resuscitation of the Sports Development Agency (SDA) to become the Jamaica Lottery Company Limited (operators of Jamaica’s first successful private lottery) and the co-founder of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) (which was the forerunner of the CHASE Fund), as well as his leadership of the popular chain of Island Grill Restaurants and the establishment of Jamaica’s largest packaging manufacturing plant, Corrpak Jamaica Ltd., before selling the company in 2016. Mr. Mitchell is currently the President of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and is also currently serving as Chairman of All Jamaica Air Services (AJAS) Limited, Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica as well as Company Director of TM Traders Ltd., CariMed and Kirk Distributors Limited. Mr. Mitchell’s philanthropic activities include his financial support of numerous charities and his membership on the Board of Mustard Seed Foundation and former Chairmanship of St. Patrick’s Foundation. His interests include fishing and politics. He has been married for over 40 years, and has 2 daughters.