Governing Body

Peter Lyn René, Ph.D., Chairman & CEO

Peter Lyn René is the Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of The Caribbean American Heritage Foundation of Texas (CAHFT). He has over fifteen years experience in the Non-Profit sector. CAHFT is a member of The United Nations Council of Organizations. CAHFT was established exclusively to partner with, collaborate, and assist Texas' Caribbean Organizations to bring awareness to the rich, lush history of the Caribbean Culture and to promote their contributions to the diverse culture in Texas.

Peter has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, a Master's Degree in Law and Public Policy and he is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Law and Public Policy. He is a Mediator having completed courses in Basic Mediation and Advance Family and Divorce Mediation in 2010, and is certified to mediate cases in the Justice of the Peace Courts, the County Courts and the State District Courts as well. He volunteers his time mediating cases for the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center and has successfully mediated dozens of cases. He serves on the Executive Committee of the United Nations Council of Organizations, and is a Board Member of the Citizen's Transportation Coalition (CTC).

He has over 17 years experience in Information Technology as a Technology Project Manager, Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, Report Writer and Software and Web Developer, with the ability to implement and deliver technical projects on time and on or below budget. As Owner and CEO of Consumer Information Services, LLC, he fully utilizes his technical and business experiences on his projects.

Ana Valenzuela, President

Ana Valenzuela, MS, NCC, LPC, is President of The Caribbean American Heritage Foundation of Texas (CAHFT). Ana was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In 2009, she graduated from The University of Houston Clear Lake with Bachelors in Psychology and Bachelors in Sociology. She earned her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Forensic Psychology and is a Licensed Professional Counselor licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor-Intern to practice professional counseling in the state of Texas. She is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

She works as a Clinical Team Leader at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. providing mental health services to children diagnose with various conduct disorders, as well as providing education and routine case management for the family. She is a Life Time Member, The International Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi), a Member, American Psychological Association (APA), is a Board Member, Pasadena Baseball Little League, Member-Volunteer, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the past Vice President of Circulo Cultural Dominicano (CCD).

Ana’s experience includes working with clients of various ages and issues such as anxiety, depression, grief, parenting, sexual abuse, domestic violence, trauma, school issues, anger issues, and family issues. Working with families in the reunification process for separation due to various life circumstances. I have worked with adults, young children, teens, youths, and juveniles in crisis or who are dealing with various personal decisions for their lives. Ana is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. She believes that the healing process goes hand by hand with a positive therapeutic relationship, it is an honor for me to be able to walk the road to healing with my clients in order to achieve the personal and emotional goals. In working with individuals (adult and children) she attempts to be caring, supportive and bring an understanding of non-judgmental honesty, to help guide them through life stressors.

Dr. Louis A. Browne, Honorary Consul of Barbados, Special Advisor to the Board

Louis A. Browne, Ph.D. was an associate professor (retired) at Texas Southern University in the School of Communication where he served as chair of the Radio, Television and Film Department. Dr. Browne is Honorary Consul of Barbados in Texas and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Houston Consular Corps. He is also a member of the International Affairs Advisory Committee of the Texas Medical Center. He is the Founding Special Advisor to The Caribbean American Heritage Foundation of Texas.

Dr. Browne earned his Ph.D. in communications from the University of Buffalo, and also holds master’s degree from Syracuse University in television and radio. Electronic media communication is Dr. Browne’s area of specialty. This is evident from the more than twenty years of teaching and research he has done in his field.

He has made numerous appearances on local television and radio providing his expertise. Dr. Browne is dedicated to the field of media education and much of his work involves teaching the use of media tools as well as their role in society, business and politics. Communication in the health professions is another of his interests in which he has taught.

Dr. Browne is very much involved in community work in the Houston area, serving on the boards of a number of local volunteer organizations. He currently serves on advisory boards of the Houston Community College’s Broadcast Technology Department as well as the Electronic Engineering Academy at Thurgood Marshall High School in Fort Bend County. Dr. Browne has also served as a communications consultant abroad as well as with local agencies.

Marvan V. Pilgrim, Director of Programs and Marketing

Marvan Vance Pilgrim is a true son of the soil. He hails from a political family and has always had a deep sense of responsibility towards his fellow St. Lucians on the forefront. He is very vocal on the development and progress of the St. Lucian people educationally, socially and politically. He currently holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Tourism and Hospitality Management and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management. He currently works for Regus Management Group as a cluster General Manager and has also held key Management position in fortune 500 companies such as Colgate Pamolive, Hilton Worldwide and Westmont Hospitality Management.

He is a currently a member of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Board of Directors of Universal Fluid System, and Houston Caribbean Achievement Awards. He is also the Director of Marketing for the Saint. Lucia Foundation of Texas.