Sandra Dieudonne, Esq. is the current President Elect of the Haitian American Lawyer’s Association of NY (HALANY). She is also the Supervising Attorney of the Haitian Response Initiative at Catholic Charities in NY formed to address the legal and social needs of the rising population of Haitian Immigrants in NY. She is also the cofounder and Head of Content of TENOIR TV. Sandra was recently inducted into the 2022 Class of the Rutgers African American Alumni Hall of Fame. Sandra was also recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in the 2023 City & State NY’s Above & Beyond: Women Power list. Sandra also owns and operates SK Public Relations, where she has worked with celebrities such as Roxanne Shante and Kangol Kid. She has represented clients such as the executive producer of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Dorothy Toran. Sandra was also the host of The Sitdown an all-woman show discussing various topics on YAC Radio. Sandra has championed for female voices both behind the scenes and over the airwaves.
From her early days Sandra found inspiration by focusing on how Diversity and Inclusion has improved the lives of many. Over the course of the last decade, she has developed a deep understanding of what’s possible by working in the non-profit sector and across multiple geographies and functions. At the Haitian Response Initiative, Sandra has won asylum cases for her clients. She’s filed numerous TPS applications and Humanitarian based Employment Authorization applications. She’s a voice for the voiceless in the Haitian community. She’s also hosted clothing drives for suits and formal attire so that Haitians can appear in court. At HALANY she’s spearheaded many “Know Your Rights” clinics, scholarship drives, mentorship and more. Before being named Supervising Attorney at Catholic Charities, Sandra served as a Staff Attorney at CUNY Citizenship Now! providing free immigration services to the community. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt in the Southern District of Texas.
A child of Haitian immigrants, Sandra’s international perspective gives her a deep appreciation of diversity in all its forms. She is committed to building an inclusive community that reflects the many facets of the United States, evidenced by her work in Media, Immigration and Public Relations. As an Attorney, Sandra’s many accomplishments include helping expand CUNY’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic which drove coordination of Immigration initiatives to assist participants and communities in need. She has helped hundreds of Immigrants obtain their Citizenship, TPS, DACA, and Lawful Permanent Residence status. Sandra has also spoken at various programs providing information on various immigration topics.
Sandra has mainly focused on Haitian companies that were seeking international appeal. Sandra has also helped honor and recognize Haitians and Haitian Americans in the diaspora via the Creole Image Honors. Proceeds from the event support established Haitian organizations in Haiti. In the media space, Sandra seeks to highlight cultural diversity behind and in front of the camera through her television platform TENOIR TV (tay-Noir). TENOIR TV has held a virtual film festival in 2020 and the winner of the festival was later recognized by REVOLT TV. TENOIR TV has created a safe space for film makers, actors and artists to showcase their talents. It is a vehicle created to expound on the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Sandra believes that if you “change your conception of yourself and you will automatically change the world in which you live.”—Neville Goddard. Sandra earned a Juris Doctorate with Honors from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and BA in English and Africana Studies at Rutgers College of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. She recently obtained a Certificate of Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. Sandra is also an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is also the Vice President of Membership with the Haitian American Lawyers Association of NY. She lives in New Jersey with her daughter Chloë.
