Meet The Team

The people carrying the mission forward.

SANI is guided by dedicated volunteers who bring decades of experience in community organizing, cultural preservation, and nonprofit leadership. Our team combines the wisdom of founding members with the energy and vision of the next generation stepping up to carry it forward.

Ernestine Burleson-Allen

President

Ernestine was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, and moved to the Netherlands at 22 to study nursing. She later moved to New York in 1962 and got involved with the Suriname American League of New York — first as Recording Secretary, later as Vice President — the same group that organized the very first Suriname Day. That early work helping the Suriname community through difficult times became the seed for what would eventually grow into SANI.

Vision: "As someone who's been part of this from the very beginning, my vision for SANI has always been simple: keep our people together, keep our culture alive, and keep growing so more of our community can find a home here."

Roel Ritfeld

Vice President

Roel is a retired Police Supervisor, retired Federal Investigator, and retired U.S. Air Force member. He's brought that same dedication, discipline, and organization to SANI since our founding in 1994, and continues to serve as Vice President today, helping guide the organization's direction and decisions.

Vision: "My vision for SANI is to own a property big enough to serve as a multi-cultural sports and meeting center — large enough to house a restaurant serving the vibrant food of Suriname. A true one-stop Suriname location."

Alfred Yorks

Director of Cultural Affairs

Alfred is Pastor of the Suriname Moravian Church (EBG) in Miami, and studied at the Jacksonville Theological Seminary. He previously served as President of OSIF (Organisatie van Surinamers in Miami), and has served as SANI's Director of Cultural Affairs since 1992, helping keep our cultural traditions alive through the decades.

Vision: "I love to keep our people together. I am pleased with this group, and with the young talented people we have on board — I see this organization climbing the stairs for many years to come. Joining with the groups from Suriname, the Lord will take us far."

Humprehey Braaf

Board Member

Humphrey was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He studied architecture at NYIT, moved to Florida in 1989, and worked for several interior design and architecture firms before becoming a kitchen planning specialist at IKEA. He's been part of SANI since our founding in June 1994, contributing graphics, marketing, and brainstorming ever since.

Vision: "We need to build a legacy for the Suriname diaspora in Florida, throughout the United States, and beyond — something so our children can learn about their heritage and their parents' and grandparents' origins. The vision is owning a building of our own where we can organize, meet, share culture, and grow."

Sheila Joseph-Valies

Board Member

Sheila is the mother of Carlton and Candyce, and has been married to Marc Joseph for 34 years. Born in Brooklyn, she moved to Suriname at age 7 and returned to the U.S. at 17 — her parents wanted their children schooled in Suriname. She spent 22 years with Broward County Public Schools, first as a teacher and later as a science coach, and started at SANI as a volunteer helping her aunt, Ernestine Burleson-Allen, at events.

Vision: "I'd love to see SANI grow in membership, so we can organize more events, raise more funds, and do more for people both in Suriname and here in the U.S. Eventually, I'd love to see SANI acquire a building where our events can take place — and where others could rent space for their own."

Dorothea Zichem

Board Member

Dorothea has been part of the SANI community since the early 2000s, and it's hard to picture a SANI event without her there. Whether she's helping manage things behind the scenes or simply showing up to support the moment, she's been one of the steady, familiar faces keeping this community connected for over twenty years.

Vision: "My hope for SANI is that we keep growing — more members, more events, and eventually a place of our own where this community can always come together."

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