Meet Austin Snowbarger, Board Member
Empowering People on the National and International Scale

locally haiti board member austin snowbarger in front of haitian waterfall

Austin Snowbarger is a husband, world traveler and dedicated humanitarian. He has a master’s degree in Development and Emergency Practice which he has used while working and living in Haiti, and several places in the U.S. and abroad. He and his wife Martha live in Denver, where he works as Manager of Learning and Partnerships at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping donors maximize their impact by making more intentional disaster-related giving decisions. In this role, he supports education and consulting activities with research, writing, events, and NGO partner and consulting relationships.

Austin has spent a significant amount of time living and working in Haiti. From 2012 to 2014 and again for a few months in 2017, he lived in Port-au-Prince with his wife. He worked for World Concern, a development and humanitarian organization, in a communications and operations role. He later returned in 2017 to lead World Concern’s recovery efforts following Hurricane Matthew. While in Haiti, Austin and his wife had the opportunity to travel around the country for work and play. “Living and working in Haiti was challenging at times but I also grew a lot personally and professionally, and developed relationships with people that continue to this day.” Austin said. “Haiti is a beautiful country with many natural wonders, a fascinating history, and proud people that are devoted to their families and communities.” 

locally haiti board member austin snowbarger and wife martha in forest

When Austin and Martha moved to Colorado, he wanted to find an opportunity to stay connected to Haiti and international development work. He found Locally Haiti through the Posner Center’s website and contacted Wynn to learn more. Soon after, he began volunteering with Locally Haiti and accepted an invitation to join the Board at the end of 2018.

“I believe in Locally Haiti because the organization is committed to supporting local leaders and investing in a specific geography in rural Haiti. By putting resources and decision making authority in the hands of Haitians, Locally Haiti empowers local people to work for change in their community.”

locally haiti board member austin snowbarger shaking hands with haitian man in haitian construction zone

“From my experience, this approach of empowering local people is the best way to create meaningful and lasting change at the local level,” Austin said. “By focusing on one area, Locally Haiti is able to concentrate its resources and enhance its impact. Rural Haiti needs investment and Locally Haiti's long term commitment to one place in a rural area contributes towards people having opportunities for a healthy and productive life without them feeling the need to migrate to the capital.” 

In his free time, Austin enjoys mountain biking and snowboarding! Some other fun facts about Austin are: 

  • He met his wife while working at a hostel in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

  • He worked as a white water raft guide in college.