What People Say
I have known Hermence Matsotsa, founder of uBuntuSpeaks, LLC for over 6 years, she was my CDC/WHO Stop the Transmission Of Polio (STOP) program supervisor as well as key leading trainers during the STOP Consultants 3 week training. Like other STOP Consultants, I have been really impressed by her ability to lead the program, share her knowledge, and to ensure everyone is engaged during the various capacity building skills development and cross cultural communication sessions she developed and led. Hermence used role play, team exercises, and practical examples to emphasize key messages in her sessions and which made them very interactive. Hermence also facilitated the 3 week training energizers and icebreakers which everyone truly enjoyed.
Hermence served also as our Atlanta based supervisor during my STOP mission in Haiti. Within this position she conducted a site visit in Haiti where she organized a 2 day workshop to reinforce surveillance capacity of national staff. This meeting brought together key implementing partners on disease surveillance activities such as CDC, WHO, and national priority programs on epidemic prone diseases. Once again Hermence demonstrated her passion for effective communication and skills acquisition in Public Health. As a result, Haitian national health and surveillance workforce was transformed for the better
Cyrille Gourmanon, MD
Medical Epidemiologist Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Hermence Matsotsa is an experienced professional with many years of varied work in her professional arsenal. She has travelled widely around the world, including the Caribbean, where she has actively and effectively contributed to persons in communities, helping them learn and improve their circumstances for better, healthier living.
Ms Matsotsa worked in St. Lucia with Crisis Corp and I worked with her throughout her time on the island. She developed programs and tools, especially for marginalized youth, that contributed to the work programs and strategies of the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders. She immersed herself in the culture of the people and effectively worked with the various groups, schools and stakeholders. Her caring nature and warm personality ensured that communication and contact with persons and groups she worked with did not end when her stint in St. Lucia was done. And the same carries over to other countries & people she has worked with, Jamaica and Togo, West Africa included, during her time with Peace Corps.
Ms Matsotsa is well travelled, knowledgeable in her area of work, people oriented, an excellent communicator and wholly dedicated to and passionate about her profession. UbuntuSpeaks LLC has been her lifelong dream and I am completely assured and believe in her skills and knowledge. I have no doubt that she can succeed with UbuntuSpeaks LLC. It is a greatly welcomed gem.
Alison Isbert
Health Educator, Certified HIV Counselor, Saint Lucia
Hermence is an excellent professional who knows from the recruitment stage how to engage public health professionals in the field of epidemiology when she was working for CDC in Atlanta. She was in charge of the recruitment and training of French speaking epidemiologists for the STOP program. She made my recruitment process for the program smoother with her savoir-faire. Her supervisory approach during my field assignment in Haiti, undoubtedly contributed for the success of this assignment. Yes, her support was valuable.
On top of her technical abilities, Hermence has a sense of compassionate human relationships at work that helped me a lot during our collaboration. I was able to rapidly gain self confidence and start working at my full potential.
Hermence is a professional with the deep functional and technical knowledge as well as the credibility and advisory skills to interface with senior management and to partners (PAHO/WHO) with an entire leadership team.
Alain Blaise Tatsinkou
Public Health Consulting and Technical Solution Implementation
Hermence is one of the most inspiring professionals I have met! Lucky to have worked in partnership with her team at the U.S. Peace Corps early in my career, I am still inspired by her work ethic 10 years later. Without reservation, I can attest to the fact that Hermence lives and works by principles of inclusivity, respect for diversity, and appreciation for both big ideas and with an eye for little details - while elevating the voices of otherwise voiceless people.
Love Odih Kumuyi
Associate Dean Peace Building and Policy Implementation Cornell University
Hermence Matsotsa is an inspirational speaker and teacher. She is self-driven and brilliant. Her model that she has created has helped many people, in particular, women and children. I believe that she is cross generational and I think that she can speak to any audience. As a diversity professional and facilitator Hermence connects with audiences quickly. She understands how to engage people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences in challenging conversations. Matsotsa’s skillset transcends culture and her style to encourage others to courageously grow is timely. She is outstanding!
Dr. Thomas Easley
Assistant Dean for Community
and Inclusion
Yale University School of Forestry & Environment Studies
and Inclusion
Yale University School of Forestry & Environment Studies
Over the years , I have met many who claim to want to inspire and effect change, very few have stood true there word. Hermence Matsotsa is one of the most extraordinary individual's one can encounter not only because she speaks her truth and is compassionate in all endeavors; but also having her as mentor in my life has impacted me drastically. Humanity has always been her strength as her benevolent attitude is infectious to all she encounters. Thru this medium its my sincere hope that others will benefit from all Ms. Matsotsa has to offer.
Kamela Mason
Health Educator and Youth Advocate, Jamaica
I have known Ms. Matsotsa for 6 years. She was one of the facilitators at a CDC/WHO training workshop for people deploying under the stop the transmission of polio and the vaccine preventable disease program. Hermence stood out and made a great impression on me and other participants. I was impressed at her delivery skills, she was able to engage everyone for her entire section on communication and culture sensitivity. She used role play to emphasize key messages. This was a 2 week workshop and Hermence was also in charge of energizers and icebreakers. I was always looking forward to this! She used practical examples in her sessions and made them very interactive. You could see her passion about effective communication in public health being respectful of cultures. I remember her saying “at least know how to say hello, how is the family, thank you in the local language”.
I will definitely hire Hermence especially for fostering communication amongst staff in a multicultural setting. In public health it is quite hard to find people that know the science and able to communicate it in cultural context. Hermence is one of the few with the unique talent. She is a great asset to any company/organization.
Linda Osadebe, DMV, MS, PHD, MSPH
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)