Our founders: Discover ndi’s origin story
NDI Founders Gloria and William at Naples Botanical Garden
2018: Two Worlds Collide
It started with a garden.
When Gloria Blaise first began exploring Haiti's provinces, she visited a botanical garden at the recommendation of her friends. In 2018, while at Cornell University, Professor Donald A. Rakow told her about a Haitian gentleman who had studied at Cornell and built a botanical garden in Haiti. She reached out — and quickly realized she had already been in contact with him. The garden she had wandered through in Haiti earlier that year and the scientist she had been corresponding with were one and the same. That gentleman was William Cinea.
2019–2024: Cultivating the Concept
What followed wasn't a rushed business plan. It was a slow, deliberate getting-to-know process. Over several years, Gloria and William exchanged ideas, compared ongoing projects, and began to see the outline of something larger than either of their individual work.
Then, in December 2024, they made an impromptu decision to escape the northeast cold and meet in Naples, Florida. Somewhere between the warmth and the open schedule, the concept of Nature Design International was born.
The months that followed were spent shaping the idea into something real. They asked hard questions about where their two domains of genius converged. The answer kept coming back to the same place: science-backed solutions, grounded in culture, expressed through integrated landscape management.
2025: NDI is Official
William and Gloria returned to Naples to make it official. Being in the same space mattered — reconnecting with their networks, building their early support base, and laying the groundwork together rather than at a distance.
Florida wasn't an accident either. Tropical by nature, it sits at the gateway between the United States and the regions NDI is most called to serve. This was practical and strategic.
2026: Haiti and Beyond
Today, they are proud to launch NDI to the public. Their work in Haiti continues. And new lands are on the horizon. For more background details, see their short bios below.
Cheers to science!
Gloria is a researcher in sustainability, climate, and health. At the core of her research, she systematically examines how climate-vulnerable and historically marginalized communities and institutions adopt, implement, scale, and sustain interventions that improve planetary health. As a scientist, she believes that science and the scientific process can be applied to address complex challenges affecting equity and well-being. She holds an MS/PhD in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a BS in Ecology from Rutgers University. She speaks English, Haitian Creole, and a bit of French. During her free time, you can find her enjoying fitness activities and exploring nature.
William is a botanist, scientist, and nature-based problem solver with more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of biodiversity, ecological restoration, medicinal plants, and sustainable development. His work transforms deep botanical knowledge into practical, data-driven solutions, helping bridge the gap between scientific research and real-world impact. He is fluent in English, Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish. For William, nature is not simply something to preserve, but a living system and one of humanity’s most powerful sources of solutions to complex challenges.