Chrystel Cancel, M.T.A. ’06, was killed during the earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12. Ms. Cancel was in Haiti working on a USAID project assessing tourism product development opportunities with the potential of providing greater economic benefits to the Haitian people.
At the time when she traveled to Haiti, Ms. Cancel had been living in Panama, where she oversaw the Bocas Del Toro Sustainable Tourism Alliance project. She spent the majority of her career as an independent tourism consultant working on a variety of development projects with USAID, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, among others.
Ms. Cancel grew up in Toulouse, France, and earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Toulouse. She also graduated from the University of Paris in 1999 with a master’s degree in political science, specializing in developing countries. A passion for travel and international development led her to Washington, D.C., where she obtained a Master in Tourism Administration from George Washington in 2006.
While at GW, she worked as a research assistant in the International Institute of Tourism Studies and a graduate assistant for Professor Donald Hawkins. “She was an exceptional student and well-respected professional,” says Kristin Lamoureux, director of GW’s International Institute of Tourism Studies, who worked with Ms. Cancel at GW.
Ms. Cancel is survived by her parents and a brother. Her fiancé, Eric, traveled to Haiti shortly after the earthquake to help search for her. According an interview featured on NPR, the couple got engaged three days before she left for Haiti.
Ms. Cancel's friends have created a Facebook site to share thoughts and memories of her.