Notre Histoire et Notre Vision/
Our History and Our Vision
Fondation Tè Soley est née d'un amour — un amour pour Haïti qui a commencé en 1976 lorsque notre fondateur Mario Bollag est arrivé sur l'île pour la première fois et ne l'a jamais vraiment quittée. Au cours des décennies suivantes, Mario a fondé une galerie d'art haïtien à San Francisco, créé une agence de voyage prospère, et établi un vignoble boutique en Toscane — tout en maintenant des liens profonds avec le peuple haïtien et sa culture.
Après le tremblement de terre dévastateur de 2010, Mario est retourné en Haïti. En 2011, il a commencé à construire à Kabik, Cayes-Jacmel — revenant chaque année pendant 14 ans jusqu'à l'achèvement de la construction en 2025. Ce qui a commencé comme une école a évolué vers quelque chose de bien plus ambitieux : un sanctuaire culturel et éducatif pour les jeunes adultes haïtiens prêts à façonner leur propre avenir.
Notre vision est simple — créer un espace où les esprits haïtiens motivés ont accès à un apprentissage de classe mondiale, à l'expression créative et aux outils nécessaires pour bâtir un changement durable au sein de leurs propres communautés.
Fondation Tè Soley was born from love — a love for Haiti that began in 1976 when our founder Mario Bollag first arrived on the island and never quite left. Over the following decades, Mario built a Haitian art gallery in San Francisco, founded a successful tour company, and created a boutique vineyard in Tuscany — all while maintaining deep ties to the Haitian people and their culture.
After the devastating earthquake of 2010, Mario returned to Haiti. In 2011 he began building in Kabik, Cayes-Jacmel — returning every year for 14 years until construction was complete in 2025. What began as a school evolved into something far more ambitious: a cultural and educational sanctuary for Haitian young adults ready to shape their own future.
Our vision is simple — to create a space where motivated Haitian minds have access to world-class learning, creative expression, and the tools to build lasting change within their own communities.
Rencontrez Notre Équipe/
Meet Our Team
Fondation Tè Soley est gouvernée par un conseil d'administration dévoué représentant Haïti, l'Europe et la communauté internationale — unis par une conviction commune en le potentiel de la jeunesse haïtienne."
Fondation Tè Soley is governed by a dedicated board of directors representing Haiti, Europe, and the international community — united by a shared belief in the potential of Haitian youth.
Mario Bollag
President & Founder
Born in Basel, Switzerland, Mario Bollag has always been a dreamer and adventurer. Though he began a path in law, his true calling led him elsewhere — to studying art in Florence, to Haiti in the 1970s where he worked as a cargo pilot and fell deeply in love with the country's vibrant culture and extraordinary artists, and eventually to Tuscany where he founded Terralsole, his celebrated winery in Montalcino.
Haiti never left him. In 2011, Mario began constructing a center in Cayes-Jacmel, returning every year for over a decade until its completion in 2025. Together with Athena, he founded Fondation Tè Soley — the realization of a long-held belief that Haiti's greatest resource is its people.
Athena Tergis Bollag
Board Member
Athena Tergis is a California native who first experienced Haiti on her honeymoon in 2005. That first visit to Jacmel was transformative, and her love for Haiti, its people, and its culture has only grown in the years since. A professional violinist, Athena has toured the world as an Irish fiddle player with Riverdance, Clarence Clemons, and The Green Fields of America, and has appeared as a soloist with several national symphony orchestras. She has lived in Tuscany, Italy for the past 23 years, where she works with Terralsole winery. She is passionate about education and technology.
Gala Calisto
Vice President & Administrator
Originally from Los Angeles, Gala has called Haiti home for nearly fifteen years. With over fifteen years of experience working and consulting for nonprofits across Haiti, she brings deep operational knowledge, cultural fluency, and an unwavering commitment to community-rooted development.
Gala believes that meaningful growth requires access to education in many forms — not just traditional institutions, but the tools and opportunities that allow people to learn, build skills, and advance on their own terms. It is a conviction shaped by her own experience of navigating new countries, new cultures, and new challenges.
Levenson
Jean-Louis
Board Member
From Haiti (Jacmel) to France, Levenson Jean-Louis has charted his own path. A researcher and educator, holding a doctorate in Law and Development Finance, he moves between these two countries to bring his expertise to public and private institutions.
He makes education — from classical to higher learning — his priority. Painting and Afro-Caribbean dance fuel the rest of his passions.
Rosie Janvier
Secretary