Meet Our Team

A native-born Liberian, Henrietta “Henrie” Tonia White-Holder is a humanitarian, social entrepreneur, community builder, breast cancer and COVID survivor, and an award-winning advocate for disadvantaged and underserved Liberian, West African, and other marginalized populations in Rhode Island.

After spending over 18 years in nonprofit management, helping to transition individuals with disabilities from institutionalized settings to community integration, Henrie founded Higher Ground International in 2008. She has dedicated her career to advancing HGI’s mission to restore dignity, empower, and provide life-changing services for immigrants and refugees in Rhode Island. To date, the organization has served more than 60,000 individuals.

Henrie and HGI have also worked to improve living conditions in rural Liberia, bringing clean water and sanitation services to more than 10,000 community members.

Henrie is a graduate of Rhode Island College and Johnson & Wales University. She is also a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island (2011), the Social Enterprise Greenhouse Accelerator Program (2011), and the United Way of Rhode Island Executive Director Leadership Circle Program (2017).

She has received numerous awards and has been featured in local, national, and international publications. In her downtime, Henrie enjoys spending time with loved ones, reading, creating and appreciating art, and connecting with nature.