Our Board of Advisors
Ambassador Compton Bourne
Advisor, Economics and Education
Ambassador Compton Bourne is a past President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and is a former Principal of the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies. His career spans the worlds of academia, public policy and institutional management. He is presently the Guyanese Ambassador to Brazil. Ambassador Bourne has been awarded the Order of Excellence, Guyana's highest honour, for his extraordinary contribution to Guyana and the Caribbean. Professor Bourne has been an active contributor to public economic policy in the Caribbean, Africa and the Philippines since 1975. A graduate of the University of London, the University of Birmingham and The University of the West Indies, he is the author or editor of 10 books and more than 50 scholarly papers in addition to more than 50 research reports and advisory memoranda for Caribbean Governments, foreign governments and international development institutions and agencies. He is a Member of the Order of Excellence, the highest honour of the Republic of Guyana, and is a recipient of numerous awards for his outstanding contribution to the development of the Caribbean. Professor Bourne is a graduate of the University of London, the University of Birmingham and The University of the West Indies. He was Principal of the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies from 1996-2001, Pro Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development 1990-1996 and Deputy Principal of the St. Augustine Campus from 1990-1993. He held an appointment as Professor of Economics from 1981-2001 and is now Professor Emeritus of Economics. Professor Bourne served as a Director of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago from 1987 tio 2000. He is a Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences, Past President of the Caribbean Studies Association and past Vice President of the Caribbean Agro-Economic Society.
Hon Frank Phipps, K.C., O.J.
General Advisor
The Honourable Frank Phipps, K.C. O.J. is an eminent attorney and the former Chairman of the Farquharson Institute of Public Affairs. He could be regarded as one of the foremost thinkers in the Caribbean today, known for exploring alternative perspectives on current issues. See one of his most recent articles at https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20240304/frank-phipps-it-never-too-late
Douglas Burke
Recipient Jamaica Cup Hall of Fame Award
Advisor, Sports and Fitness
Douglas Burke was the Canadian Tennis Champion in the Under-18s and Under-21 categories and a five time winner of the NCAA All-American. He is a recipient of the Jamaica Cup Hall of Fame. For more information on Douglas Burke's many accomplishments, visit the magazine that highlights the achievements of Jamaicans.
Cyril Dabydeen
Awards: Poet Laureate of Ottawa, Canada
Advisor: Literary Matters
%20(1).jpg)
Cyril Dabydeen is the first Caribbean person who has been named the official Poet Laureate of a major Canadian city (Ottawa). He is considered to be one of Canada's finest poets, novelists, anthologists, short story writers and essayists. He has been, and continues to be, a juror for some of Canada's most prestigious literary awards. His literary output is prodigious, as can be seen by his shortened biography.
Cecille Marie DePass, PhD
Past Chair, Education Sectoral Committee
CC UNESCO Advisor, Cultural and Educational Research
Dr. DePass has served in different leadership capacities with a number of international and national academic and professional organizations. Examples: Former President, CIESC; Director, the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE); Past Chair/President, Education Sectoral Commission, CC-UNESCO; Director, Executive World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES); Associate Director, Cultural Diversity Institute,(CDI), University of Calgary. Active member, of two academic Editorial Boards: Canadian Journal of Education (CJE), and Comparative and International Education (CIE). Affiliated with the Alberta Network of Immigrant Women (ANIW) for more than 30 years. Finally, Dr. Cecille DePass has published a large number of conference papers, articles, and book chapters regarding: critical multiculturalism, employment equity, and the life chances of immigrants and their families. A former Commonwealth Scholar from Jamaica, Dr. Cecille DePass, Associate Professor Emerita, University of Calgary, Werklund School of Education, (formerly Faculty of Education), has lived and worked in Calgary. In the academy, Cecille DePass is well known for her: community advocacy, concerns for social justice issues, and abilities to infuse the arts in her teaching, research and publications. Prior to teaching at the University of Calgary, Dr. Cecille DePass, completed successfully the following academic studies namely, a PhD, at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; a MA, in Economic Geography at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; a Postgraduate Diploma in Education at The University of the West Indies, Mona; a BA (Honours), in Geography, at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; a BA ( General), in Geography, History and Sociology, at The University of the West Indies, Mona.
Joanne Collins-Gonsalves, PhD
Advisor, History
Dr. Joanne Collins-Gonsalves is the Managing Director of the Historical Research International Inc. (Canada). An Academic Historian, she holds a PhD in History and is the author of over thirty (30) research projects, books, academic articles, book chapters, research papers, conference papers, and biographical profiles in total. In Canada, she serves as a Research Fellow and Advisor for History for the Farquharson Institute of Public Affairs. Dr. Collins-Gonsalves serves as well on the Boards of the Edmonton Heritage Council, the Rotary Club of Edmonton, the Advisory Board of the Journal of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, and the Education Committee of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia. Her recent book Iris de Freitas Brazao, Legal Luminary and Trailblazer: Caribbean, Canada, Wales, England 1896-1989 was featured by the University of London as one of the “three fascinating items from the collections” of 312,000 volumes within the holdings of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Library. In 2021, Dr. Collins-Gonsalves was recognised by the Bridge Association of St. Stanislaus College (BRASS) Alumni Association, USA Chapter, for Literary Contributions along with John Agard FRSL and Professor Mark McWatt. She is the recipient of the Council of the University of Guyana Award, the Commonwealth Trust of Guyana Poetry Award, the Rotaract President of the Year for the Caribbean, and the Guyana Annual Poetry Award, among other awards. She has also served as a Contributing Author with the Oxford University Press, for the Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography edited by Professor Franklin W. Knight and Professor Henry L. Gates. Dr. Collins-Gonsalves has delivered lectures at international conferences and universities. She has served with distinction in the area of research at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and at the Saint Mary’s University, Gorsebrook Research Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada among other key posts. Read more at Historical Research International Inc. Her recent book on Iris de Freitas Brazao, has been featured by the University of London as one of the "three fascinating items from he collections" of 312,000 volumes within the holdings of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Library.
Parris Lyew-Ayee, PhD
Advisor, Science and Technology, Social Issues
Parris Lyew Ayee, PhD. is the Vice President at the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ). He is the Chairman of the Water Resources Authority and National Works Agency and sits on several other boards, including the Main Board of Grace Kennedy Ltd., its Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee and Audit Committee, as well as being a Director of Grace Kennedy Foods & Services Limited and Hi-Lo Food Stores. In addition, Parris is a Director at the Bureau of Standards of Jamaica. Parris obtained his PhD in Geography from the University of Oxford, which was completed in two and a half years, at the age of 23. Since then, Parris has received several local and international awards for research and business development. He is also the author of the award winning Natural Hazards Atlas of Jamaica. He is a US Eisenhower Fellow and a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West Indies.
Professor Norris M. Haynes
Advisor: Psychology
Norris Haynes is ‘Professor and Director, Center for Community and School Action Research, Licensed psychologist, Fellow of the American Psychological Association and diplomate in the International Academy for Counseling Psychotherapy and Behavioral Medicine.” Southern Connecticut State University website. Professor Haynes is a past director of Yale University Child Centre YSCS) and co-authored the Yale School Climate Survey (YSCS) that has been used in the United States and many other nations. His books are used in universities around the globe. Norris continues to serve on the YCSC committees.
Professor Arnoldo Ventura
Advisor: Science and Technology
Dr. Ventura is the first Jamaican to chair the United Nations’ Commission on Science and Technology (UNCSTD) in Switzerland. He simultaneously led the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (COMCYT) of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington. Professor Ventura also pens beautiful poetry. Read here.
Emma Lewis. M.A.
Advisor: Environmental Matters
In 2012, Emma Lewis retired from the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, where she worked for sixteen years in Public Affairs, She served as Media Coordinator there for six years, working with the Jamaican media and coordinating seminars, press conferences and training programmes. As Public Affairs Specialist, she conducted outreach with Jamaican civil society and non-governmental organizations. She coordinated visits by U.S. speakers; administered small grants; administered the U.S. Ambassador's HIV Prevention Program; and assisted with U.S. State department official visits in the region, including Secretary Clinton's trips to Barbados and to the Summit of the Americas to Trinidad. Since 2010, Emma Lewis has developed her personal blog at petchary.wordpress.com addressing Jamaican current affairs, environmental and climate change issues, the arts, and human rights and including book reviews. She contributes regular articles to globalvoices.org. a world wide network of writers and online activists. She received a Certificate of Merit for the petchary.wordpress.com blog from the Press Association of Jamaica in 2015; and FIPA's Centennial Award for Outstanding Writing in March 2018. She also won the Plume d'Or and a Certificate of Honour for Jamaica from the Alliance Française, as one of the top 100 winners worldwide in 2013. During her tenure at the U.S. Embassy, she received several awards for her work in public affairs and diplomacy, including four Franklin Awards and four Meritorious Honor Awards. Emma conducts social media and advocacy training for non-governmental organisations and communications practitioners and serves as occasional guest lecturer in digital writing and editing for graduate students at the University of the West Indies as well as editorial consultant for a public relations firm. She has participated in and served as rapporteur for local conferences, seminars and workshops. She currently serves on the Boards of the Natural History Museum of Jamaica, Recycling Partners of Jamaica, and the Farquharson Institute of Public Affairs. She is also a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Civil Society Consulting Group and the Media Working Group of Birds Caribbean. Emma speaks Japanese, French, German and Jamaican Patois.
Traci Wong
Advisor: Visual Arts
Traci Wong is a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Of note, one of the sculptures that she created as a student was bought by a famous Caribbean businessman. Traci permitted for Building Strong Families to use the beautiful artwork that she painted as a teenager. . Her current works are eloquent and demonstrate great mastery of detail. In addition, Traci, who works with animals, suggested to FIPA that we add the Human Treatment of Animals to our Pillars. Her level of thought and mastery of critical thinking has led FIPA to consider her a young philosopher.