75@75

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Kushan Amarakoon

Mona

Mr. Kushan Amarakoon, Manager, Instructions Support Systems Unit, MITS leads a team of specialized persons across five (5) units; Learning Management Systems (LMS), Digital and Social Media Production (DSMP), Instructional Technology Research and Support (ITRS), Classroom and Venue Technologies (CVT) and Service Delivery and Project Management (SDPM).

Serving the University for over 21 years, Mr. Amarakoon is passionate about technology-enabled teaching and learning and the application of modern multimedia technologies to education. The quality of his work speaks to his commitment to enhancing the experiences of the UWI’s staff and students as they engage with various technologies. Mr. Amarakoon was featured in The UWI Mona COVID Management Report, as Covid Champion, for his excellent work during the global pandemic.

Through his leadership, Mr. Amarakoon consistently inspires and motivates his team to always keep the end-users, the UWI’s valued stakeholders, in mind. As a result, the ISS Unit functions as a tight-knit group of individuals with one of its main goals being to maintain a high quality of service delivery while caring for the needs of each other.

Despite the high demands on IT support across the University; whether locally at Mona or across the region, the UWI has benefitted tremendously through Mr. Amarakoon's dedication, innovation, creativity, resilience, willingness, and commitment to consistently deliver high standards of IT support, even during adversity. Mr. Amarakoon is resolute in his pursuit to continue to give of his best to the University of the West Indies.

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Mr. Jonathan Archie

Mona

For more than 20 years, Mr. Jonathon Archie has evolved through various administrative roles in the Examinations Section in the Registry at the Mona Campus, to become the Deputy Campus Registrar. He knows the Examinations procedures inside-out, and just about all the areas covered by the Registry. He is the go-to person for student concerns, indeed for all things Registry.

His nominators concurred that they have never seen Mr. Archie fazed or annoyed, even in the face of looming crises, multiple demands, and seemingly unsurmountable challenges. He is always calm, and he is a problem solver. He is well appreciated by his colleagues and engages with everyone across all staff levels with the same degree of courtesy and respect.

The role of Deputy Campus Registrar probably implies that Mr. Archie should be available 24/7 to colleagues, staff and other stakeholders. That he actually is available almost 24/7 is testimony to his commitment and dedication to this institution. He has responded to my calls on weekends and outside normal working hours – and he can always be depended upon for a solution to whatever student issue before him.

He is one of the true stalwarts of the Mona Campus and a most deserving candidate for recognition as one of the UWI 75@75.

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Shomar Beckford – Harvey

Mona

Mrs. Beckford Harvey has worked as a custodian in the Main Library since 2010. She demonstrates the utmost professionalism in completing her duties and is collegial with all members of staff. A team player, Mrs. Harvey, leads by example and demonstrates leadership qualities that have garnered the respect of her peers. In recognition of her work ethic, she was promoted to supervisor in 2019. In this new role, she manages the cleaning staff and supervises the student assistants who assist in the cleaning of the library.

Flexible, and reliable, she is one of the first people to reach the library in the morning, often by 6:30, to ensure that the library is in a state of readiness for opening. She can be called on anytime to assist with tasks outside of her duties and is always willing to assist. She regularly demonstrates service beyond duty and institutional loyalty as she can be counted on to offer her cooking/catering skills whenever the library has an event. Mrs. Harvey contributed to the success of the recently held “Exam Tea Project” hosted by the library’s Middle Management Committee. Although not a member of the committee, she capitalized on her early arrival, setting on the kettles to ensure that there was hot water ready to serve tea to the students by 7:30. She, along with other members of her team, took time away from their regular morning duties to ensure that the tables used to serve the tea and snacks were taken out and put on table cloths and the utensils needed. Mrs. Harvey has earned the reputation of being dependable and one that can be relied on in any circumstance. She has earned the respect of all categories of staff because of her exemplary qualities.

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Mrs. Sharlene Black

Mona

Mrs. Sharlene Black is described as one of the best Office Managers to work with although she has never actually held that title or had that specific job description. She has served The UWI as Secretary and Senior Secretary in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, the Faculty of Humanities & Education, the Examinations Section, the Office of Administration, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and currently works in the Office of Administration. She has also worked as the recording secretary to several specialized Committees established over the years during our tenures in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. This included the Task Force on Regionality chaired by Professor Brian Meeks during the former Vice-Chancellor – Professor E. Nigel Harris’ tenure. That notion of Regionality has, however, extended beyond VC Harris’ tenure into VC Beckles’ tenure as One-UWI.

In her current role, she also helps manage events at the Regional Headquarters, particularly renting the facilities to external clients, which generates significant revenue for the University. She fits in whenever the Manager is out of the office, and this is therefore another task that is outside her normal duties. Mrs. Black, to our knowledge, has always engaged in this task willingly and executes this responsibility with diligence.

Mrs. Black will observe something that needs to be fixed – even if it is not within her area of responsibility – and either address it herself or follow-up with the relevant person to have it addressed. This applies to infrastructure and systems – and people when necessary. For instance, we have seen her drawing the attention of the facilities management team to matters that need to be attended to.

Her personality invites people to engage with her, and her infectious laugh is just that – infectious! She is caring and considerate and will not hesitate to go the extra mile to help a colleague in need. She is a team player of the highest order. Her nominees recall when they moved into the Regional Headquarters Building in 2012 and working into the night – nay early morning to unpack furniture and move items into the respective offices. Mrs. Black was on spot all day and night until almost 5:00 a.m. the following morning to ensure that all was done.

Integrity is another of her enduring characteristics. She is honest, reliable, and dependable. She is a true unsung heroine of The UWI.

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Necole Blake

St. Augustine

Ms. Necole Blake BEd and DipG.Ed. Administrative Assistant Student Matters, in the School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Education, The UWI, St. Augustine Campus. An exemplary senior member of the administrative staff at the School of Education, Ms. Blake serves as an unsung heroine for students of the Bachelor of Education and Postgraduate Diploma in Education programmes. Her work ethic and passion for her job are continuously demonstrated through the kindness, respect, and attentive care, which she displays toward the students under her charge. She is truly a conscientious UWI brand ambassador and consistently strives to provide upstanding professional service to those she encounters daily, as well as to the University.

Ms. Blake’s successful supportive management of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education, one of the largest (with close to a quarter thousand students on average per cohort for the last five years) and most administratively challenging programmes at both the School of Education and the St. Augustine Campus is an attestation of Ms. Blake’s commitment to building a better UWI.

Successful administrative stewardship positively impacts the learning environment of graduates of the programme, our nation’s teachers, who in turn return to their schools, shaping and guiding the next generation of future leaders, thinkers, and stewards of society.

She is certainly no stranger to going beyond her post’s duties and responsibilities to ensure the success of this esteemed institution. She is not hesitant to go the extra mile and be of service to students, staff, and the public, beyond her hours of duty.

Ms. Blake often gives selflessly of her time by working long hours, weekends, and even during periods of leave to ensure students’ needs are met, especially for our students from the sister island of Tobago, challenged by the commute of passage in their drive for completion of their UWI brand studies.

Finally, Ms. Blake encourages the staff that she supervises, as well as her colleagues, to increase their knowledge, guiding them through new processes, and encouraging team building and professional development. She is an educator at heart and encourages and helps those willing to learn. Ms. Blake is a sterling example of professional collegiality, excellence, and service, both to the Campus and broader University community, as well as providing service far beyond the call of duty, exemplifying service institutional loyalty.

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Tameshia Brathwaite

Cave Hill

Tameshia Brathwaite was appointed as project staff to the continuing medical education (CME) committee just before the COVID outbreak. As doctors still required credits for registration, the structure of the conference, which was in-person at the time, had to be altered. Tameshia showed initiative by reaching out to Bursary and IT to ensure that we had a smooth online payment and registration process in place. She went beyond the call of duty to run bi-weekly conferences on Saturday or Sunday nights –thus catering to doctors’ schedules - from her home. This included fielding last-minute emails and calls from doctors who were not au fait with the process and/or could not find their digital receipt or log on. It also included logging in well before the start of the conference to ensure that speakers were well prepared to manage their slide sets. She also prepared and mailed out on average 80 letters bi-weekly credit letters for (sometimes impatient) physicians - a task that she performed with the utmost professionalism. Ms Brathwaite interacted not only with physicians, but at a recently concluded sexual assault management meeting, she has also handled herself admirably whilst interacting with judges, lawyers, and law enforcement officers. A collegial and professional colleague, she engages a broad cross-section of support staff -including security, catering, and housekeeping - wherever we hold our meetings. This ensures that our meetings run smoothly from a facility standpoint. In addition, very nurturing towards students who may want to attend.

Since she joined our team, we have been able to expand beyond the meetings into more meaningful and sustainable projects. This includes attending the sexual assault management guidelines development meetings - which were hosted by The UWI - where she has taken on the extra responsibility of assisting with the ethics documents and compiling meeting notes. These meetings keep the name of The University of the West Indies in the minds of physicians not only in Barbados but across the region. With the recent multidisciplinary meetings, The UWI is now facilitating the filling of a very necessary gap in patient care, in the context of legal and law enforcement. Tameshia Brathwaite’s professional, collegial, and action-oriented approach ensures that the unit continues to do its job well and supports a wide stakeholder base.

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Wayne Brathwaite

Cave Hill

A family member and friend of George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Center’s (GACDRC) staff and students, Mr. Wayne Brathwaite, performs his job, as a Security Officer, at an exemplary level, and demonstrates extraordinary commitment to the university community as well as the public.

Wayne provides exceptional support to the GACDRC staff, students, and visitors. He swiftly ascertains each person's unique needs and consistently offers pertinent advice, suggestions, and/or guidance in an effective manner. To say he is a wonderful ambassador for our university is an understatement. In addition to this and during periods of change, he has served as the staff's babysitter and the evening secretary. He consistently stays around after his regular shift has ended to assist with any projects and building repairs that are going on at the GACDRC and numerous other responsibilities as needed. He even comes in on weekends if necessary.

Within GACDRC, Mr Brathwaite is regarded as the go-to person for many things. Wayne is more than simply a member of the university faculty; he is family. He is one of the reasons the GACDRC thrives because of his skills, knowledge, eagerness to assist others, and dedication to our university and the community.

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Donna Burke (Retired)

Mrs. Donna Burke provided over 30 years of service as an Administrative Assistant to the Department of Computing up to her retirement in 2022. When I joined the Department in 1999, it had recently been merged with Mathematics. The period of the merged departments was a particularly tumultuous one for the members of staff, because of the fractious relations between some senior members of the department. In particular, the tensions between the heads of the former separate departments sometimes made it difficult for members of staff to operate normally. Mrs. Burke managed the day-to-day affairs of the Department, and in many ways, in those days, it was as if she was the Administrative Assistant for two different departments at once.

But Mrs. Burke did it with dedication, and without prejudice. The added burden of having to administrate in a context of being perceived as naturally biased towards her original department was a constant source of anxiety for her. Further compounding the situation, Computer Science was split across two buildings. In addition to serving as the AA for a department that operated as if it were two, Mrs. Burke also served as the receptionist and secretary for the members of staff who were collocated in the same building as herself up to around 2014. Mrs. Burke went above and beyond the duties expected of her role in commitment to the Department, the Faculty, and the Campus. Mrs. Burke was the consummate administrative professional. She was always cordial on the phone and to visitors to the Department.

She understood how to navigate the university bureaucracy to get things done; and she understood the importance of not exposing our internal problems to our external stakeholders. She also went beyond what was required in managing the personnel of the Department. She would advise me when a staff member had a major personal event, and she would come up with suggestions of how we could appropriately recognize the circumstances and offer support from the Department. The Department of Computing has weathered much in its journey to the present, and Mrs. Burke has been one of the foundational members who helped it be the successful department that it is today. She is clearly one of UWI's unsung heroes.

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Terry-Ann Collins Fray

Mona

Mrs. Terry-Ann Collins Fray, in her post of Administrative Secretary (2017 to 2022), provides general support to the Faculty of Science and Technology. She is a proactive and solutions-oriented individual who will not hesitate to go the extra mile as needed to complete any project or task. When the Visibility and Engagement Officer resigned, Mrs. Collins Fray voluntarily undertook the key duties, ensuring the visibility and viability of the online platforms, guaranteeing that information was available and accessible. She also conceptualized and initiated the establishment of the faculty’s photograph contest for students in 2021 and coordinated the map competition. Mrs. Collins Fray provides administrative support at Faculty Management and Faculty Board Meetings. She is also providing administrative support to the Building Out Our Stem Teachers (BOOST) programme since its inception in 2021.

Mrs. Collins Fray consistently delivers and exceeds service standards in the daily execution of her duties. She quietly supports the desk of the Dean, disseminates messages to the Departments and provides accurate and timely responses as required. She is a team player who is supportive of her colleagues and will provide general assistance to ensure the optimal productivity of her team. If a team member is on leave, Mrs. Collins Fray jumps in and assists with Meetings, Seminars, Workshops, and Conferences in any capacity needed. It is customary for her to check if her colleagues are well and to see how best she can assist. Mrs. Collins Fray took on the responsibility as Visibility Officer in 2022 which has made her known for being extremely organized and focused; continuously learning and developing best practices to manage routine activities both efficiently and effectively. She brings positive high energy and a personal touch to the portfolio. No matter what’s the setting one can always rely on Mrs. Collins Fray to bring an out of the box idea that will be well received; but not only that she is proactive and solutions-oriented and will not hesitate to go the extra mile as needed to complete any project or task. Planning and the ability to think strategically are useful skills that elevate her in the role as Visibility Officer in which she does seamlessly well.

Her role as Visibility Officer keeps the faculty and campus informed at every step of the way, even if that means going on excursions with the Life Science Department for the next story. She is not afraid to take on massive challenges and inspire those around her with her “can do” attitude; there are no limits to the possibilities of what can be achieved with her involvement. Mrs. Collins Fray is commended for always being available to assist in many faculty-related activities. When the Department of Computing organized JamCoders 2022, Mrs. Collins Fray played an integral role. The Head of the Department noted that with her assistance the department ran the free residential one (1) month summer coding camp for high school students at UWI along with international partners. Her input and hard work were critical to running the camp successfully. The faculty Associate Dean for Student Experience expresses that Mrs. Collins Fray is very resourceful; and assists with all her initiatives. She was praised for the consistent and reliable service she provides. Mrs. Collins Fray is a sterling example of diligence and professionalism whose service deserves acknowledgment and high commendation.

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Keren Cumberbatch

Mona

Dr. Cumberbatch plays a primary role in the Faculty of Humanities and Education as the coordinator of the Sign Language program in which students from all faculties are taught Jamaican Sign Language. She also serves in the Faculty of Medical Sciences as the deaf clinic coordinator in the School of Dentistry. The deaf clinic serves the deaf community in Kingston and surrounding parishes and extends throughout Jamaica when dental students go out on outreach. Deaf clinics are held every second and fourth Friday at the UWI Mona Dental Polyclinic at the hospital campus, and she serves as clinical preceptors where she supervises the communication between student and deaf patients to ensure that students communicate correctly as taught in their courses.

Dr. Cumberbatch designed sign language courses for the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Initially focused on medical and dental programs, her efforts now extend to all the seven programs in the faculty. In designing the courses, she used an e-book platform to prepare a reference textbook that was multimedia driven thus providing students with practical examples of Jamaican sign language. These examples were contextualized per program thus there were examples of what a dentist/nurse/clinical pharmacist etc. would do in treating their patient.

In addition, she developed rubrics to assess the sign language communications between dental students and their deaf patients while doing clinical procedures. These rubrics assisted the school of dentistry in grading the communication aspects alongside existing clinical grading criteria. Her service impacts the region as she communicates with deaf communities in the Caribbean to inform them of returning dental students who are proficient in sign language. Thus, building awareness of dental surgeons who can communicate proficiently in sign language in their countries.

Functioning in a multi-disciplinary environment, Dr. Cumberbatch understands the professional and ethical conduct that is needed in the clinical space when patients are treated. This understanding matched with her sign language expertise has helped clinicians to understand the importance of communication in delivering clinical services to deaf patients. Her passion for sign language has been an inspiration to the dentists who have seen where they too need to become competent in communicating sign language.

Additionally, she has proposed research initiatives to the Ministry of Health that seek to improve the design of government dental clinics to better support treatment of deaf patients. To achieve the desired competency in communication in real world dentistry, she initiated dental outreaches specifically targeting deaf schools and communities and the special needs and children community in Jamaica. She assisted the judicial system by training court interpreters and served as an expert witness. A consummate advocate for sign language in all sectors and a fearless pioneer in the field. Dr Cumberbatch is deserving of recognition for her work in both the Faculty of the Medical Sciences and Humanities and Education as an unsung hero within the UWI.

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Ronnie Daniel

Open Campus

Before transferring to the SEU as Programme Officer, Mr. Daniel acted in the capacity as Marketing Assistant at the SVG Site since 2009.

Mr. Daniel is a task and results oriented individual, his presence at the Site was very impactful. He always and without hesitation went above and beyond the call of duty. His role in marketing was instrumental in increasing student enrolment and retention since the beginning of his stint in 2009. On a daily basis he acted outside of that role, welcoming student queries, assisting on many occasions in the technical department, sitting with students throughout their entire application process, following up and extending congratulations to the successful applicants. Mr. Daniel became a household name as students depended upon, relied upon, and recommended him to other students in need of assistance because of his willingness to serve them as best as he could. Mr. Daniel is the epitome of a model staff, he stands up for the voiceless, abused even when it meant that he was not favoured. He encourages, empowers and frankly is a true reflection of The UWI core values representing student centredness and excellence and integrity. He is an active member of his church as Minister, he serves on other committees within the community and is a true philanthropist at heart.

​A final year student went to the administration office as the student had done for every semester for at least 2 years, this time the student was in tears. Frustrated that once again the reoccurring issue had not been dealt with and the student was given the push around (disregarded in their opinion). Mr. Daniel, upon seeing this, went outside of his role as Marketing Officer again and wrote to his colleagues overseas in finance copying to the person in charge at the Site to have the matter resolved. The student was comforted by his intervention and in the end the student’s issue was addressed, and she was grateful for Mr. Daniel's assistance.

This year at the second ever such event (Honor Roll ceremony) put on by the local Student Guild Charter, the students recognized and awarded Mr. Daniel for his helpfulness. He was one of the only two staff members recognized for their helpfulness and support to the student body.

​I am pleased to note that Mr. Daniel has played an instrumental role in initiatives which added value to the suite of the programmes offered by the OC SVG, namely, Theatre Arts and Music. He has planned and coordinated public lectures and assisted on committees which saw completion/success of events such as The UWI OC SVG Literary Fair.

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Celia Davidson-Francis

Mona

Celia has a proven record of innovation during her 18-year tenure as Director of Alumni Relations. Creating a direct student link to the UWI Centre, she is the Founder and Regional Coordinator of the Vice Chancellor’s UWI STAT Ambassadorial Corps, known regionally and internationally for their work in climate action and regional integration; created Footprints, the only regional annual student giving programme and founded the Young Alumni Advocates, who continue to serve the UWI as professionals. She has structured alumni involvement through Global UWI Alumni Day, the Soft and Life Skills Series, Pelican Talks, Top Tier Talks, ‘Pelican Pride’ and the AR mantra “One UWI, One Alumni Family;” initiated the UWIAA Contact position, the Pelican Perks Programme and the UWI Connect and UWI Nexus publications.

Celia is described by her Campus Alumni Officers (CAOs) and the alumni community as possessing outstanding interpersonal skills and institutional knowledge. Her colleagues appreciate her blend of skills and passion, her inclusive leadership style, and her recognition of effort through the IADAR Awards, which she created. Celia’s professionalism, institutional loyalty, and support of The UWI’s Mission and Vision are among her strengths. Her leadership in the AR arena is well known to alumni, executive and campus Management. She is responsible for the global UWI alumni population and her excellent grasp of AR issues is reflected in the Alumni Relations Strategic Guide she wrote (available 24/7 online), the 2021 UWI Press Book Chapter “How Quality Positively Impacts Alumni Cultivation and Engagement: A Regional Perspective;” and the article ‘Aluivation: From Recruitment to Graduation and Beyond, The UWI’ Quality Circle, Volume 19, May 2017.

She has served multiple university and regional committees an Advisor on Alumni Relations to Prof. Paloma Mohammed Martin at the University of Guyana during Chancellor E. Nigel Harris’ tenure there. For her work in alumni relations, professionalism and service, Celia Davidson Francis is an unsung heroine of the UWI.

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Sophia Davis

Mona

For the last 28 years, Mrs. Sophia Davis has worked in multiple capacities at the UWI Mona Campus. Previously serving as Assistant Manager in the Bookshop, eleven (11) years as the Purchases Assistant Manager in the Bursary, another eleven (11) years as the Administrative Officer at the Port Royal Marine Lab, for the past four (4) years she has served as the Senior Administrative Officer in the Department of Life Sciences.

A member of the Banner Finance training Team, the committee was responsible for all Banner training for Departments across the Campus. The UWI Procurement Guidelines and the formalization of the UWI Tender Committee and development of the Tender Process all took place during her tenure as Assistant Manager in Purchases.

She holds a BSc in Marine Sciences and MBA which played a pivotal role in coordinating and managing major renovation of the facility which included the first-ever Biodiversity Centre in Jamaica for which all the props and décor was designed and created by her. During her tenure, the mangrove tours was expanded, introducing the pollutions tours along with the Biodiversity Centre tours providing weekly tours for schools and families across the island.

With the introduction of a small eatery, Mrs. Davis executed all event planning initiative such as luncheons for Campus departments and corporate companies, product launches with all the décor and meals carried out by our small but amazingly efficient and committed staff. She also engaged in community development with the Fishers of Port Royal and four major fishing villages of Kingston Harbour.

Mrs. Davis's personal mantra is “Service above self,” this evident with her assuming the role of Justice of the Peace in 2019 where she readily offers her service to the faculty. Since her tenure in the Department of Life Sciences Main Office in 2019 her goals remain the same; to offer quality service through staff and student engagement and identifying creative ways to inspire and lead the team in the transformation of Life Sciences. For her work and commitment, Mrs Davis is an Unsung heroine of The UWI.

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Elawatee Dookaran

St. Augustine

Ms. Dookaran retired on the 31st of August 2023 after serving 42 years at the Bursary, St. Augustine Campus. During her tenure, she has worked as both ATS and ASAP staff, acquiring a wealth of knowledge especially after becoming the Financial Manager/Accountant for many of the Bursary sections. These include the Students and Receivables section, the Payroll & Staff Benefits section and lastly the Budgetary Control section before she was promoted to Deputy Bursar in November 2014.

As a Financial Manager/Accountant, she implemented many of the programmes used today including PeopleSoft and Banner Students; both are used to acquire information and process payments in a timely fashion.

In those 42 years of service, she spearheaded many backpay processes to ensure timely remittances. From as late as the last backpay in 2020, Ms. Dookaran took on the responsibility of calculating the salary scales that were to be used as part of the collective agreement and trained any Financial Manager in the Budgetary Control section, ensuring that they understood how to calculate any further remittances.

She is the Bursary’s and to an extent The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine’s historian. Being able to remember papers written and approvals passed over 20 years ago is an amazing feat. Elawatee Dookaran has left an indelible mark on The UWI St. Augustine campus and is deserving to be recognized as an Unsung Heroine of the Institution.

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Tanneice Ellis

Mona

Mrs. Ellis is a wonderful human who demonstrates the highest level of collegiality, team spirit and empathy for CARIMAC staff at every level within the department. She provides supervision, mentorship, counselling and even prayer where needed. She is CARIMAC's own superwoman, and her colleagues are honoured to have her at the helm of our operations. An advocate, giving voice to the voiceless or less fortunate on the campus, she lobbied for equal access to CARIMAC buildings for persons with disabilities.

She epitomizes professionalism and leads by example. Highly trained and qualified in administration and management - with a BSc, a Diploma and a master's degree in education management. Mrs Ellis is extremely reliable and has a strict adherence to deadlines. Mrs. Ellis's dedicated service to CARIMAC over the past 15 years has enhanced and preserved the department’s image and reputation.

A collegial colleague, Mrs. Ellis goes beyond to make staff feel comfortable responding to their varying needs while upholding the highest levels of professionalism. Often, she willingly sacrifices her personal comfort for the benefit of another colleague. Mrs Ellis takes calls and concerns outside of working hours and weekends and usually assists in implementing an effective solution. She also uses her own resources where necessary to the benefit of the organization, thus embodying a deep understanding of service to others and beyond duties.

Mrs Ellis has implemented several innovative solutions to improve the work environment of CARIMAC. She arranged for the installation of a vending machine for students and staff to use and reduce the 'catering' bill of the department and the UWI at large. Prior to organizational commitment to digitization, Mrs Ellis digitized old mark sheets for the department allowing the retrieval of con identical information within the current technological infrastructure. This reduced the turnaround time to locate the information and respond to related queries and requests.

Additionally, Mrs. Ellis served on the Faculty of Humanities and Education Fundraising Task Team to help raise funds for student's' bursaries., provided leadership on school boards and in recent times, published in an edited volume and co-authored a publication in an online journal. Her research, ‘Creating an Inclusive Environment in one Department of the UWI’ (October 2021 UWICDS), ‘Developing Master’s Level Education Students as Researchers: Mentors’ and Mentees Experiences’ contribute to the research and publication output of the UWI.

The CARIMAC team is very proud of the indomitable and highly revered Mrs. Tanneice Ellis, an unsung heroine of the university.

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Orinthia Fisher-Howe

Mona

Dr. Orinthia Fisher Howe is the Senior Administrative Officer in the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, UWI Mona. A reliable and collegial colleague with a strong work ethic, she approaches tasks with pride and joy and makes working fun. She is an excellent team player and can be depended on to lend a hand to ensure the success of departmental and faculty events while at the same time upholding the University’s confidentiality and ethics policies to the highest degree.

She can be called upon to provide administrative guidance and broad support to other administrative staff. During Mrs. Green Smith's maternity leave, Fisher Howe intervened to provide the faculty with support on Turnitin to ensure continued testing of students. Dr Fisher Howe regularly assists other Heads of Departments in understanding their roles and what regulations enhance efficiency and also represents the Department at various senior meetings. Dr. Fisher Howe is also one of the administrative coordinators for the Math Olympiad and the Enterprise Risk Management program offered jointly with the Department of Mathematics and the Mona School of Business and Management. She serves as a liaison between students and other departments and assists in resolving issues that arise within student affairs. She assisted in Labour Day projects hosted by the Department of Chemistry. Additionally, she provided support to external stakeholders such as the Caribbean Actuarial Society in the reimbursement of students who passed SOA exams.

Dr. Fisher Howe initiated and executed several infrastructural development projects that have improved efficiency in the Department of Mathematics. She developed an automated degree tracker for students to use to track their degree status within the Department of Mathematics. This reduced the number of students visiting for credit checks and provided a clearer insight into their matriculation status. Additionally volunteered to assist the faculty in organizing their room schedules for both semesters, one and two and provided academic and personal counselling to students in need.

Dr. Fisher Howe continues to provide support and participate in Graduation and pre-orientation exercises. She participates in various outreach activities including career talks for students at high schools throughout the island. Noted for her collegiality, her willingness to support administration processes that guarantee efficiency in the department, Dr Fisher Howe deserves to be recognized as an unsung heroine of the university.

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Patrice Francis

Mona

Ms. Patrice Francis carries out dual roles in the Centre for Marine Sciences, acting both as Scientific Officer and Administrator. She performs several key tasks inclusive of procuring research equipment and ensuring they are in good working order. Additionally, she conducts research with said equipment and producing reports after analysing the findings.

Ms Francis interacts well with all staff in the Department of Life Sciences including Centre for Marine Sciences, Discovery Bay Marine Lab and Port Royal Marine Lab. She also works well with others in the Department of Geography & Geology and the International Centre for Environment & Nuclear Sciences. Through her dual roles, she has contributed significantly to the execution and administration of 30 research projects and consultancies in the Centre over the past 10 years. An exceptional and reliable team player, Ms Francis will go beyond the call of duty to complete any task given.

She never hesitates to assist other officers or graduate students with fieldwork and other project activities. Loyal to her department and university, she strives to act in the best interest of staff, students, and stakeholders. Ms Francis’ work ethic is impeccable. She takes initiative and plans well in advance to meet deliverables and deadlines -this she has done for between 3 and 5 projects at a time while still maintaining constant oversight and management of the Centre for Marine Sciences office.

In addition to her heavy workload, Ms Francis is a keen member of the DLS Management Committee as well as the FST Administrators group representing the CMS. She also represents the CMS on external committees such as the National Ramsar Committee, a body of the National Environment & Planning Agency responsible for the management of wetlands in Jamaica. For indefatigable service, collegiality, and loyalty to the Centre of Marine Sciences, her colleagues recognize Ms Patrice Francis as an unsung heroine of the university.

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Eddy Gajadhar

St. Augustine

Mr. Gajadhar has served with the Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC), St Augustine Campus for the past ten years. His standard of work continues to be unwavering, and he is committed to ensuring the building is always maintained. Eddy will stay late, come in early, or even on weekends just to ensure our students are not affected by any maintenance work in the building. Never once has there been a need to highlight maintenance issues as he would do a daily walk-through and take the initiative to address issues immediately.

Last year, after COVID, the TLC resumed full operations without a full complement of technicians on board. Mr Gajadhar additional support ensured that not one class was affected. In recent times, despite significant personal loss and grief, he continued to provide support. His nominators noted that:

“Staff members like Eddy are gems to the University; his standard of work and commitment to the University is rare and staff members like him deserves to be recognized. Eddy is due to retire next year, and I believe this initiative to recognize our unsung heroes could not have come at a better time. Any onlooker may just see Eddy as a quiet worker at the TLC, always smiling...but the reality is, he is a pillar to the University, one of the key persons who has institutional loyalty and who plays a fundamental role in providing impeccable service to our students and staff.”

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Derek Garrick (Retired)

Mr. Garrick started his journey at the University library on September 1, 1975, as a Youth Service worker. Two years later, he officially appointed and has since dedicated, 39 years of service to the University. He retired in October 2016 and up to his retirement was one of the longest serving members of the library. A model employee and the consummate gentleman, he demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, and routinely gave service beyond duty and demonstrated a good sense of initiative.

Mr. Garrick was stationed in the account's office as an accounting clerk where he performed his duties with patience and grace. He demonstrated utmost professionalism even when under pressure. As one who dealt with external vendors in times of financial constraints, he would have remained calm and professional even when bombarded with calls demanding payments. Reliable and diligent, could be relied on to submit claims to the bursary in a timely manner and would use his initiative to check up on payments when cheques were not ready in the stipulated time. Mr. Garrick would go beyond the call of duty by delivering service with an individualized touch. Routinely, after collecting health cards or pension statements from the human resources office he would hand deliver to each person’s desks saving them the trip of going to the office. Mr. Garrick was also responsible for liaising with stores to make sure there was a steady supply of tea items as well as cleaning supplies, tissue, and hand towels etc. to supply not only the main library but also the other branches. He was diligent in this regard and would always make sure that there was a steady supply of what was needed not only to satisfy the needs of staff but also to ensure that public areas were maintained for the use of the library’s patrons.

Mr. Garrick was beloved by staff and students alike. He was known to every student assistant who passed through the library for his thoughtfulness and kindness, as with staff; they too could count on his dependability to submit their claims on time. He was aware that most of these students were needy students, and these payments would often be their only financial source and so he would go the extra mile to ensure that their claims were put through. Mr. Garrick demonstrated professionalism, diligence, kindness and commitment throughout his tenure, qualities that should be acknowledged and celebrated as an unsung hero of the university.

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Kevin George

Open Campus

A wonderful and valuable member of the UWI Global Campus, St. Lucia, Kevin George is dedicated member of staff who is always willing to provide aid any staff locally or regionally.

Mr. George has worked on his off and beyond working hours to ensure that whatever scheduled, whether a lecture or CPE course, runs according to plan. He provides exceptional assistance to the CPE tutors and is always available when needed and works very well with all co-workers. Jovial, well-mannered, and welcoming, his absence is felt when on vacation. He is also known to assist colleagues in ventures outside of the work environment, simply out of the goodness of his heart. His actions do not request or beg anything in return. Solutions oriented; he works to resolve student matters by contacting the relevant person to ensure resolution. This also extends to resolving technical challenges during the registration process or due to connectivity especially for CPE courses. He is always available to provide an honest opinion and solution that will work out for the best.

Mr. George is an inspiration to local peers and continues to build collegial connections throughout the region. He is well-known and admired for his exceptional warmth and dedication. Humble, respectful, and generous of his time, he demonstrates excellence in his work in keeping with the University’s core values. Mr. George is deserving of recognition and honour as he is valued by his colleagues. It is with the above characteristics and actions that Mr Kevin George is considered an unsung hero of the University.

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Garvin Gordon

Mona

A member of the Applications section of the Mona Information Technology Services (MITS) Mr. Garvin Gordon engages a wide stakeholder base including staff members within his unit, across the Mona campus, and at times, the University. He willingly assists both internal and external clients and does what is necessary to bring about a resolution even if it involves consulting others he does so in a professional and relatable manner.

He has been a key engineer in the implementation and management of some of the major enterprise-wide systems that the UWI Mona utilizes, for example Banner/SAS, PeopleSoft, and the campus intranet amongst others. He has also engineered many applications that have made the life of administrators, faculty, and students more manageable over the years at the UWI Mona campus. Yet he remains very humble and does not seek credit for the work that he does.

Mr. Gordon is one of those colleagues who works beyond the official end of the business day to keep the wheels of this institution moving. His nominators recall that during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, their section relied heavily on him, and he always delivered. “For the times that they had to be up late or early mornings, he was there ready to get the matters addressed. Mr. Gordon has often told me that I can call him anytime. I used to take advantage of this but stopped as I said everyone, even Garvin deserves their rest. I only now take advantage of this in emergency situations.”

He is revered for his wide skill set and ability to assist in evaluating challenges and executing workable solutions. Mr. Garvin Gordon is considered an unsung hero of the University community for his selfless service to the technological advancement of the institution.

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Jo-Ann Granger (Retired)

Ms. Granger, former Senior Librarian is the epitome of professionalism.

The Open Campus Libraries and Information Services (OCLIS) has always been an understaffed department. When Ms. Granger joined in OC in 2009, she was one of the only two librarians. She had a very heavy workload which continued throughout her tenure at the OC. She wore multiple hats. She was responsible for systems, cataloguing, and discovery and access. Additionally, she conducted staff training, delivered information literacy sessions, and assumed oversight during any absence of the Campus Librarian. She performed these duties with a high level of competence beyond expected standards and without complaints.

Prior to her time at OCLS, Ms. Granger spent over twenty years working at the Cave Hill Campus where she successfully led the UWI Libraries System team with the acquisition and implementation of the integrated library system, Aleph.

Despite her resignation from OC in 2020, Ms. Granger continues to be an integral member of the community. She continued to freely assist the staff members of the Dominica, St. Vincent and Grenada Open Campus libraries in setting up their circulation services in the Library Management System, Aleph. She still makes herself available to assist when needed.

One of most successful initiatives was the rolling out of the integrated library system (ILS) for the OCLIS. The OC, being a distributed environment, posed several challenges. Ms. Granger’s approach used one library, OC Tobago, as a model for the ILS. Using this model as a template, she was able to implement the LIS in the two libraries in Trinidad followed by the libraries in Dominica, Grenada, and St. Vincent. For her innovation, and commitment to the UWI Global Campus and the successful ad efficient running of its library network, Ms Granger is an unsung heroine of the University.

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Neila Hinkson

Cave Hill

Ms. Granger, former Senior Librarian is the epitome of professionalism.

Mrs. Neila Hinkson joined the Department of Management Studies (DOMS) in November 1986 as a Stenographer/Clerk Grade II. Between 2004 and 2006 she was reassigned to Stenographer/Clerk Grade I and in June 2008 appointed to Administrative Assistant. During her thirty-seven (37) year career with the Department of Management Studies, Neila worked in multiple areas of office administration and has been entrusted with an abundance of duties. DOMS enrols the largest contingent of students. Consequently, Mrs Hinkson has seen more than 6,000 undergraduate students pass through the Department during the period 2004 to 2023. She has typed and packaged thousands of mid, and end of semester examination papers, reviewed transcripts for examiners'’ meetings and declared graduates. In addition, she has organized all events in the Department including the annual student recognition ceremony and liaised with the Antigua State College for courses delivered by DOMS.

During her tenure, Mrs Hinkson has supported eight Heads of Department and functioned as a team player with four other colleagues. She, therefore, has seen the department evolve from offering seven (7) undergraduate degree programmes in 2006 to twenty-seven (27) undergraduate and thirty-one (31) graduate programmes in 2023. Her management of the office operations has been seamless, efficient, effective, and most importantly timely.

Although Neila does not like to be in the spotlight, behind the scenes she has been an asset and anchors the Department through the efficient execution of her duties. A meticulous work ethic, Mrs Hinkson is the consummate professional. Many days she can found working into the night especially during registration period for the counselling and advising of students.

Considering the collegiality, professionalism, service beyond duty, and initiative which Neila Hinkson has demonstrated, the Department of Management Studies nominates her as an unsung heroine who has supported the Department for almost four (4) decades and has made significant contributions to its development and growth.

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Micheal Hosein

St. Augustine

Michael Hosein has given 29 years of service as a tutor and lecturer in the department of Computing and Information Technology. He exemplifies professionalism in his dealings with staff and students. One of his major teaching contributions since 2006 (17 years), that has gone unnoticed, is the development of a course on programming Nokia cell phones, now upgraded to programming Android smart phones and devices. He recognized the need to equip our students with these skills, spent countless months and years teaching himself, and then developed the course material. The effort to do so is three times the effort to teach a regular course since the material has to be regularly updated. Many students have gone on to build mobile applications in the workplace based on this course.

Dr Hosein engages external stakeholders to promote Science and Technology in the region. On a wider scale, he participated in maintaining the professional examination standards of CXC CAPE Computer Science and CSEC Information Technology. For over 17 years, Mr Hosein has served as the subject specialist to CXC, CAPE and CSEC in the fields of Computer Science and Information Technology. Currently, He moderates two CXC subjects and has served as Chief/Assistant Chief examiner for 18 years. These are major contributions to Computer Science education in the region and elevates the name of the UWI. Additionally, he attended (with other UWI colleagues), the CARISCIENCE meeting entitled “2nd High Level Meeting - Strengthening and Utilizing Science and Tech in the Caribbean”. The meeting aimed to promote STI (Science, Technology, and Innovation) in CARICOM countries.

In keeping with his commitment to the institution, Dr. Hosein volunteers to mark theses from other UWI campuses. Additionally, he served on the FST Entrance Committee since 2007 (approximately 14 years) and on the FST Assessment and Promotions Committee. He was a former chair of the Faculty IT Committee, and served on the Campus Library Committee, the Curriculum Review Committee, and the Building Committee. A collegial colleague, Dr. Hosein instils and propagates peace in the department. He actively participates in department events Such as cricket matches and game days. A professional scrabble player, he pushes scrabble during game days in the department. For his collegiality, innovation, service and commitment to his department and the field of Computing and Information technology, Dr Hosein is recognized as an unsung hero of the university.

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Sharelle Jackson

St. Augustine

A coastal technician in the Department of Civil Engineering, Mrs. Sharelle Jackson is always helpful, pleasant, and respectful to staff and students. She is a pleasure to work with and keen to support and encourage colleagues to achieve their goals. She executes all tasks with diligence and her meticulous nature assures that tasks are both well done and completed. She executes assigned duties with integrity and accepts that full accountability lies with her. Mrs. Jackson also goes beyond what is required or expected of her.

Willing to perform additional tasks without expectation of reward or compensation, her only concern is that UWI students and staff are well supported. There is a deep sense of commitment to the institution, and she believes that believes that whatever she does, no matter how small it may be, can make a difference to those around her. For example, she may use her lunch break to meet with students to resolve problems or being available to find a more efficient way to complete a task. Efficiency is a key focus, and she is willing to seek out advice and support to improve deficiencies or weaknesses. Yet, always with a sense of care of the UWI, a deep respect for the staff and students and a welcoming disposition. A dedicated, and collegial colleague, Mrs Jackson is an unsung heroine of the university.

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Winston Johnson (Retired)

Professionalism: Mr. Johnson developed his skills while participating in research projects involving extensive field collecting in Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, and Anguilla. He obtained an International Diploma in Herbarium techniques from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England. He has added over 3,000 specimens from his personal collection and jointly with others to the national Herbarium reference collection. Some of his duplicates (new records and rediscoveries) are lodged at the Natural History Museum in London, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He identified over 20,000 specimens for the public over the years. He has been co-authored of several books on trees and plants in Trinidad and Tobago and the Eastern Caribbean and is also acknowledged in numerous publications.

Service beyond duty: His skills have been requested and extended beyond TNHTT and the DLS to academic staff, visitors and students in other Departments and Faculties on the St. Augustine Campus and Cave Hill. Due to his expertise, he was sought after by the regional and local institutions e.g. Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development institute (CARDI), CAB International, Institute of Marine Affairs, the Environmental Management Authority, the Wildfow Trust, The Field Naturalists Club and The ASA Wright Nature Centre- he has helped them all!

Service to the Campus and broader University community: Mr. Winston Johnson gave 40 years of service to the UWI St. Augustine; 8 years at the Cocoa Research Unit and 32 years at The National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago (TNHTT), Department of Life Sciences (DLS). He showed an aptitude for learning/remembering the names of plants and in a very short time outstripped the knowledge of his tutor. At retirement, he was the only trained Herbarium Technician on either of the 3 campuses. His expertise in field plant taxonomy was unparalleled in TT and his reputation for accurate plant identifications was recognized locally, regionally and internationally. His sterling qualities included his trustworthiness, his patience and soft-spoken approach. On being presented with a specimen his reply would be: 'that is so-and -so,' or 'that looks like so and so; let me check' or 'I do not know, let me track it down'. He was TTT’s first port of call when identification was required. His departure has left a significant void in field plant taxonomy.

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Tracia Johnson-Blair

Mona

Mrs. Tracia Johnson-Blair can be depended on to give thoughtful consideration to challenges that arise in the Department of Chemistry and to produce creative solutions to adequately resolve these issues. She advises on how to improve/maximize operational efficiency in the Department. Incognizant of the financial challenges faced by the university, she, ensures that the Department receives value for money by negotiating discounts for goods and services received.

Possessing an excellent work ethic, the quality of her work is consistently high, and she can be depended on to produce outputs in a timely manner. She pays keen attention to detail and timelines \. Mrs. Johnson Blair has an excellent working relationship with all categories of staff and is the go-to-person of choice by colleagues for advice and direction in terms of conditions of service, completing administrative transactions internally and with external clients. This is evidence of not just her knowledge base but also her ability and the ease of working with her due to her excellent people/interpersonal skills.

Mrs. Johnson-Blair is often co-opted to assist other departments and the Faculty Office in carrying out various projects. Mrs. Tracia Johnson-Blair gives of her time selflessly. as she can be called upon 24/7, even while on leave, when her services or presence is required in the Department. She always thinks of the individual and how changes whether University-related or of a personal nature will affect them and consequently what measures can be put in place to assist them and to mitigate against adverse consequences. All this is done while remaining steadfastly loyal to the administrative guidelines of the University. As a result of her collegiality, excellent work ethic and continued service to her department, Mrs Johnson-Blair is considered an unsung heroine of the university.

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Claudia Lewis

Mona

Since October 2006, Miss Claudia Lewis has worked as Information Technology Officer/Network Manager in the Department of Life Sciences Mona Camous. Primarily, she ensures the effective functioning of the Computer Laboratory as well as numerous ICT systems used throughout the Department. She was instrumental in getting the network and computer systems upgraded and the continued expansion of the wired and wireless network to various blocks, frequently liaising with MITS and external contractors. Miss Lewis is also a key point of contact for the Marine Labs and their interactions with the various ICT services of the UWI Mona Campus. Currently, she serves as the departmental representative on the Faculty’s ICT Steering Committee. Providing technical support for users of the Biology Lecture Theatre and Science Lecture Theatres, Miss Lewis works closely with the Biology Students Association and staff members.

One of her most significant initiatives occurred in 2017 when she coordinated the first Biology CAPE Workshop (Mona and WJC), an initiative which went on to attract over 250 students in 2019. She received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Faculty Office for her outstanding contribution to the Outreach and Development Programme. A team-player, she encourages participation in the outreach activities of the Department including international Coastal Clean-up, University Research Days (Tent and Spine displays), Student Orientation, as well as the Faculty’s Outreach and Development Programme. She possesses excellent interpersonal skills, and staff and students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) benefit from her wealth of knowledge and her years of experience. Miss Lewis is known to be a willing and active staff member who can be called upon at any time to assist in any capacity, her colleagues lauded her in 2016 when they selected her as the Worker of the year. Miss Lewis is to be commended for her commitment to participate in her department’s activities. Her willingness, dedication, and commitment to her work, make her an integral part of the Department and indeed, the faculty. The Faculty of Science and Technology acknowledges and appreciates the excellent contribution that she has given over the years and considers her an unsung heroine of the university.

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Valerie Matas

St. Augustine

Valerie Matas is a multi-talented and loyal employee of the University of the West Indies who has served the St. Augustine Campus for the past fourteen years. A past student of UWI, St. Augustine, she was transferred from the Human Resource Department and is currently employed as the Administrative Assistant at the Department of Political Science Mrs Matas possesses one of the most winning personalities one can encounter in the working world. She is always smiling, pleasant, cheerful, warm, friendly, and willing to cooperate and assist her fellow workers. She supervises both ATS and on the Job Trainees (OJT) and is well liked throughout the campus for her genuine, optimistic, kind, and honest nature. She has a track-record of generating and building relationships and is a dependable and organized team player. Adynamic and creative professional, Mrs Matas has an impeccable work ethic. She is serious and committed to her tasks, does not engage in gossip and is always polite and respectable, yet amiable both to her co-workers. She is punctual and ensures that her tasks are completed before leaving the office. These tasks include the provision of supervision to ATS Staff & OJTs, staffing, the provision of administrative support to the HOD, liaising with cross-faculty personnel, lecturers & students, maintaining the information system and reviewing and producing the annual estimates of needs reports. She manages the Department dutifully and diligently and with extra care to ensure that it is run effectively. She was also instrumental in ensuring that the orientation of new students of the Department of Political Science was seamlessly and successfully executed. In addition, she spearheaded the Department’s booth at the Campus’s recent Research Week, generously and willingly giving off her time beyond work hours.

One can call upon Mrs Matas at any time during the day or night and even weekends and holidays, if necessary. Recently, she attended a job hiring interview with her supervisor on a public holiday because of the urgency. Self-motivated and ambitious, she is constantly investing in skills development and has completed several training courses in coaching, e-recruit, job evaluation, psychometric Assessment, Banner Finance (Ellucian) to name a few. In addition, she undertook training which facilitated her capacity to motivate and coach employees which is a real and useful asset to the Department. Mrs Matas is an all-round achiever who is also a member of the UWI Tennis Team and the Faculty of Social Sciences Scorchers Cricket Team and represented The UWI in various Tennis Tournaments. In 2018, she has won several trophies for her cricket prowess and sportsmanship. Mrs. Matas has also resurrected the Faculty of Social Sciences Cricket Team the “FSS Scorchers,” comprised of cricketers from various Departments within the Faculty of Social Sciences, to compete in the UWI Credit Union Cricket Tournament held in September 2023. In addition, she led the Department in the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Decorate your Department Christmas Competition 2023, where she and her team decorated t the Political Science Ofiice with blue and silver Christmas decorations using the theme “UWI 75TH Anniversary Jubilee Celebration”. She is also a certified tailor, baker, singer, songwriter and musician and has released new parang music for the 2023 Christmas season on Trinidad's radio stations.

Given her exemplary comportment, personality, efficiency, competence, motivation, drive, and multiple talents, Mrs Valerie Matas is an unsung heroine of the university.

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Nadine Mcewan

Mona

Mrs. Nadine McEwan is currently the Programme Coordinator for Undergraduate Matters in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Science and Technology, UWI Mona Campus. She has been employed by the university 2003. Collegial and a team player, Mrs. McEwan has a record of accomplishment of being results oriented. She also integrally involved in faculty events such as the annual faculty awards ceremony, orientation, workshops, and seminars.

Mrs. McEwan is also the administrator for the faculty’s foundation course, FOUN1201 (Science, Medicine and Technology in Society). Her initiatives seek to improve to experience of students in the faculty. She conceptualized and designed both the Faculty Summer School Information, and New Students' information Guide – both of which are uploaded to the faculty website. This initiative reduced printing costs and the number of students visiting the office for information. A key part of her job involves monitoring and informing students about their academic performance and progress. She initia

Professionalism is her hallmark; and it is with that approach that stakeholders from across the campus can call upon her to have matters of varying nature addressed. Mrs Mcewan is an integral member of the Faculty Office team and is an unsung heroine of the university.

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Mona Middle Management Committee Mona Library

Mona

Colleagues nominated the UWI Mona Library Middle Management Committee for "Exam Tea Project" initiative which significantly improved the quality of student’s lives during the exam period. Under the programme, staff provided students with tea, juice, and an assortment of biscuits and crackers during the Semester 2 examination period. The students were served by committee members at 7:30am each morning of the programme and were overjoyed by the fact and voiced their satisfaction with the offerings on display and for the taking. Students noted that it "put a pep in their step" going into exams.

To facilitate the programme, the committee lobbied and successfully obtained sponsorship from LASCO and Jamaica Biscuit Company (Excelsior). Both companies readily came on board and provided the products needed to get the initiative going. They also received support from all members of the library family, from the Acting Campus Librarian (Library Administration) to the custodians who assisted where needed. The committee was also able to provide service to Campus and the broader University Community as after the first day of serving the students, the Faculty of Social Sciences Guild representative came on board and donated items so that the committee was able to extend their offerings for longer than originally planned. The days happenings were highlighted on the Library's social media pages and high praises were given through likes and comments. The Committee comprises of senior MONATS staff members from each branch of the library and are as follows: Kevin Atkinson, David Brown, Marcia Bryan-West, Carron Edwards, Mrs Cheryl Folkes (Chair), Miss Simone Harrison, Miss Donnette Howell, Miguel McKoy, Cedric Palmer, Patrick Whyte, Stacie Young, Mrs Calarine Smith-Rance, Barbara Waul and Adrian Duncan (Resource Person).

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Miriam Lindo (Retired)

Mrs. Miriam Lindo retired from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in September 2021. She served as the Administrative Officer in the Dean’s Office Faculty of Science and Technology since August 2011. Collegiality: Mrs. Lindo is a willing team player who provided strong administrative support and guidance to the staff in the Faculty Office and the wider university. Her jovial demeanour provides a calm and easy-going relationship among her colleagues and makes it easy to discuss matters of concern.

Professionalism: She constantly demonstrates a positive attitude while exhibiting good judgement. She treats all levels of staff and external stakeholders with respect and tends to address the university’s affairs in an ethical manner.

Service beyond duty (institutional loyalty and engagement): Mrs. Lindo provided excellent leadership and staunch support to the faculty primarily in the area of Human Resources. That is, she organizes members of staff and sought their reclassification while coordinating the Assessment and Promotion exercises. She possesses a wealth of knowledge about the operations of the University and has served on various committees of the UWI. Mrs. Lindo also participates in the functions of the University. She is also student-centered, goal-orientated, creative and initiative driven, often catering to the needs of the faculty without being asked. Mrs. Lindo is also very instrumental in organizing and seamlessly executing Faculty events such as the Annual Pre-orientation Programme, Annual Awards Ceremony and the Biennial Faculty Conference. Her publication to date includes two Graduate Magazines that were produced to highlight the work of graduate students in the faculty.

Initiative: Mrs. Lindo was the joint Budget Holder with the Dean, and she manages the day-to-day financial matters of the Faculty Office and was an excellent liaison person with the Bursary. She contributed to the income generating initiatives of the faculty primarily through the rental of the lecture theatres and a food festival that was held in 2015. She also serves as the Facility Manager where she sees to the maintenance and renovation of the lecture theatres, other infrastructure facilities and the grounds.

Service (to campus and broader University Community): Mrs. Miriam Lindo served as Vice-President of the Mona Administrative and Technical Staff Association (MONATS) in 2004.

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Margaret Little

Mona

Ms. Margaret Little is a Senior Secretary in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, UWI Mona Campus. She has been employed in the Department of Physics since 1998. An effective communicator, she is well liked and respected by her peers. Her contribution to teamwork usually happens discretely. No matter how busy Miss Little may be, she is always willing to go the ‘extra mile’. She =supports the organization of CAPE workshops, events, or the departmental functions to ensure seamless execution. She contributes ideas in meetings if she identifies areas that can be improved upon. Her comments are usually measured with intent to enable improvement; which are appreciated and extremely useful.

The consummate professional, Miss Little is reliable, competent and takes pride in her work, and always strives to maintain the highest standards. Many of our current graduate students have attested to this in their day-to-day interactions with the department. She willingly supports the department in areas outside of her job description. This includes providing administrative support for Climate Group workshops between 2019 and 2020 or serving as administrative assistant when needed. She supports the department initiatives and currently serves as the Assistant MSc Coordinator for both the MSc Medical Physics and Renewable Energy Management Programmes. In addition, she has provided training to staff and graduate students in letter writing.

Miss Little provides exceptional support to the Physics Department and most recently the faculty in the onboarding of new Universities Lecturers. She accompanies them to various agencies to satisfy statutory requirements for their employment at The UWI Mona. In addition, Miss Little also provides logistical support to International Academic visitors and Climate Group Experts. She pays keen attention to details and provides essential support as Departmental Coordinator for the Assessment of Teaching and Courses for undergraduate and later the graduate level. She produces minutes par excellence.

Miss Little is a disciplined Colleague who adheres to principles and high standards. She has served The University well for 25 years and valued by her colleagues. For her work in the Department of Physics, Miss Little is an unsung heroine of the university.

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Stephanie Long

Cave Hill

Miss Stephanie Long has worked for over twenty years on the Cave Hill Campus Book Store. With her knowledge of university policies and guidelines, she helps to anchor the Bookstore and ensures that it maintained its efficiency and continued to thrive.

This knowledge is the reason why she is always able to assist, even if it meant pointing persons to the right people to obtain the assistance needed. Her nominator, Dwayne Haynes notes that he often refers to her as a campus celebrity as she is well known and engaged by many of the staff on campus, both administrative and academic. Her bubbly and fun-loving personality makes her well liked and appreciated by most on Campus and in the bookstore, as she is always willing to assist where possible.

When it comes to gift giving ceremonies and staff functions, Stephanie is the ‘go to’ person. From unique gift wrapping to the dressing of rooms/areas for said functions, her creativity and artistic talents are an asset. This is evidenced in the numerous in-store displays for the UWI/RBC Race for the Kids and other campus events and holidays. Stephanie has even been praised recently by Ms. May Hinds who has conducted HR training initiatives here on campus, for being a gem to customer service. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Stephanie played a pivotal role in the organisation of the Cave Hill Biennial Staff Games contingent and its fundraising. Not to be left out, she participated in tennis and athletics, winning a bronze medal in the relay at the last games after filling the spot at the last minute when one of the other team members could not participate.

Outspoken, conscientious, and possessing an excellent work ethic, Stephanie Long is an unsung heroine of the Cave Hill Campus and the university.

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Arlene Dolabaille Library Plant Lovers (LPL)

St. Augustine

The nomination is for the group Library Plant Lovers (LPL), St. Augustine Campus, which has excelled in three categories: collegiality, service beyond duty and initiative.

Initiative: In 2018, the LPL was born after the campus libraries were required to realign their expenditure, and among the items axed were the plants and the resultant maintenance. The absence of plants created a stark environment felt most by persons who needed the beauty and peace of the flora. Out of this despair, the initiative was born. Led by Librarian Arlene Dolabaille, this group is comprised of volunteers from the ATSS and SAP across all departments and grades at the Alma Jordan Library. Adorned in LPL-branded t-shirts, they have conducted fundraisers (breakfast boxes, corn soup and plant sales to the UWI community) to purchase plants and resources to maintain the verdant flora scattered throughout the library. As part of its outreach programme, the group has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Land & Fisheries, to host free Agricultural lectures and demonstrations for the Alma Jordan Sta. The plants have also been loaned for exhibitions and other events.

Collegiality: Through the LPL activities, camaraderie has developed across all levels of the library staff, as members connected with one another and developed a deeper respect for each person’s skill set. It has facilitated cross departmental bonding, most evident through weekend activities like the LPL’s shing trips before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Service: Members go beyond their duties and willingly give time to plan and execute activities, and plant and sustain the flora. The LPL has quietly and tirelessly worked and deserves recognition. It epitomises the spirit of the UWI where innovation occurs in the face of challenges. LPL shows that no effort is too small to make a difference in our spaces.

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Monique Lynch

Mona

As one of the youngest members of our department, Dr Lynch nurtures the spirit of collegiality, professionalism, and resourcefulness through her genuine support of her colleagues. Whether her support is assisting us in planning workshops, trainings, or conferences, or administrative assistance in creating flyers, google forms and certificates for all our events, she is up front and centre. She is always helpful, goes the extra mile, whether being on the welfare committee for our students and ancillary staff or always seeking collaborations from her networks to assist colleagues individually or as a department.

She is intrinsically driven and gently pushes all of us to become the best versions of ourselves. Dr Lynch assisted staff with self-publishing of their books, she started a newsletter for the department to highlight staff members and our achievements and to keep us informed and she heads three research hubs to help us increase our publications. During the pandemic, she planned, and executed the Annual Nursing & Midwifery Research Conference by herself, and it was done with an international standard and quality. She wears so many hats as a Youth Ambassador representing Jamaica on the CARICOM, Commonwealth and UN Levels and has represented our department wherever she goes, no matter the platform or stage.

An innovative team player and leader, Dr Lynch is an unsung heroine of the university.

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Valderine Major

Mona

For almost twenty years, Mrs. Valderine Major was the Student Services Manager and a signatory to the University's account in the UWI's Centre for Hotel and Tourism Management (CHTM) in Nassau, The Bahamas s. She worked mostly on her own in the Bahamas and was available 24 hours, 7 days a week once a student arrived in The Bahamas, until they left. Mrs. Major was a team player contributing to the initiatives of the CHTM and represented the Centre and the University on several occasions.

Valderine got close to her students and met their needs including exceptional circumstances of a student passing and students having mental health difficulties. She also developed and managed exceptional student extracurricular activities. In the aftermath of hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas, she arranged for the students to lend a hand to the Red Cross. The UWI students worked together as a team packing boxes of food stuff and other items to be shipped to those persons in need.

Her role as a career advisor and managing the internship programme for the hotel and tourism management students was outstanding. She maintained good working relationships with employers and provided references for student’s even after they completed the Centre’s internship programme. The way Mrs. Major managed the student government from year to year was remarkable. She was a force to be reckoned with and the students gave her the highest regard. Her nomination has been seconded by her former Supervisor, Mr Jason McKenzie. In the justification, Michelle Mcleod notes that ‘I have not seen this level of service and dedication by an individual to an organization in my life.’ Valerie Major is an unsung heroine of the university.

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Roseanne Maxwell

Cave Hill

During her 36 years of Herculean stewardship as Alumni Coordinator at the Cave Hill campus, she has exhibited nothing but professionalism. Always well attired, trustworthy and a joy to work with, she treats her managers and colleagues with great respect. An ultimate team player, Roseanne is motivated and committed towards The UWI achieving its goals.

Mrs. Maxwell is a tower of strength, perseverance, dedication, selflessness, and resolve. She goes the extra mile to positively enhance the lives of students. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, she ensured that students remaining on Halls in Barbados were well fed through an arrangement she established with the proprietor of our Campus supermarket. Additionally, students remaining on halls during the Christmas break usually benefit from Mrs. Maxwell’s generosity by being included in her family’s Xmas meal or being hosted by staff members at her request.

She oversees The Cave Hill UWI STAT Ambassador Corps (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) s and, she is always at the forefront of the organizing, t, providing guidance on gift selections or advising on the protocol list. She provides guidance on deportment and giving positive advice about student’s academics or even personal issues. Some of the many successful initiatives undertaken by Ms. Maxwell include an annual Career Development & Interview Sessions Workshop, and an Etiquette Dining Experience for final year students and alumni. Then, there is the annual “Airport Meet and Greet” for new and returning students, where she is upfront interacting with local businesses to provide items for care packages and putting plans in motion for a safe journey to their destinations. Lastly, she is always seeking out scholarships to assist students. Mrs. Maxwell’s diligence and commitment to alumni relations has been singled out by The UWI Alumni Association (UWIAA) for numerous awards.

Roseanne is actively involved in campus activities. At this year’s RBC Race for the Kids, she successfully increased registration, copping the monetary prize (which she handed over to a less privileged student) for the signing of the most participants. Presently, she is an integral part of Cave Hill’s 60th anniversary monthly “Heritage Hikes” and assumes the role as a hike leader. This self-motivated employee also played an integral role in setting up the Faculty of Social Sciences Alumni Association. Moreover, she held portfolios in The UWI Cave Hill Cooperative Credit Union Ltd., namely: Vice President (Board of Directors) & Chair and Secretary - Credit Committee. She was also Chief Usher of the Campus’ Usher Corp.

Her outstanding service and contributions to the effective functioning of Cave Hill and the wider UWI qualifies her to be highly recommended as a worker par excellence and to be duly awarded top honours.

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Miguel McKoy

Mona

Mr. McKoy professionalism, worth ethic and dedication epitomises the criteria of an unsung hero to the university. He always displays a positive "can do" attitude and approaches his duties with enthusiasm. Works well without supervision and readily assumes a supervisory and coaching role for junior staff and student workers. He is consistently chosen as our “Customer Service Employee of the Year” from the Western Jamacia Campus (WJC) Branch Library. Some patrons take the time to submit written feedback forms describing his assistance and expressing their appreciation with his services.

Mr. McKoy often volunteers to go the extra mile when necessary. He is punctual, reliable, and seeks to assist both patrons and staff in a way that meets or exceeds expectations. He is our first point of call for troubleshooting technology issues. Mr. McKoy represents the WJC Library on committees such as the Mona Library Health & Wellness Committee, the Disaster Preparedness Committee, and the Digitization Committee. He spends the time to assist the patrons at the Reference and Circulation Desks even when he is not scheduled for those sections. He is patient with students who come at or near closing time to request time consuming and/or urgent services, always displaying empathy.

One of Mr. McKoy's strong points is his consistent display of initiative. He regularly advocates for improvements in the library’s facilities and services and posts necessary signs and notices to ensure that the patrons are aware of library related matters. Mr. McKoy not only trouble shoots issues brought to his attention, and escalates when necessary to his supervisors, he also makes valuable suggestions for improvements. Some of his recommendations included improved placement of security features, and the acquisition of tools such as trolleys and other equipment to improve workflow.

An invaluable member of staff at the WJC Branch Library, Mr McKoy is an unsung hero of the university.

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Jacqueline McLean

Mona

Ms. Jacqueline McLean and her team (including Ms. Nolda Thompson in earlier years, Mrs. Trudy-Ann Blair-Wallace, lately, and many others through the decades), have led the financial management of the research grants to the UWI, totalling near 3.7 million USD. These research grants for which Dr. Celia Christie Samuels has been the lead Principal Investigator, have included the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, Merck and Co. USA, United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) among others. These funding organizations and their research grants were all remarkably diverse and had vastly different financial monitoring requirements, reporting and auditing systems. These grants were incredibly challenging to manage. In all instances, Miss McLean was always very professional, astute, clear, timely, accurate and responsive to implement whatever needed to be done to meet the various requirements. She also collaborated with the auditors, both here at the UWI and with the international funders, to complete their variable auditing statements. She assisted the UWI to stand tall and in front as she managed the financial aspects of these grants, thereby allowing the clinical teams to concentrate on the technical requirements of implementing these research grants. She also went beyond the call of duty in many instances in her interaction with the international organizations, especially the European Union/European Commissions/PENTA Foundation in collaboration with the UWI’S Regional oversight body (from Trinidad), to Implement the unique and very strict financial accounting and auditing arrangements that were the hard work behind the scenes of this phenomenal woman greatly contributed to UWI’ documented achievement of global excellence, as it is now being named amongst the top universities internationally. .

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Stephen Mighty

Mona

Mr. Stephen Might has been Storekeeper in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology since 2009. Mr. Mighty interacts very well with all internal stakeholders (service, technical and academic staff as well as graduate students) and external stakeholders (vendors, delivery men, other UWI personnel) of the Department. He has a pleasant disposition and despite the stresses of his portfolio is rarely caught without a smile or warm greeting for those he encounters throughout his daily work activities. He works well within a team and stands ready to advise others whenever possible as he generously shares his knowledge. Since being employed in the Department of Chemistry, Mr. Stephen Mighty has diligently managed the Chemistry Stores. He consistently produces work of the highest calibre, is highly organized, and delivers within stipulated time frames. Mr. Mighty can be depended on to follow through and follow-up on requisitions and orders to ensure, within the limitations of our current situation, that our vendors’ invoices are processed in a timely manner. He is persistent in ensuring that all requisitions afford us the best possible value as he keeps the interest of the Department and the University at the forefront of his operations.

Mr. Mighty can be depended on to go the extra mile to source materials and supplies from vendors and colleagues in other Departments to ensure the smooth operation of the undergraduate laboratory programme in the Department of Chemistry, advising the Head of Department on which departments are able to assist with needed supplies and how to go about securing that assistance. With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, and even more severe constraints, Mr. Mighty has exercised great initiative to ensure that supplies are available for face-to-face lab classes. He routinely negotiates with suppliers to ensure that laboratory chemicals and supplies are delivered even when the University is not proactive in paying the vendors. He goes the extra mile, even picking up supplies with his personal vehicle in the absence of delivery vehicles. Mr. Mighty provides the department and the University with impeccable service within and beyond his portfolio, assisting other departments with ordering, at one point devising strategies to order chemicals for the entire campus to get the best bargain for the University’s dollar. He is always willing and able to assist with department and campus activities and functions, regularly seen decorating for events or participating in departmental clean-ups.

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Sean Mock Yen

Mona

Mr. Sean Mock Yen is the embodiment of the steadfast stewardship of administrative, technical and support staff of the University of the West Indies and meets all the criteria for an award.

His career is intertwined with the growth of the University’s institutional memory. He was instrumental in conducting and curating recordings during his tenure at the former Radio Education Unit, whose central role for capturing and documenting university events predates the Mona Multimedia Unit and UWI TV. At the University Archives he continues to record and organize these materials.

He is unique in that some of his work is behind the scenes, such as recording, on tape, meetings, and events, or producing the weekly radio programme, “On Campus”. In the programme he serves as ‘the voice’ of the Mona Campus and his distinct voice can also be heard advertising university events and announcements in the public media.

His professionalism is well demonstrated, not only by the ways he carries out his technical duties, but by the confidential way he treats information learned when recording and safeguarding the deliberations of high-level university committee meetings. At times, the meetings or events extend into the late evening or night, and he never complains when he has to work long past normal working hours.

His initiative is constantly being demonstrated in solving technical issues involved in ‘bringing’ back old audio recordings to life and making them usable again. At times, when issues arise in the recording of events, he often must provide solutions at short notice.

One of the secrets of his success is his pleasant personality and ability to work well with people. Indeed, he is so approachable and willing to help others, that university personnel and researchers know that they can call on him at short notice, either for information in the audio archives or to record an event.

In the past few years when the University Archivist had been working at another campus, he had been responsible for the day-to-day operations of the University Archives. This well demonstrates his immense value to the institution.

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Nizamudeen Mohammed

St. Augustine

Mr. Mohammed took on the responsibility of revenue generation for the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and by extension the UWI when he formulated a number of protective coatings, including an asphalt primer, marine coating, plastic cement among others while still being in the category of an ATS staff.

He further went on to have these products tried and tested (Certified Internationally recognized Labs) despite facing many obstacles and bureaucracy. He had conducted his own market research to determine the needs of the users as it relates to the products. Mr. Mohammed have proven himself to be a very resourceful and inventive person as there are more products in the pipeline.

Mr. Mohammed has proven that he has fully embraced the revenue revolution and financial sustainability for the survival of the UWI (when other staff were hesitant). Some of the formulated products have already been sold to various individuals and companies (thereby generating revenue for the Dept/UWI). Work has also been done on sealing the concrete roofs of various building on the St. Augustine campus using these products, thus saving the UWI thousands of dollars. These products have also attracted the attention of some major investors as it relates to commercialization.

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Anne Osborne (Posthumous)

Dr Anne Osborne, as a pioneer in setting up the Certificate and Degree programmes in the Musical Arts in the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, Faculty of Humanities and Education, St. Augustine, was able to build relationship and facilitate collaborations thus engineering goodwill from a broad spectrum of the UWI faculty, not only in St. Augustine Campus But between music educators and music practitioners with the UWI programmes because of the immense respect she has earned over the years as a brilliant musician and authoritative figure in the national landscape.

As to her ethical nature and penchant for professionalism, there are many who would testify to this aspect of her life. She treated her colleagues and students with respect, demanding high standards, while ensuring that all procedures and policies were observed. Her command in the lecture room was unquestioned and her recommendations were soundly formulated. She always sought out thoughts and opinions of her staff, for most of whom she was a devoted friend and motivator.

She initiated many ground-breaking programmes beyond the UWI. It was her brainchild to inaugurate a graded examination in steel pan performance that has gained recognition nationally and regionally. It is a one-of-a-kind examination syllabus, for which she engaged the support and commitment of an effective team: the Pan Exams Board (made up of Music Unit staff) administrates the examinations and the Pan Exams is now a registered not for profit organization. She also supported the establishment of the Republic Bank Pan Minors Music Literacy Scholarship programme that was successfully implemented for over 25 years, graduates of which have continued their studies in Music at the university level even in the UWI. Another example of this was her commitment to the establishment and administration of the Association for Caribbean Music Educators.

Her loyalty to the UWI was unquestioned as she sought the best interests of the institution, so much so, that it is largely to her efforts, the UWI is considered the premier institution for Music Education at the tertiary level in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region. Through the establishment of first, the Certificate of Music, then the Degree programme, many of our teachers in public schools have gained tremendously and are now well positioned as Music teachers, Head of Departments, even Vice Principals and Principals. She has also established close links with colleagues in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados to name a few islands. Her innovation, and impactful commitment to her field and institution, the committee and her nominators declare, posthumously that Dr Osbourne is an Unsung Heroine of The UWI

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Cedric Palmer

Mona

The concept of the Reprographic Unit (RESU) at the Mona Library came about with him at the time while he was understudying his then supervisor, Anthony Bushay. The aim was to have a one stop shop where students, faculty and staff could get their printing, photocopying, scanning and purchase of copy cards done. The idea was shared with the then Campus Librarian Ms. Stephney Ferguson and RESU was born on November 22, 1999.

Mr. Palmer had a concept to provide services such as photocopying, printing, purchasing of photocopy cards, scanning etc. at one point. There are resources in the library that users could not remove such a 3hr loan materials, reserve books and other items in the closed collections and hence, these needed to be copied. RESU has been formed and is now operationalized with a small team. Patrons no longer join long lines at the circulation desk anymore, they could just go to the unit to get these jobs done, pay the requisite sums, and collect their materials and receipts. The library is generating income and adding to the growth of UWI in its service delivery.

RESU has evolved over the years and had outgrown its space and so Cedric sought a new location at the front of the library where he is not just offering these services internally but can meet the wider Campus community needs. The unit is guided by copyright laws in terms of reproduction of works. Other services that the Unit offers are payment of fines, printing services, spiral binding, lamination, sale of stationary items etc. Mr. Palmer started out in purchasing these small items and having them sold in the unit as there was a demand. RESU has grown and continues to provide excellent service and generate income for the library and the broader UWI Mona. Mr. Palmer is the supervisor for the Unit, and he continues to encourage his staff and build out the unit. Always one with fresh ideas and being a Justice of the Peace, he is a resident for persons who seek his services as well.

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Shelly-Ann Patrick-Harper

St. Augustine

Mrs Shelley Ann Patrick-Harper has, over her years of service at The UWI, consistently gone beyond her call of duty. She previously held oversight of the events management for the Office of the Campus Principal and was the point person for managing the Principal's End of Year Reception. She would also assist with selling tickets for The UWI Development and Endowment Fund Fete event. She also held numerous clothing and food drives to provide assistance to food and disaster relief victims both locally and regionally (St. Vincent volcano eruption).

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Joseph Pereira (Retired)

Mr. Joseph (Joe) Pereira served the Mona Campus and The UWI by extension with distinction as an academic and administrator. He was the quintessential professional serving as lecturer, Dean, President of WIGUT and Deputy Campus Principal. He was responsible for formulating enduring processes and structures of the operations of the Office of Deputy Campus Principal, making it the locus of student administrative support when student centredness became a strategic focus of The UWI.

Always humble, he went beyond the call of duty in all assignments into which he was drafted to promote the integrity, dignity and excellence of The UWI. As Deputy Principal of the Mona Campus, he was the primary spokesman for the Campus and interlocutor with the media and external stakeholders. He was always calm and measured in his interventions. He served several terms as President of WIGUT, the union representing senior administrative and professional staff. No doubt his union experience served him well in his role as Deputy Campus Principal as it has been noted that there were no strikes while he served in administration! There is a WIGUT scholarship named in his honour, testimony to his sterling service as President and his commitment to student excellence.

His quiet demeanour belied his dry sense of humour, and ability to say exactly – and diplomatically - what needed to be said, when it needed to be said, and to whom it needed to be said. He served the Mona campus and The UWI with commitment and loyalty. For all that he has done for students and staff, he is truly deserving of being recognised as one of the 75@75 unsung heroes of The UWI!

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June Pinto

Mona

Ms. Pinto has displayed a high level of professionalism and strong work ethic in the way she has managed the administration of the Department’s Office over the years. She has outstanding interpersonal and management skills. She is an excellent team leader and works well with her administrative team. Over the years, she has assisted several Heads of Departments with the preparation of departmental reports, organizations of events and meetings, overseeing various tasks and projects, among other things. She goes beyond duty in ensuring that academic staff has administrative support throughout the academic year. Due to her years of experience, she is remarkably familiar with the university regulations and procedures. This, along with her good relations with the various offices on campus have been exceptionally useful on several occasions in executing her duties and assisting many other colleagues and departments in successfully completing their duties.

Ms. Pinto often acts as a liaison between staff and students and is always on hand to assist students and respond to their queries. Her involvement outside of the office in committees such as the Department’s Staff/Student Liaison Committee shows her commitment to enhancing our academic and administrative support to students. She was also integral in an initiative to train and evaluate tutors in the Department. For her continued contribution to her department, Ms Pinto is an Unsung Heroine of The UWI

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Nikiesha Plato-Robinson

St. Augustine

​Ms. Plato goes beyond the call of duty as she is currently striding two roles, one as the Faculty Outreach administrator and the other as the Post Graduate Research and Affairs admin. These two roles are currently extremely demanding as it is imperative for the UWI to market their programmes (especially PG) more due to declining enrolment. Despite these additional responsibilities, Nikeisha has assisted immensely in the Research and Affairs activities such as creating, preparing for, and managing PG meetings. She has done a flawless job with extremely high levels of professionalism. She has always displayed kindness and collegiality, even when others have missed their deadlines. She is innovative and adaptable in managing changes in schedules to meetings due to unforeseen events. A recent thrust in the faculty is to create for the first time, a one-stop flyer on all the PG programmes in the faculty to market on social media sites to increase the enrolment. She is single-handedly spearheading this new initiative and needs minimal support to undertake it. For her innovation and commitment to her department, Ms Plato is an unsung heroine of The UWI

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Normel Pounder (Retired)

​As the office Administrative Assistant, School of Education, Mrs. Pounder has displayed unwavering dedication, unparalleled excellence, and selfless service beyond the call of her duty.

​Throughout her long service Mrs. Pounder consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence in her work. Her meticulous attention to detail and efficient management of administrative tasks significantly contributed to the smooth functioning of the School of Education, enhancing its reputation for excellence.

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Nishan Rampersad

St. Augustine

​Nishan has always been very cooperative and attentive to the needs of Archives and Records Management in promoting the use of SharePoint on the Campus for the storage and management of documents. He works well with all stakeholders to understand their needs and shape the SharePoint instance to meet those needs. His highly developed communication skills served him well. He is required to work with a wide variety of persons from all departments and he had developed friendly and cooperative relationships. Nishan participated in the Centre for Language and Learning’s 25th Commemorative Anniversary Video as he is an active participant in CLL having completed Japanese Level 2

The Emergency Notification System that was used during COVID to keep members of staff informed had been created by Nishan and was ready for immediate deployment when the need arose. Nishan is currently the Cross-Campus SharePoint Focus Group, Lead, and a Member of the, UWI SharePoint Stakeholder Committee. Continuous education is vital in the IT Field and Nishan continues to update his skills and competencies with Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Managing Microsoft Teams, Managing Remote Teams, (2020), and others too many to list. Nishan is punctual and reliable and is always appropriately dressed for the job, he comes to meetings on time and respects the other’s time, maintaining a positive attitude and engaging in seeking solutions.

Several systems in everyday use on Campus were spearheaded by Nishan. This includes the computer-based system for STA Campus Elections made the nomination and election process safely, conveniently, and securely accessible to all eligible members of staff when the country was locked down in a State of Emergency due to the Covid pandemic. Crucially, it promoted the democratic spirit of the Campus Elections. Another crucial programme is The Campus Trees database for the National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago 200th Anniversary. With the New Campus Intranet, Nishan’s intervention demonstrated what is possible with Office 365, including empowering content owners and personalized Business Intelligence dashboards, as presented at University Cross Campus Retreat 2022. His continued innovation in workflow processes, too numerous to name here, has continued to improve efficiency in all areas of university life. Nishan Rampersad is an unsung Hero of The UWI.

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Rodney Ramsingh

St. Augustine

​Rodney can be called at any time of the day and responds to all emergencies on campus. He sacrifices family time, weekends, and public holidays to make sure that the campus is taken care of. During the COVID19 pandemic, he was one of five (5) persons on the ground that looked after the campus regardless of the lockdown status of the country. He looks after the sewer system and gets his hands dirty without question. He makes sure all generators are functioning during power outages and is the most dependable employee in the Division.

Rodney performs continuously on job roles four times higher than his own and does a better job at it too. He takes the initiative to suggest solutions to problems especially during crisis situations. He can think quickly, critically and can get the job done regardless of the circumstances. He provides key support with campus events such the UWI Fete and World of Work voluntarily. He also plays a key role in activities such as induction ceremonies, exams, and graduation. He works with all departments and sections and never hesitates to assist when needed. An integral member of staff, Rodney Ramsingh is an Unsung Hero of The UWI

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Andrew Ramudit

St. Augustine

​Since Andrew joined the Chemistry department as a laboratory technician, he has always been respectful to everyone: his peers, students, his superiors, and persons in authority. His deportment has always been impeccable. You can be rest assured that any task given to him is completed in a very thorough and efficient manner.

Andrew has been able to work well with everyone in the department, so much so that he is an asset to any team who is lucky to have him. When a problem arises, Andrew has been able to produce innovative ideas to solve these problems. For example, he devised a cheap and effective device to conduct the weekly testing of the emergency showers and eye washes in his lab. He has been able to reduce the cost of aqueous waste disposal generated in his lab through the reduction of the volume of waste generated by accelerating the evaporation of the water from the waste. He is a problem solver.

During the recent pandemic when the department had to produce effective and suitable solutions to continue its practical laboratory classes, Andrew was able to prepare 'professional type' laboratory videos for all experiments each week. This he was able to achieve by working many long hours and on weekends just to keep our lab classes running seamless each week. His videos are still being used in our lab courses and students have requested that we do more of these lab videos in a student-staff liaison committee meeting. During our lab classes Andrew is always in the lab to assist both staff and students even if the lab session goes a little beyond the normal time. Andrew is a team player, and he willingly works outside normal work time and on weekends when the time arises for special events to get the job done e.g. for the conference the department hosted in 2019. He has participated in campus 'open day' and outreach programmes to improve the visibility of the campus. An important member of the department, Mr Ramudit is an Unsung Hero of The UWI.

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Kasiane Reid Martin

​Mrs. Reid-Martin started working at The UWI as Secretary to the University Bursar circa 2006. In the intervening years, she has evolved into a wonderful administrator. The current post she holds is Office Manager in the Office of Finance. Mrs. Reid-Martin is the epitome of dedication, hard-work, ingenuity, reliability/dependability, and resilience that goes beyond the call of duty. She is available to not just the staff of the Office of Finance, but to members of the Executive Management Team across the university system and their teams 24/7. She is extremely resourceful and has been known to carve up ingenious ways to solve problems and diffuse brewing ones.

​Her professionalism is evident in the way she coordinates regional meetings of the Office of Finance. This involves interfacing with Permanent Secretaries of Finance and Education across the 17 contributing countries. She does this with consummate ease and grace. The meetings took place face-to-face before the COVID-19 pandemic and during and post-pandemic, they have been taking place virtually. In both formats, Mrs. Reid-Martin’s attentiveness to detail is evident. She has the amazing ability to mobilize people; Ministers of Government across the region have confessed to having been on vacation but have had to show up at University Meetings based on Mrs. Martin’s persistence and relentless nature.

​She is available to her colleagues and the governments of the region 24/7. Even during the late stages of her pregnancy in 2022, she remained available to us all, and quite possibly may have answered telephone calls while in hospital to deliver!

​Her initiative is evident in so many ways – how she coordinates the multiplicity of tasks with which she is charged. It is difficult to pinpoint the individual initiatives, but they all combine marvellously to make for a wonderful and efficient administrator!

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Olivia Rose

Mona

​One of the most deserving individuals that one can think of for service to university and wider community, based on her outstanding contribution to sport in Jamaica, is Dr Olivia Rose. Her positive impact is felt at the national, regional, and international levels specifically in the field of Sport Psychology.

Dr Olivia Rose is a trail blazer in a unique space. She has carved out a space for herself and those who will follow her footsteps in the field of Sport Psychology. She has been a licensed sports psychologist in Jamaica for the past fourteen years, A Chartered Sports Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, United Kingdom and the first and only licensed psychologist from this region with the Middle East Association of Psychology (MEPA).

She has shown exemplary initiative and leadership by paving the way in raising awareness of the importance of mental and emotional wellbeing in sports in Jamaica. Her drive to increase awareness of the importance of emotional wellbeing and mental health in sports has encouraged the sport community to pay more attention to these needs and sparked interest of new career path in sports for youth. She is the founder and chairman of a charity geared specifically to help reduce period poverty among girls and women who compete in sports. The charity is called We Play Through It, PERIOD! They distribute sanitary napkins and educate girls and women in sports about their reproductive health. In 2023 she conducted motivational talks to high schools across Jamaica, covering costs personally on helping to build confidence among youths through her “I am enough” school campaign.

She volunteered for a year as a sports psychologist with the sports department until the post was approved by the university. Her patience, determination, and outstanding achievements for seven years later resulted in the official establishment of the post at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in 2017. Through partnering with the Sports Development Foundation, she launched a series of island-wide workshops offered free to the public to coaches, athletes and parents who could engage in interactive all-day workshops on Sports Psychology. During the onset of the global pandemic, COVID-19, Dr Rose, organized and delivered free remote sessions on Coping for Coaches, Parents and Athletes in Jamaica and the English-Speaking Caribbean. She offered free coping sessions to the netballers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who were severely affected by the erupted volcano in 2021.

Dr Rose has made measurable impact in establishing the practice of Sports Psychology in the Caribbean. She exemplifies the virtue of good citizenship by volunteering her time and services at no cost to some high schools and national teams. She also volunteers her time as a motivational speaker with various groups, such as schools, churches, and organizations. Olivia Rose is the expert voice on sports psychology and sports related matters for various local and regional media houses which she does for free: RJR, Nationwide, Sportmax, CVM and TVJ and a guest columnist for the Gleaner.

Despite her small frame, she has a giant heart for service to the development of sport in her country. She is resourceful and maintains a positive attitude even in difficult situations. She is actively involved in the UWI mentorship program and mentors' students annually that go beyond the year they are assigned to her. Olivia Rose has broken many barriers and touched and enriched the lives of others. She donates her time to Youth and Sports development and certainly leaves a legacy of support for future sport psychologists in the Caribbean. She is the author of five (5) books, the third, was co-authored and focused on Sport Psychology in the Caribbean.

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Wayne Sarjusingh

St. Augustine

Wayne has been a long-standing member of the St Augustine Campus for many years and has played an instrumental role at Campus IT. It is however his unwavering commitment to the Campus and University Exams processes that form the basis of this nomination. Without failure, Wayne the goes extra mile every year to ensure one of the key processes at St Augustine, Exams, continue to run and operate without hiccup. He works tirelessly, whether he’s on vacation, study leave, holiday or otherwise to meet the ever- demanding needs from the Exams unit. What is most admirable is that he does this with a remarkable attitude, and politeness that always receive commendation from his colleagues. He has taken his own initiative to make the process more efficient and seeks to improve his delivery each year. Wayne’s commitment goes beyond St Augustine and has been instrumental in helping his counterparts at other campuses.

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Rosalene Simmonds

Mona

Mrs. Rosalene Simmonds joined the Dean’s Office as an Administrative Officer in 2020. Mrs. Simmonds works well with others and plays a significant role in developing camaraderie among colleagues through the establishment of birthday club celebrations, office retreats and acts of kindness. She maintains a high level of professionalism by treating everyone with respect and adhering to the University's confidentiality and ethical policies. Mrs. Simmonds possesses a wealth of knowledge about the University’s Administrative processes. She plays a prominent role in the daily operations of the Dean’s Office and ensures that all processes flow seamlessly. She has been integral in steering the faculty’s administrative team towards administrative excellence while ensuring that quality administrative functions are maintained. Since her appointment, Mrs. Simmonds has strengthened the administrative presence across the Mona and Western Jamaica Campuses through several initiatives such as establishing and Chairing The UWI Mona’s first Inter-Faculty Committee of Administrative Officers, hosting bi-monthly meetings since Dec 2020- 2022.

Mrs. Simmonds provides overall support to administrators in the faculty. However, direct supervision of the administrative and service staff in the Dean’s Office falls under Mrs. Simmonds’s portfolio. She has skilfully managed the University’s Human Resources landscape while effectively directing staff to ensure targets and standards are maintained or and surpassed. She implemented human resource programmes such as an orientation programme for new staff, enhanced visibility of the faculty through the permanent appointment of a Visibility and Engagement Officer as well as improving safety and security measures for staff and guests. In addition, she sits on many committees including the Sexual Harassment, and Data Protection, Cyber –security committee. Considering her work ethic, professionalism and initiative, Ms Simmonds is an unsung heroine of The UWI

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Cherie-Ann Small

Mona

Cherie-Ann joined CAIHR in December 2003 and by April 2004 had transformed our procurement and grants administration processes into a database management system accessible across CAIHR’s Mona Units followed by electronic archiving of all records with tiered access. Her initiative has improved administration and infrastructure such as eliminating power fluctuations at TMRU by negotiating funding for and managing transfer from the UHWI electricity grid to its own transformer; and implementing a call system that reduced telephone costs by 40%. She was highly commended for her work by Quinquennial external reviewers in 2021.

Cherie-Ann is responsible for CAIHR’s communication agenda, design and management of our website, and social media platforms. The newly launched CAIHR App, is an innovative approach to foster engagement with stakeholders. Under her leadership, the CAIHR 20th anniversary reached the public, external stakeholders, alumni and the UWI community through a day long radio feature, an exhibition and panel discussion on our history at the UWI museum, and award ceremony.

Cherie-Ann established the Jeremiah Global advocacy platform, with The Jeremiah Global Scholarship for students at The UWI Mona Campus, and The Giving that Empowers initiative for public support of persons living with Sickle Cell Disease.

Cherie-Ann has engendered a mutually supportive relationship with the Office of Finance, especially the grants administration team. She arranged sponsored training for team members at the University of Cambridge, UK and Fox Chase Cancer Centre, USA providing access to mentorship in grants management, essential for the UWI’S grant portfolio.

She was instrumental in advancing The UWI brand among Bishops and congregations of the three largest African-Caribbean Churches in the UK through staging the History, Heritage and Identity Symposium series that profiled The University’s formidable scholarship on the West Indian History, Health Sciences and Economics. The seminal presentations by Sir Hilary Beckles, PVC Densil Williams, and other stalwarts and friends of The University, and Professor Kevin Fenton (UK NHS) were embraced with pride by Caribbean Diaspora.

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Deby-Ann Stern

Mona

Deby-Ann represents an all-important public face of the University, interacting with off-campus clients who wish to book and use the facilities of the Philip Sherlock Centre. This is critical with respect to the income generating and financial viability of the Centre. She also interacts with almost every faculty and Hall of Residence on the Mona campus, maintaining a collegial relationship with all.

Deby-Ann is the consummate professional Administrative Officer and can easily lay claim to being the best qualified and most experienced Arts Administrator in Jamaica.

With over three decades of experience behind her, all of which is with the Philip Sherlock Centre, Deby-Ann's unswerving loyally to the institution is without question. Her engagement with both on-campus and off-campus groups has meant that generations of students and performers have been nurtured and instructed by her dedicated commitment to their personal and group welfare. The Centre hosts (ten) 10 of the UWI's major clubs and societies, which often means that she has committed herself to many long hours without additional pay, to their continued success.

Ms. Stern continues to ensure the continuity of excellence at the Philip Sherlock Centre through her personal initiatives. These include having to work with a generally acknowledged inadequate budget, ensuring the integrity of the Centre's infrastructure, efficient handling of crises as they arise, compassionate management of ancillary and security personnel and demonstrating artistic sensibility and sensitivity when interacting with student groups or other clients. Ms. Stern's Kuumba Creative Marketplace has been a feature of campus life for many years and has since been replicated elsewhere across the campus.

Ms. Stern continues to be a model for what service to the University through administration can and ought to be. She is an Unsung heroine of The UWI

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Karen Stewart

Mona

As a Senior Administrative Assistant with seven years of experience at a Biotechnology Centre, Karen has consistently demonstrated exceptional qualities of collegiality, professionalism, service beyond duty, initiative, and campus involvement. These attributes have contributed to her success in providing comprehensive administrative support to the UWI. Collegiality is a cornerstone of Karen’s approach, as she fosters positive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels. Karen is known for her ability to collaborate effectively and maintain open lines of communication, which has resulted in a harmonious and productive work environment.

Maintaining a high level of professionalism is integral to Karen’s work ethic. She consistently upholds standards of excellence in her administrative tasks, ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and attention to detail. She understands the importance of maintaining a polished and professional image both internally and externally, reacting positively on the Biotechnology Centre. Service beyond duty is a core value that drives Karen’s commitment to going beyond her job description. She proactively seeks opportunities to support and assist colleagues and stakeholders, anticipating their needs and providing prompt and effective solutions. Her dedication to delivering exceptional service has earned her a reputation for reliability and dependability.

In addition, she participates in faculty and university wide activities such as volunteering at the FST Awards at each staging and coordinating and participating in the Biotechnology Centre’s labour day project. Karen also provides administrative support to several projects including the National Science Foundation (NSF) Bread Pheno Project. Initiative is a quality Karen consistently demonstrates in her work. She is proactive in identifying areas for improvement and implementing innovative solutions to enhance operational efficiency. She takes ownership of projects and tasks, taking the lead when necessary and finding creative ways to streamline processes. The faculty have showed their appreciation for her contribution such as the Administrative Unsung Hero 2023 and Biotechnology Centre and a Certificate of Appreciation for Outreach & Development.

Whether participating in committees, volunteering for events, or supporting cross-departmental initiatives, she is committed to contributing to the overall success of the university and promoting a sense of community. Ms Stewart is an unsung heroine of The UWI

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Charmain Subero – Salandy

St. Augustine

Mrs. Subero-Salandy has a love and passion for UWI that I admire. Her tenacity for excellence has inspired me and other colleagues to take pride in our work even when we are tired or unsupported in our efforts. In order to see the University thrive and reach its potential she has demonstrated top-tier service to all levels of staff and visitors alike and will often sacrifice her time and meals to ensure that the University is well-represented.

I have personally known Mrs. Subero-Salandy for close to 10 years. I met her through the Mentorship programme while I was a struggling student. Her guidance and support along with those of her colleagues gave me the motivation needed to pursue my goals despite the many obstacles faced. I am eternally grateful for the service beyond duty that she has continuously demonstrated to me and many others.

It is my pleasure to have this opportunity to recognize this unsung heroine and I would love for the University to honour her as she is a valuable stalwart that academic, administrative, support staff, and students can call on. She radiates the pelican pride that our university confidently represents to the Caribbean society and is an Unsung Heroine of The UWI.

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Kevin Tai

Mona

Mr Kevin Tai administers and coordinates the Examinations Section in a professional and committed manner. He deserves to be recognized for his selfless work beyond duty especially when examination sessions and graduation ceremonies are being held on Mona Campus.

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Phyllis Taitt

Cave Hill

Mrs. Phyllis Taitt has served as Office Manager in the Secretariat at the Cave Hill Campus for almost 20 years. She is the epitome of calm efficiency. Members of The UWI should observe how she manages her multi-faceted portfolio and use her modus operandi as the basis for a handbook for UWI Office Managers. I have had the privilege of working with her on organising strategic planning and other meetings at the Cave Hill Campus, and from the start of the planning process to when the last person departs Barbados, her care and attentiveness to detail were superb in ensuring that those meetings were conducted efficiently. I recall receiving on arrival a package containing contact numbers, useful information about Barbados and the Campus, all of which is helpful even to those who have visited Barbados and the Campus many times before. From a small cubicle in the Administrative Building, Mrs. Taitt’s reach across the campus (and Barbados), and her expansive and excellent knowledge about the campus, are truly impressive.

It is a pleasure to engage with Phyllis. She makes you feel welcome to Barbados, to the Campus and the University as a whole. I have personally benefitted from her graciousness and had the pleasure of seeing her engage with colleagues from across the campuses and know that she embraces us all with the same degree of warmth. That warmth is deeply appreciated.

There are many examples of Phyllis being available to the UWI – not just the Cave Hill campus – community after hours and on weekends, participating at events and just being the glue that holds many things together at Cave Hill. However, one particular “outside normal duties” task was Phyllis anchoring one of the 75th Anniversary events – the monthly quizzes. Working with no resources she was able to pull off very successful quizzes that were run across the UWI system. Her success at getting prizes – gift vouchers among other things – from colleagues across the campuses, is also testimony to her collegiality and the very special place that Phyllis holds in our hearts.

She does all this quietly and efficiently. She has done this for many years, I cannot imagine the Registry at Cave Hill without her. When she retires, she will leave a legacy of efficiency and caring for community. She is a true unsung heroine of The UWI.

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Annazika Watkins

Mona

Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre (MAWC) nominates Miss Annazika Watkins for recognition in the programme "Honouring the Unsung Heroes & Heroines of University Administration." Miss Watkins has worked at The UWI since 1992 where she began in a clerical position at University School of Printing. She is now a dedicated MAWC team member who is valued for her resourcefulness, initiative, reliability, team spirit, flexibility, institutional knowledge, and commitment. In her over 30 years of service to The UWI, she has served with excellence. For 13 years she worked with the undergraduate medical programme (MBBS) in the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry. She assisted for undergraduate medical students, as well as provided support to academic staff. She now serves as Administrative Officer at MAWC and is responsible for general administrative and operational management of Centre activities in the areas of teaching, research, outreach, and policy influence. Miss Watkins does not shy away from challenging work and is willing to take on additional responsibilities to fulfil the goals of the Centre and wider university. One recent example of this is her stellar contribution to the work and her willingness to take on additional responsibilities to fulfil the goals of the Centre and wider University. Another example is her sterling contribution to the work of the MAWC COVID-19 vaccination site from 2021 to present. Her direct participation in operational and logistical processes assisted with the site’s success: over 70,000 COVID 19 vaccines administered to date.

Miss Watkins provides leadership and supervision to Administrative, Technical and Support (ATS) staff and is understanding, while holding staff accountable. She is committed to academic leadership and professional development to enhance her capacity to support the Centre’s programme. While continuing to work (at a high standard), she has pursued several training and professional development opportunities including project management, customer service, and human resources management. She recently (2021) completed a BSc. Social Work degree and is currently pursuing the Master of Public Health degree (Gerontology Specialization). These undertakings demonstrate the depth of her commitment. Her extra-departmental service is noteworthy. She represented the Mona Campus in netball from 2005 to 2016. This nomination is unanimously supported by the 11 other MAWC staff members. Miss Watkins is an Unsung Heroine of The UWI.

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Kaydian Williams

Mona

Ms. Kaydiann Williams is the perfect illustration of perseverance, dedication, hard-work, creativity, ingenuity, reliability/dependability, and resilience that goes beyond the call of duty. Ms. Williams has worked on weekends and after-hours during weekdays to ensure that the ICS' events are well run even though she does not own a personal vehicle. She has created and executed several innovations to market the ICS including developing and personally recording YouTube videos that personally recorded introduce staff members, their research and area of expertise as well as current and former students speaking about their degrees. Other important marketing ventures include bringing about the ICS workshops that bridged the gap between the Humanities (in the case of Cultural Studies) and stakeholders (teachers, guidance counsellors, Deans of Discipline). By homing in on a topical issue (violence in schools) and using the ICS' area of expertise (culture), she bridged the gap.

She has often worked on her own at peak times such as during Orientation where she was the only administrator on duty or after semester I exam. She created and filmed an ICS podcast series that looks at the topical issues through the lens of Cultural Studies. She is often the first person in the office and the last to leave as well as providing unwavering support to the Internship programme. At one point, Miss Williams at one point only short-term contracts of 3-6 months and remained despite the inconvenience.

Her current contract marks a reduction in her salary and benefits- at a point in time where costs of living have escalated drastically. All efforts on her behalf by the department to rectify the situation have failed. Despite this, she remains hardworking, dedicated, creative, professional, and resilient. For her sacrifice, collegiality, service, and initiative, Miss Williams is an Unsung heroine of The UWI

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Samantha Williams

Open Campus

Samantha Williams is a diligent, self-motivated professional with a dynamic proven and evident record of generating and building relationships, managing projects, coaching, and mentoring individuals. This reliable goal-oriented individual is passionate about her work and caring for all people. Miss Williams has contributed fifteen (15) selfless years of dedicated service to the University of the West Indies, particularly in the area of library and information service, creating indelible impressions upon every life who encounters her. Given her experience in customer service and qualifications working with people, Samantha is well positioned and committed to serve the University community. Miss Williams’ dynamism bears evidence of her productions which include producer- UWI OC publication which honoured past UWI Resident Tutors at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Site. She is also creator - weekly motivational inspirator to SVG Open Campus student body; designer- orientation, customer service and evaluation tools. Miss Williams instituted and managed the UWIOC SVG campus recycle program and chaired and edited the library and campus newsletters on behalf of the UWIOC SVG site. She has authored several children's books presently available on amazon and manages Caring Hands Helping Hands Charitable Organization in St. Vincent and the Grenadines where she resides. Miss Smanatha Williams is an Unsung Heroine of The UWI.

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Donnette Wright

Mona

Donnette Wright is a Registered Nurse with more than 12 years’ service and Lecturer at The UWI School of Nursing, Mona. She has recently acquired her PhD in Nursing and continues to perform well in her specialized area of work. She also serves in various capacities such as the Leadership Core of the School, Coordinator of a year group, as well as acting Coordinator of the Bachelor of Science Degree in the Nursing Programme at UWISON. Dr Wright is objective in her approach and believes that the standards of an organization should be maintained. To this end, her service is always commendable as she is willing to pivot to meet the school's needs. Dr Wright also believes in educational advancement and continues to lead by example. She is a certified Dietitian who continues to invest academically through research and publications.

Donnette Wright, though goal oriented, serves on several boards and committees across the campus. She is the Executive Member of the WIGUT Team and a member of the Faculty of Medical Sciences Board. She is the Justice of the Peace for the Kingston and St. Andrew Division and a member of the Lay Magistrates Association. She is also the Chair for PTA Meetings, Conferences and Seminars across the region.

Dr Wright is a leader, a motivational speaker, an extraordinary nurse who continues to give of herself. She strives with integrity and commitment to the cause of service. She, without a doubt has proven the characteristics of a heroine. A strong woman, a mother who continues to encourage and uplift her colleagues and friends. An excellent role model, whom I believe surpasses the expectations of others as she gives the "best" at whatever task she is engaged in. Against this background, Dr Donnette Wright because is an Unsung Heroine of The UWI

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Pansy Young (Retired)

Mrs. Pansy Young joined the staff of the Office of the University Registrar as an Assistant Registrar in the Registry Secretariat in July 1985. In 2001, she was promoted to Senior Assistant Registrar. She retired in October 2015.

Over the years of service, she helped to preserve the records of all staff employed at the Centre and all professors across all campus cloistered and little noticed within the walls of the Assembly Hall building. Yet her work and worth were felt and seen on every contact drafted and every assessment and promotion of colleagues. From the beginning to the end, all administrative assignments in between, Pansy Young’s signature was evident.

She was fiercely loyal to The UWI and supported the institution in every way. She ensured rules were obeyed, irrespective of academic and administrative rank. Her service helped to institutionalize human resources initiatives during the mid 1980s to the 1990s across all the Centre offices, units, departments, and institutes.

Pansy Young’s professionalism and integrity were the hallmarks of her tenure. She maintained accurate minutes at some of the most important meetings of the University, e.g., University Appointments Committee, University Finance & General Purposes Committee and University Council. She encouraged colleagues to be familiar with the contents of Ordinance 8 and to adhere to the provisions of the Blue Book. She maintained clear and detailed records of the Career Path and Blue Book meetings and ensured that The UWI Administration and The WIGUTs were always on the same page. She saw to it that all agreements in these deliberations were in keeping with the broader strategic objectives of The UWI. Mrs. Young was mindful of the importance of collegiately within the academic and across all groups and, while she kept the records, she also worked hard and supported a work ethic for a healthy and productive workforce. She shared her knowledge and experience so that by the time she retired, a smooth transition took place and the work continued uninterrupted. Her work at The UWI speaks for itself. In recesses of the Registry, within its mounds of papers, files and archival documents, Pansy Young’s presence is chronicled.