Presented to individuals of Caribbean-Canadian heritage, who have attained success in their field of endeavours.

Mrs. Pamela Coke-Hamilton

Mrs. Pamela Coke-Hamilton

Pamela Coke-Hamilton has served as Executive Director of the International Trade Centre since 1 October 2020. She joined ITC from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where she was Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities.

Ms. Coke-Hamilton has a breadth of experience and expertise in trade-related capacity-building and sustainable development. She served with the Jamaican Government, the Caribbean Forum in trade negotiations, and multilateral institutions, including the Organization of American States and InterAmerican Development Bank. She previously served as Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, strengthening the private sector and micro, small and medium enterprises through investment promotion.

She has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable economies such as the small island developing States and least developed countries. Ms. Coke-Hamilton has worked extensively with the private sector across African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and academia to build trade-related institutional strength within member States. She also established the Women Empowered through Export (WeXport) platform to address the disadvantages that women-owned firms experience in accessing markets.

Ms. Coke-Hamilton holds a Juris Doctor in Law from the Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, DC, and a BSc in International Relations and Economics from the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.

Mrs. Wendy Beckles

Mrs. Wendy Beckles

Wendy attended Queen’s College in Barbados and is a graduate of Harvard University and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She holds the Certified General Accounting designation (CGA), Chartered Professional Accounting designation (CPA) and Certified Healthcare Administrator designation. With a professional career which spans North America, Europe and the Caribbean, Wendy has held executive roles in healthcare, oil and gas, audit, financial services and international business. As President and CEO of Shepherd Village, one of the largest Seniors’ communities in Southern Ontario, Wendy provides innovative executive leadership to her team of 500 as they serve 900 seniors across an integrated healthcare campus. Wendy’s early implementation of COVID-19 pandemic preparedness protocols, successfully positioned Shepherd Village to avoid active outbreaks during wave one. She was recognized in June 2020 by the Scarborough-Agincourt community for her exemplary leadership of frontline workers and the most vulnerable in the community during the pandemic. Wendy was subsequently invited to serve on Ontario’s Provincial Recovery and Planning Table to advise the Ministry of Health on implementation and oversight of COVID protocols throughout the pandemic. In response to increased gun violence in Toronto, Wendy co-founded The Canadian Multicultural LEAD Organization for Mentoring & Training. And in 2011, Wendy was recognized by the Toronto Police Service for her positive contributions to the community and dedication to youth. Wendy was recognized by Planet Africa in 2012 for her contribution to the Crossover Mentorship Program and for impacting the lives of youth and others in leadership. In 2019, Wendy was recognized with the Harry Jerome Award for Leadership by the Black Business & Professional Association. More recently, in March 2020, Wendy was selected as one of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. This award recognizes Wendy’s personal support and involvement in the advancement of black women and girls, in addition to her demonstrated leadership, role modelling and volunteer activities. In December 2020, Wendy was recognized as a WXN Top100 “Canada’s Most Powerful Women” for her excellence in leadership and inspiring the advancement of the next generation of female leaders. Wendy recognizes that authentic leadership is consistently being your best self. That whether you are enjoying success or working through challenges, life is about creating value for others, not just for yourself. Wendy and her husband Mark have three adult children William, Ashley and Warren. Wendy’s family provides her unwavering encouragement to be her best self.

Dr. Gervan Fearon

Dr. Gervan Fearon

Dr. Gervan Fearon is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Brock University. Brock is located in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, and known for its excellence in student experience, experiential and co-operative education, and community engagement, as well as leading Scholars, Researchers and research institutes such as the Cold Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOCI) and the newly established Validation, Prototype and Manufacturing Initiative.
Since Dr. Fearon joined Brock in August 2017, the University has advanced its enrolment and national stature, and established broad partnership arrangements, including Canadian Caribbean Institute with the University of the West Indies.
Previously, he served at Brandon University as President and Vice-Chancellor, and prior as Provost and Vice-President Academic. Dr. Fearon also served as Dean of The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University; as Associate Dean at York University; and as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington.
He also served in the Ontario Government as a senior analyst at Treasury Board Division, Ministry of Finance, and as an executive assistant to the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. His community service includes serving as the President of Tropicana Community Services and a member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation Board, Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples Council and TELUS Community Board. He currently serves on several boards, including chairing the Budget and Audit Committee of the Council of Ontario Universities.
Dr. Fearon received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, and other degrees at the University of Guelph. He holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) designation and an Institute of Corporate Directors Designation (ICD.D). He is the recipient of several awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. His academic research has been published in a number of journals, including as a chapter in the 2012 book, Jamaican in the Canadian Experience: A Multiculturalized Presence.
Dr. Fearon was born in Birmingham, UK, with Jamaican parents who emphasized on university education for their four children. This motivated them to come to Canada, which was instrumental in fulfilling the family’s dreams. Dr. Fearon and his life partner, Dr. Kathy Moscou, have a blended family with five children who inspire them every day. Kathy’s leisure is art, and he plays the saxophone. As a cancer survivor, he values every day as an opportunity to contribute to the betterment of others and society.

Shastri Ramnath

Shastri Ramnath

Shastri Ramnath is a Professional Geoscientist with 20 years of global experience within the exploration and mining industry. She started her career at Falconbridge in Winnipeg in 1999 and then moved to Sudbury to join FNX Mining in 2002. She was a key member of the exploration and resource group at FNX and part of the team that discovered the Victoria Deposit.

In 2010, Shastri joined Bridgeport Ventures Inc. as President and CEO where she raised over 17 million in the capital markets before merging the company with Premier Royalty. In 2012, she co-founded and co-owns Orix Geoscience Inc., a consulting firm that partners with exploration and mining companies to provide front end geological support. The success of Orix in its inaugural three years resulted in Shastri being nominated for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada and was one of three finalists for the Momentum Award.

More recently, Shastri co-founded Exiro Minerals, a junior exploration company focused on project generation that combines technology with traditional exploration methodologies.  Shastri received a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Manitoba, a M.Sc. in Exploration Geology from Rhodes University (South Africa), and an Executive MBA from Athabasca University.

Harold Brathwaite

Harold Brathwaite

Harold Brathwaite is a proud Bajan-Canadian whose early education began under the tutelage of his mother, Lotty; she ensured that he could read and write, and knew all his tables before he started school at St. Giles Boys School. He attributes his parents’ concern for learning as having a major impact on his life and that of his siblings. Two years at Combermere S.S. preceded his entry to Harrison College (HC), and a U.C.W.I. Exhibition allowed him to complete his first degree in French at Mona, Jamaica, in 1965; this included a year in Lyon, France. After teaching for three years at HC, he emigrated to Canada in 1968 to complete a Master’s degree at McMaster University.

Harold’s working career has spanned more than four and a half decades, including thirty-one years in publicly-funded education. He rose through the ranks of school administration with the Halton Board of Education, and from 1984 to 1994 he served in a number of senior roles with the legacy Toronto Board – Superintendent of French Language Schools, Superintendent of Secondary Schools, and Associate-Director of Program and Personnel. In 1994, he was appointed Director of Education of the Peel District Board of Education, then Canada’s largest school board, and retired in June 2002. In recognition of his contribution to education in Peel, the Board named a high school in Brampton for him. He came out of retirement in January 2003 to take up the position of Senior Advisor to the President of Seneca College. Then, from September 2004 to June of 2015 he served as Executive Director of the Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO).

He has been a vocal advocate for public education, for issues of equity, and for building capacity in communities. He served in many roles on Ministry of Education Committees, on Premier McGuinty’s Transition Team, as a Trustee of the Art Gallery of Ontario, as Chair of the legacy Nelson Mandela’s Children Fund of Canada, as a member of the Toronto Lands Commission, as a member of United Way of Peel, as a member and Chair of the Advisory Governance Council of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), and was selected in 1998 as one of a small group of Ontario educators to visit and advise the South African government on systemic education reform.

For his contribution to the community and education Harold Brathwaite has received numerous awards including the first Egerton Ryerson Award from People for Education, the Canadian Black Achievement Award, the Harry Jerome Award, UNICEF Volunteer Award, Distinguished Alumnus Award – McMaster University, the Arbor Award from the U of T, Distinguished Service Award from The Learning Partnership, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations Award, the Barbados Ball Canada Aid Errol Barrow Award, and in 2006 The Order of Ontario.

Justice Gregory Regis

Justice Gregory Regis

The Honourable Justice Gregory Regis was appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in January 1999. He was born and grew up in the fishing village of Dennery, on the east coast of Saint Lucia.
In 2004, he was appointed Local Administrative Judge (LAJ) in Oshawa.
In 2007, he was appointed Regional Senior Justice (RSJ) for the Central East Region, becoming the first non-white person to hold that office. Regional Senior Judges exercise the powers of the Chief Justice in their regions. They also serve on the Executive Council of the Court. He served in that office for the maximum allowable two terms (six years).

He retired in 2014, but continues to serve as a part-time judge. In February 2017, he was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University.

Justice Regis has anchored his judicial career around the issue of access to justice. He has conducted seminars and workshops for judicial officers, and other participants in the court system, on the subject of illiteracy and the justice system.
His thesis is that illiteracy or low literacy is a barrier to full participation in the justice system. He submits that all participants in the system must be alert to the issue, and actively take measures to assist anyone who has that problem.

In 2004, he presented a paper titled Literacy and Access to Justice in Canada at the Third International Conference of the Council of Administrative Tribunals (CCAT) in Toronto.

Before becoming a judge, his legal career included one year in private practice, four years as Executive Director of the Jane Finch Legal Aid Clinic, and eight years as an Assistant Crown Attorney.

Justice Regis has had a varied work and community experience. He started his formal working life as a primary school teacher in Saint Lucia. He later worked as a laboratory technician and as a journalist.

His journalism career included positions as photo journalist at The Voice Newspaper (Saint Lucia’s National newspaper) , News Editor at Radio Saint Lucia and correspondent in Saint Lucia for several Caribbean and International news organizations, including The Associated Press (AP), Trinidad Express Newspaper, Radio Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago) and Radio Antilles.

In Canada, he worked as an editor for CBC TV before entering law school. While studying law, he held a regular part-tine position in the CBC national radio newsroom in Toronto as an editor and producer.

Justice Regis has always been engaged in the black and Caribbean Community. He has served in leadership positions on the boards and committees of several organizations. These include The Black Resources and Information Centre (BRIC); The Canadian Foundation for Caribbean Development and Co-operation (CFCDC); Caribbean Cultural Committee (CARIBANA); The Canadian Council for International Co-Operation (CCIC);
Theatre In the Rough; Saint Lucia Toronto Association; Canadian Centre on Minority Affairs (CCMA); Multicultural Council of Oshawa/Durham.

Justice Regis holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B) from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree (B.A.A.) in Journalism from Ryerson University.

He is a member of the Association of Ontario Judges (AOJ), the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges (CAPCJ) and the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History.

He is the recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the Saint Lucia Governor General’s Award, the BBPA’s Harry Jerome Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ontario Medal for Community Service and the African Canadian Achievement Award for Law.

Joy Spence

Joy Spence

Appleton Estate’s Master Blender, Joy Spence, has the honour of being the first woman to hold the position of Master Blender in the spirits industry.
In this role, Joy is responsible creating new rum blends. Simply put, it is Joy’s job to ensure that that all Appleton Estate rum blends meet the high standards that consumers have grown to love and expect.
Joy joined Appleton Estate as Chief Chemist in 1981 where her passion for the art of creating rum-blends was inspired by her predecessor and mentor at the company, then Master Blender, Owen Tulloch. When Owen retired Joy was appointed the Master
Blender in 1997.
The Creator of Fine Rums and Spirits
Over the last 20 years Joy has created some of the finest rums that the world has ever seen including Appleton Estate Reserve Blend and Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old.
Most recently Joy created the Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend which was released in 2017 to mark her 20 th Anniversary as Appleton Estate’s Master Blender. The Appleton Estate Joy Anniversary Blend is a minimum aged 25-year-old rum with rums aged up to
35 years.
According to Joy, to be a good blender you must be a sensory expert, have an artistic and creative flair, have a good understanding of the chemistry of the process, and have a passion for the art and pay attention to the details.
Honoured by the Government of Jamaica, Academia and the Industry:

  • 2005: Government of Jamaica - “Order of Distinction” Rank of Officer, (OD); in recognition of service and outstanding contribution to the spirits industry
  • 2011: Joy received the Golden Rum Barrel Pioneer’s Award for outstanding rum achievement
  • 2014: Honoured by the International Spirits Challenge with the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ Award
  • 2014: University of Loughborough UK- Honorary Doctor of Science
  • 2014: University of the West Indies - Honorary Doctor of Laws
  • 2016: Received the Golden Rum Barrel Award for the Most Influential Rum Blender of the Last 10 Years
  • 2017: Government of Jamaica- “Order of Distinction” Rank of Commander (CD) in recognition of her contribution to the promotion of Jamaica’s rum industry and Brand Jamaica, globally
  • 2017: Tales of the cocktails Grand Dame Award as most influential female in the Spirits Industry
  • 2017: “Food & Wine Magazine”, in partnership with sister publication, “Fortune Magazine” named her in the top 20 ‘Most Influential Women in Food & Drink’

Dr. Juliet Daniel

Dr. Juliet Daniel

Dr. Juliet Daniel is a Professor and Cancer Biologist in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. She received her B.Sc. from Queen’s University and her Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Daniel trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee before joining McMaster in 1999 as an Assistant Professor.

Dr. Daniel’s research expertise is cell-cell adhesion and signaling through transcription factors in the context of cancer development and progression. Her research led to her discovery and naming of a new gene “Kaiso”, coined after the popular Caribbean music “calypso”. Dr. Daniel’s research team is currently focused on the aggressive and difficult to treat triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) that are most prevalent in Hispanic women and young women of African ancestry despite these groups having a lower incidence and lifetime risk of breast cancer compared to other ethnicities. Since socio- economic status does not fully explain the racial disparity in TNBC prevalence and mortality, Dr. Daniel seeks to identify unique DNA mutations or markers on cells that may explain this racial disparity and which can be developed for diagnostic tests or therapeutics for women diagnosed with TNBC worldwide. Dr. Daniel also partners with The Olive Branch of Hope Cancer Support Service in Toronto to organize and host “Think Beyond ‘Love Pink’ Breast Cancer Awareness” and empowerment workshops for women of African Ancestry.

Dr. Daniel has published in several high caliber scientific journals and her research has been funded by national (CIHR, NSERC, CBCF), and international agencies (US CDMRP Breast Cancer IDEA Awards). Her extraordinary scientific achievements led to numerous prestigious awards including the Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award, the Hamilton Black History Month John C. Holland Professional Achievement Award, the African Canadian Achievement Award of Excellence in Science, the Barbados National Honor Gold Crown of Merit, a Hamilton YWCA Women of Distinction Award, a BBPA Harry Jerome Award and more recently a 100 Accomplished Black Canadian (ABC) Women Award. She has also been featured in “Millenium Minds: 100 Black Canadians”.

Over the years, Dr. Daniel has volunteered for several non-profit and charitable organizations including The Canadian Multicultural LEAD Organization, The ACCPI Scholarships Committee, and the National Let’s Talk Science Program. She is a committed mentor and role model for numerous students and youth of African-Caribbean ancestry and she is also a strong advocate for women and under-represented minorities in science and engineering.

Dr. Victor S Blanchette FRCP, FRCP(C)

Dr. Victor S Blanchette FRCP, FRCP(C)

Dr Victor Blanchette is Medical Director of the Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program in the Division of Haematology/Oncology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is the McCaig Magee Family Medical Director of the SickKids-Caribbean Cancer and Blood Disorders Initiative in the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children.

After completing his medical training at the University of Cambridge and St Bartholomew's Hospital in the United Kingdom, Dr Blanchette pursued subspecialty training in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA followed by fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology at McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton, Canada.

Dr Blanchette's research interests are in the area of the congenital and acquired bleeding disorders of children. He is Director of the Pediatric Comprehensive Care Hemophilia Program at the Hospital for Sick Children, and Chair of the International Prophylaxis Study Group (IPSG). Dr. Blanchette is recipient of the Canadian Pediatric Society 2009 Alan Ross Award, the Canadian Blood Services 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology 2012 Distinguished Career Award. Dr Blanchette is an elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom.

Dr. Avis Glaze

Dr. Avis Glaze

International Education Adviser for the Government of Scotland

Dr. Avis Glaze is one of Canada's outstanding educators and a recognized international leader in education. From classroom teacher to Superintendent of Schools and Director of Education, this award-winning educator has experience at all levels of the school system. She was one of five Commissioners on Ontario's landmark Royal Commission on Learning, setting directions for the future of the education system. As the Province's first Chief Student Achievement Officer and Founding CEO of the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, she played a pivotal role in working with educators to improve student learning, achievement and wellbeing. She served as Ontario's Education Commissioner and Senior Adviser to the Minister of Education. She taught in faculties of education (York and University of Toronto), and was appointed Professor in Residence at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa. Currently, she is President of Edu-quest International Inc., offering a wide range of educational services and speaking engagements across the globe. A highlight of her career was an invitation from Queen Sonya of Norway to address the issue of 'Can schools build better societies' with principals at her awards ceremony.

Dr. Glaze is a consummate capacity builder and inveterate learner who continues to take courses at every opportunity, for example, training in Visible Learning (Certified Trainer), Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and the assessment of emotional intelligence. She co-authored Breaking Barriers: Excellence and Equity for All, High School Graduation: K-12 Strategies that Work, and a series titled, Class Interrupted - strategies for system, school and classroom improvement. Her most recent book, Reaching the Heart of Leadership (2017) is a testament to her people-oriented and outcomes-focussed approach to educational leadership.

Avis has worked with educators in over 50 countries and (U.S.) states, receiving several honorary doctorates some 40 awards for international contributions, including the Robert Owen Award, the first of its kind offered in Scotland. She has served as International Education Adviser to organizations such as Curriculum Services Canada, Learning Forward, and to governments such as South Africa, New Zealand and Scotland.

Avis believes that this is the Golden Age of Education and that educators are strategically placed to enhance life chances and to work, with indefatigable zeal, to build upon their current successes. She encourages all those engaged in this noble enterprise to intensify their efforts to improve their schools with a sense of urgency. As engaged citizens, we have a responsibility to ensure that all students achieve to the maximum of their potential, regardless of background or personal circumstances. For her, students must become solution finders who are prepared to contribute to nation building and prosperity.

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