BVF BOARD OF DIRECTORS - AN OVERVIEW

BVF is governed by seven board members and a youth advisor whose compositions reflect the demographics and social diversity of its constituents. The board member's range of experience and education reflect BVF's mission-driven goals, and are in the fields of nonprofit management, financial literacy and asset building for low-to-moderate income families, business and federal/financial management, positive youth and family development, youth sports and recreation, biology and environmental education, federal grants and program management, worik force readiness & customer relations, government and international relations, and public relations.

 

BVF's board members also serve key roles in government and private institutions providing the opportunity for them to see the “big picture” of the national and local economic and social issues facing BVF's constituency. This insight allows them to demonstrate commitment as true stakeholders when making policy decisions for BVF that address and impact the root causes of its community’s social issues.

Alcenta De Windt, Chair

Alcenta De Windt is a graduate of the University of the Virgin Islands with a Bachelors of Arts in Accounting and a MBA.  She has worked in the accounting industry for over twenty-seven years.  She currently works at the Government of the Virgin Islands, Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation as the Director of Business and Financial Management which includes collaboration in program areas of Housing, Sports and Recreation.  She is an avid sports fan and advocates for environmental empowerment especially those relating to the Caribbean.  Owning a small financial business has made her quite aware of the need to empower the lives of single parents and disadvantaged individuals on financial empowerment.  This has caused her to become actively involved in small business organizations and conduct counseling on individual financial management planning.

 

 

Stuart R. Ketcham, Ph.D, Vice-chair 

Stuart Ketcham has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Beyond Visions Foundation since 2005, including three years as Chair, one year as Vice-Chair, and two years as Secretary.  He has been a full-time member of the faculty of the University of the Virgin Islands, teaching chemistry, biology and other sciences since 1992 and has lived on St. Croix since 1993.  He earned a BS degree in Chemistry with Honors from the University of Washington in 1975 and a PhD in Biochemistry from Cornell University in 1985.

 

  

Monique Fleming, Treasurer

Monique Fleming brings a wealth of skills in the area of financial management.  As a former contract controller of FEMA and now working with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC, Ms. Fleming provides directive and assistance to key staff members. Ms. Fleming lives in the state of Maryland with her husband, an entreprenuer and businessman with their two children.

 

 

Abigail Charles, Secretary

Ms. Charles is a Supervisor at the Virgin Islands Department of Human Services-Richmond Head Start. She also is a supervisor at the Bethlehem House, a shelter for homeless residents, including families on St. Croix. She is very committed and passionate about the needs of our at risk youth and families and provides volunteer work with BVF in conducting teen pregnancy prevention projects. Ms. Charles is married with three children, yet find time to mentor young mothers with children.

 

Carlyle Corbin, Board Member

Dr. Carlyle Corbin is an international advisor on governance and multilateral diplomacy, and former Representative for External Affairs of the US Virgin Islands Government. He presently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly.  He has served as a United Nations (U.N.) expert on governance, and independent expert for the U.N. Development Programme, and advisor to the Chair of the U.N. Decolonization Committee. He was previously the constitutional advisor to the Anguilla Constitutional and Electoral Reform Committee, international advisor to the US Virgin Islands Fifth Constitutional Convention, and member of the US Virgin Islands Political Status Commission.

 

Corbin ha served as Secretary-General of the Inter-Virgin Islands Council between the British and US Virgin Islands governments, and is a former member of the Editorial Board of Caribbean Perspectives, a journal of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). He has delivered lectures on governance and political development at Bermuda College, the University of the South Pacific, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Guam, and the University of the West Indies. He is the author of four United Nations studies on various aspects of global governance, three books and numerous scholarly articles on political and constitutional advancement.

 

Mabel Maduro, Board Member

Mabel J. Maduro is the newest member of BVF's board by joining the board in 2011. Ms. Maduro is a trainer, public relations, marketing specialist and has been an entrepreneur, executive director and consultant for over twenty years.  A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands Ms. Maduro is highly skilled in designing and implementing public relations and education outreach campaigns that actively promote quality and productivity in a changing workplace. She is also well-known for her positive and practical techniques and is considered an expert in developing and implementing initiatives for school-age youth, managers, frontline employees and taxi operators, that train, motivates, and increase productivity. Ms. Maduro has a public record of success in working with education, labor, federal, and local agencies.

A high honor graduate of Hampton University, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Social Work, is a Certified Paralegal, and Certified Caribbean Hospitality Trainer (CCHT) and in the Caribbean, she has designed, developed, managed and conducted training programs in multi-cultural private and public sector environments e.g. hotel, retail and educational institutions for thousands of school-age youth, employees, managers and entrepreneurs to better prepare them for the competitive and changing workplace in the 21st century. Small Business Development Administration, Black Chamber of Commerce, St. Croix Hotel Association, St. Thomas East End Lions Club and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) have honored her as an outstanding businesswoman, community leader and tourism educator.

 

 

Sharon Ramos, Board Member

Ms. Ramos joined BVF's board in 2010 and represents our key stakeholder - at risk youth and families. Ms. Ramos has been participant and supporter of BVF programs and her children have been also been participating in BVF's programs for over four (4) years. Ms. Ramos is a supervisor at one of St. Croix's beach resort and provide leadership and direction both at her place of employment and at BVF's Family Resourse Center located in the HUD-assisted public housing community where she and her family resides. Ms. Ramos provides BVF leadership and staff with insight and guidance in directing policies that impact youth and families.

 

Fred Vialet, Jr., Esq, Board Member

Atty. Vialet has been in private practice for over twenty years. He is one of the founding members of BVF's board of directors. He serves as the Chairman of the Virgin Islands Real Estate Commission and was also a adjunct judge for the VI Department of Labor. Atty. Vialet was re-appointed to BVF's board and looks forward to serving towards his key focus on building the capacity of grassroots nonprofits who serve low-income youth and families.