board of directors
The current board consists of Hugh Graham - Chair/President, Charles (Phil) Broome - Vice Chair, Jessica Carrington - Secretary, Wayne Leacock - Treasurer, Sylvester Hunte, Nancy MacKinlay, Christopher Graham Reid, Janessa Scantlebury and Penelope Walcott. Below are short biographies of the board members.
Hugh Graham
A retired career banker, Mr. Graham held senior management positions in Commercial Banking, Credit Risk Management and Commercial Mortgages at RBC, Royal Bank.
Currently President of Barbados Canada Foundation, until recently Mr. Graham was Vice President of Barbados Ball Canada Aid and Co-Chair of the Annual Barbados Ball. He was also president of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) from 2001 to 2006, was Chair of the Caribana Festival Advisory Board, Co-Chair of P&G Walk for United Way, a member of the United Way African Canadian Community Task Force and a member of the Community Advisory Board of Sun TV.
He was also a founding member of the York Region Saturday School Program, a director of the Children’s Wish Foundation, Chair of the Toronto Police Service Black Community Advisory Committee, Chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee of Community/Police Advisory Committees that provided input into 1999 amendment of the Ontario Police Services Act; and a spokesperson of the Coalition of African Canadian Community Organizations. A founding member of DLP Barbados (Canada), he served as the organization's 1st Vice President.
Mr. Graham is the recipient of the following awards: Mayor of Markham Black History Month Award, Eglinton Community Initiative Plaque of Recognition, African Canadian Achievement Award, the Barbados Ball Award for Dedication and Outstanding Achievement, the Barbados Independence Community Award, the DLP Barbados (Canada) Award for Dedication and Outstanding Achievement and the Harry Jerome Lifetime Achievement Award. He is motivated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's quotation: "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
Currently President of Barbados Canada Foundation, until recently Mr. Graham was Vice President of Barbados Ball Canada Aid and Co-Chair of the Annual Barbados Ball. He was also president of the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) from 2001 to 2006, was Chair of the Caribana Festival Advisory Board, Co-Chair of P&G Walk for United Way, a member of the United Way African Canadian Community Task Force and a member of the Community Advisory Board of Sun TV.
He was also a founding member of the York Region Saturday School Program, a director of the Children’s Wish Foundation, Chair of the Toronto Police Service Black Community Advisory Committee, Chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee of Community/Police Advisory Committees that provided input into 1999 amendment of the Ontario Police Services Act; and a spokesperson of the Coalition of African Canadian Community Organizations. A founding member of DLP Barbados (Canada), he served as the organization's 1st Vice President.
Mr. Graham is the recipient of the following awards: Mayor of Markham Black History Month Award, Eglinton Community Initiative Plaque of Recognition, African Canadian Achievement Award, the Barbados Ball Award for Dedication and Outstanding Achievement, the Barbados Independence Community Award, the DLP Barbados (Canada) Award for Dedication and Outstanding Achievement and the Harry Jerome Lifetime Achievement Award. He is motivated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's quotation: "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
Charles (Phil) Broome
Charles Phil Broome retired in 2017 from Scotiabank, where he last held the position of Vice President and led the bank's International Compliance and Operational Risks Regulatory Projects International Group. A seasoned banker with over 37 years of service, Phil started his career in the Bridgetown branch in Barbados as a teller and worked his way up through the organization to Senior Accounting Officer in the Bridgetown branch before he immigrated to Canada.
Phil is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, where he majored in Management & Economics. He and his wife Elizabeth (Betty) have adult children. He is an avid sports fan with Soccer, Cricket, Baseball and Hockey being his main interests.
Phil is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, where he majored in Management & Economics. He and his wife Elizabeth (Betty) have adult children. He is an avid sports fan with Soccer, Cricket, Baseball and Hockey being his main interests.
Jessica Carrington
Mrs. Carrington is president of Barbados Overseas-Community Canada Inc. (a not-for-profit organization), a position she has held since 1997. Past president of Barbados Ball Canada Aid (BBCA) in 2007 and 2008, she currently serves as Secretary on BBCA’s board, of which she has been a member since inception; and plays an active role in organizing the annual Barbados Ball.
Jessica is also a past president of the National Council of Barbadian Associations Canada (NCBAC) and is currently the Women's Representative on NCBAC's board. Mrs. Carrington retired from the Toronto Transit Commission in 1998 after 30 years of service and went on to be an independent financial services representative for a major financial services provider. She is married and has two children.
Jessica is also a past president of the National Council of Barbadian Associations Canada (NCBAC) and is currently the Women's Representative on NCBAC's board. Mrs. Carrington retired from the Toronto Transit Commission in 1998 after 30 years of service and went on to be an independent financial services representative for a major financial services provider. She is married and has two children.
Sylvester Hunte
Sylvester was born and raised in St. Andrew, Barbados. He received his secondary education at the Alleyne School in Barbados and after immigrating to Canada, attended University of Toronto where he earned a BSc (Chemistry).
Recently retired, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 37 years, spanning three companies. He spent his entire career in the industry in operations where he started at an entry level position and worked his way up through plant management, ending his career as Director of Production.
Sylvester has been a member of the Alleyne School Alumni since 1985 and is currently president of The Canadian Alleyne School Alumni and Friends Organization.
His hobbies include reading, current affairs, watching sports (especially basketball, track, boxing and cricket), listening to music and travelling.
Recently retired, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 37 years, spanning three companies. He spent his entire career in the industry in operations where he started at an entry level position and worked his way up through plant management, ending his career as Director of Production.
Sylvester has been a member of the Alleyne School Alumni since 1985 and is currently president of The Canadian Alleyne School Alumni and Friends Organization.
His hobbies include reading, current affairs, watching sports (especially basketball, track, boxing and cricket), listening to music and travelling.
Wayne F. Leacock
Wayne F. Leacock grew up in Gay's Village, St. Peter, Barbados. He attended Boscobel Boy's School and Coleridge & Parry secondary school before immigrating to Montreal in 1972. He earned a Bachelor in Commerce (Finance) from Concordia University, MBA from University of Toronto, LLB from Queen's University and LLM (Business Law) from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Wayne is a sole practitioner. His major areas of practice are Corporate Law, Wills and Estates Law, and Family Law. Prior to the practice of law Wayne served in various senior finance and management capacities.
As an active volunteer, Wayne served on the Board of Directors of Markham Stouffville Hospital, Tropicana Community Services, Barbados Ball Canada Aid and Canadian Alliance of Black Educators.
Wayne is a sole practitioner. His major areas of practice are Corporate Law, Wills and Estates Law, and Family Law. Prior to the practice of law Wayne served in various senior finance and management capacities.
As an active volunteer, Wayne served on the Board of Directors of Markham Stouffville Hospital, Tropicana Community Services, Barbados Ball Canada Aid and Canadian Alliance of Black Educators.
Nancy MacKinlay
With nearly 15 years of experience in the marketing industry, Nancy brings a passion for developing and executing innovative communications strategies to the board of directors of Barbados Canada Foundation.
Nancy began her career at a Toronto-based real estate development company and has since moved agency-side where she has spearheaded more than 50 successful marketing campaigns in the residential, retail, hospitality and commercial sectors for clients both locally and internationally.
With a solid foundation in traditional and digital marketing and her comprehensive understanding of the marketing process, from strategy to implementation, Nancy lends her dedication and thought-leadership to advance the objectives and initiatives of BCF.
In 2000 Nancy visited her father while he was on a contract assignment in Barbados, instantly falling in love with the culture, music, food and people of the island.
Nancy has been a member of Barbados Ball Canada Aid since 2014, driving social media initiatives for the organization and previously volunteered at CAMH running a weekly art program for patients.
Nancy began her career at a Toronto-based real estate development company and has since moved agency-side where she has spearheaded more than 50 successful marketing campaigns in the residential, retail, hospitality and commercial sectors for clients both locally and internationally.
With a solid foundation in traditional and digital marketing and her comprehensive understanding of the marketing process, from strategy to implementation, Nancy lends her dedication and thought-leadership to advance the objectives and initiatives of BCF.
In 2000 Nancy visited her father while he was on a contract assignment in Barbados, instantly falling in love with the culture, music, food and people of the island.
Nancy has been a member of Barbados Ball Canada Aid since 2014, driving social media initiatives for the organization and previously volunteered at CAMH running a weekly art program for patients.
Christopher Graham Reid
Christopher Graham Reid is a senior communications consultant at iQ3 Media & Communications, and Chief Strategy & Solutions Architect at AviKast Inc., where he serves as an experienced innovator in the fusion of equity and vital communications with technology. His consulting entails the ideation and design of tools, campaigns and applications to solve social problems - particularly across issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, abilities, access, equity and public health.
One of Christopher's latest tools under development is a mobile-based broadcast application created for critical environments such as schools, shelters, housing communities and harm reduction centres. Designed by Christopher to bridge the gap between the need for vital content and those who have the ability to create such content, the solution will drive collaboration among an ecosystem of artists, mediators, thought leaders and subject matter experts who will offer customized vital content in multiple formats - including audio, video and immersive - via a cloud-based marketplace.
Over the years, Christopher's equity consulting, awareness campaigns and systems design have resonated with an array of public-facing organizations. His expertise has been called upon by such clients as CBC Barbados, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto Public Health, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, CUPE Ontario, Urban Alliance on Race Relations and the City of Hamilton.
One of Christopher's latest tools under development is a mobile-based broadcast application created for critical environments such as schools, shelters, housing communities and harm reduction centres. Designed by Christopher to bridge the gap between the need for vital content and those who have the ability to create such content, the solution will drive collaboration among an ecosystem of artists, mediators, thought leaders and subject matter experts who will offer customized vital content in multiple formats - including audio, video and immersive - via a cloud-based marketplace.
Over the years, Christopher's equity consulting, awareness campaigns and systems design have resonated with an array of public-facing organizations. His expertise has been called upon by such clients as CBC Barbados, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto Public Health, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, CUPE Ontario, Urban Alliance on Race Relations and the City of Hamilton.
Janessa Scantlebury
Janessa Scantlebury was a recipient of the John Rollock Memorial Scholarship for the 2014-2015 school year. She graduated from University of Guelph with an Honours Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood degree in 2014, from Sir Wilfred Laurier University with a Bachelor of Education in 2015 and from University of Western Ontario with a Master of Professional Education in 2017.
Janessa is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and an Ontario Certified teacher and is currently working as an occasional teacher with the York Region District and Halton District School Boards.
Janessa has a passion for education and care and has dedicated herself to continuous learning in the field over the last seven years. She believes that all children can achieve individualized goals and need to be supported in safe, inclusive environments that promote well-being, equity, engagement and student success. As she is at the beginning of her career she is hopeful for the future and where her passion for learning will take her.
Janessa is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and an Ontario Certified teacher and is currently working as an occasional teacher with the York Region District and Halton District School Boards.
Janessa has a passion for education and care and has dedicated herself to continuous learning in the field over the last seven years. She believes that all children can achieve individualized goals and need to be supported in safe, inclusive environments that promote well-being, equity, engagement and student success. As she is at the beginning of her career she is hopeful for the future and where her passion for learning will take her.
Penny Walcott
Born in Barbados, Penelope was educated St Michael’s Girls School and Queen’s College. She won a scholarship to study foreign languages at University of West Indies but after one year of studies immigrated to Canada in 1974. Penny earned her nursing diploma at Centennial College and embarked on her nursing career at Toronto East General Hospital in 1978.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Studies and her Masters in Health Administration.
In 2018 Penny retired from Michael Garron Hospital, formerly Toronto East General Hospital where she was Director of the Surgery Program since 1996. She was also a part time professor in the Health Information Faculty at George Brown College.
Penny was a founding member of the Barbados Nurses Association of Canada and a recipient of an African Canadian Awards (ACAA) award in the field of Medicine.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Studies and her Masters in Health Administration.
In 2018 Penny retired from Michael Garron Hospital, formerly Toronto East General Hospital where she was Director of the Surgery Program since 1996. She was also a part time professor in the Health Information Faculty at George Brown College.
Penny was a founding member of the Barbados Nurses Association of Canada and a recipient of an African Canadian Awards (ACAA) award in the field of Medicine.