The Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board Elects New Representatives for Board Member and Alternate Board Member in its Three Regions
JDAB newest representatives for the three regions; Northeast, South, and West-Mid-West, are ready to serve the Diaspora community.

Toronto- June 21, 2017– The Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board recently elected its newest representatives to fill the positions of Board Member and Alternate Board Member in the three regions; Northeast, South and the West-Mid-West. The selected candidates; Akelia Lawrence and Ronald Ingleton (Northeast), Wayne Golding and Oliver Falloon-Reid (South), and Dr. Rupert Francis and Marie Kellier (West-Mid-West), commence their service to the Advisory Board effective immediately.

Northeast Candidates:

 Akelia Lawrence balances a demanding career in child welfare with active service to the Jamaica Diaspora community for over twelve years. As Board Member, Lawrence’s vision for the Diaspora is “to model what it means to be a borderless global Jamaican village.” Ronald Ingleton, Alternate Board Member, is a retired Industrial Relations consultant, with a PhD in Homeopathy/Core Education at the Institute of Transformational Studies, and plans to “…further improve Jamaican’s interest at all levels, and contribute to the work that my predecessors have started”.

Southern Region Candidates: 

Wayne C. Golding resumes his position as the Board Member of the Southern Region for a third consecutive year. “I know that I can continue to be the connective junction and conduit where our like-minded Jamaican Diasporans can collaborate …” Golding states. The Alternate Board Member, Oliver Falloon-Reid expresses “There is real work to be done”. The Corporate Secretary of Jamaica United Relief Association (JURA), a non-profit organization in South Florida maintains, “…a more sustainable framework has to be built up to transform  …the movement”

West-Mid-West Candidates: 

Dr. Rupert Francis, presiding as Board Member of the West-Mid-West region serves as Alternate Board member, and leads the Jamaica Diaspora Crime Intervention and Prevention Task Force. Educated in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology, Dr. Francis is passionate about making a difference in his community. His mission for the Advisory board is to “help harness the vast talent that exists in the Diaspora for the betterment of all Jamaicans…”

Alternate Board Member, Marie Kellier, has plans of her own: “to form an Arts, Culture and Technology Task Force”. The purpose of this task force, she explains is to “help local communities combine Jamaica’s vibrant art and cultural heritage with modern technology to create economic growth”. Kellier is president of Marikel International, a producing and consulting practice in Los Angeles, California. She chairs the Arts and Culture Committee of the Empowerment Congress in the Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

The Jamaica Advisory Board anticipates much success in the years to come as the esteemed and elect representatives continue to actively serve their Diaspora community.

Dr. Rupert Francis
Marie Kellier
Oliver Falloon-Reid
Akelia Lawrence
Wayne C. Golding
Ronald Ingleton