CARIBBEAN EMBRACES DENNIS WALCOTT’S APPOINTMENT
NEW YORK (April 14, 2011) – The appointment of Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott as Chancellor of New York City Public Schools can be seen as another Caribbean accomplishment.
Walcott, who traces his roots to both Barbados and St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands, is unapologetic about his Caribbean roots, and his elevation to the prominent post represents another milestone for the Caribbean community here in the United States.
Already one influential government official in the Caribbean is contemplating collaboration with Walcott in a “sister schools” relationship where Caribbean rural schools can benefit from New York City teaching methods, in particular the integration of technology into the school’s curriculum.
Walcott, the Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development, is likely to be comfortably confirmed in the post by the New York State Board of Regents following the resignation of the embattled Cathie Black last week.
Walcott has served as Deputy Mayor since the beginning of the Bloomberg Administration in 2002, and has been Mayor Bloomberg’s City Hall point person on all educational and youth policy. Before Mayor Bloomberg’s election, Walcott served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Urban League, as a member of the New York City Board of Education, as a kindergarten teacher, and as an adjunct professor of social work at CUNY’s York College.
A graduate of New York City public schools – PS 36, JHS 192, and Francis Lewis High School – and a lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, Walcott began his career as a kindergarten teacher after graduating from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut with a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Education. He earned a Master of Social Work from Fordham University and served as an adjunct professor of social work at CUNY’s York College.
In other news, US-based Jamaican Lowell Hawthorne, President and CEO of the renowned Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, is the new chairman of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Partnership Board.
CAPTION: Jamaican Lowell Hawthorne of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill.
Hawthorne, whose company operates a chain of 120-franchised quick serve Jamaican restaurants, has sponsored scholarships to several Jamaican institutions like UWI and Oberlin High School as well as the Bronx Community College in New York.
Hawthorne stated his personal commitment to contributing to young people in the Caribbean and the Diaspora, and invoked the opportunity to serve on the Foundation’s Board as “another vehicle for making positive changes in our community.” He reiterated his belief that “investment in education is one of the best ways to impact society.”
ENDS