Christopher L. Samuda
President
Christopher is an Attorney-at-Law and a founding Partner of the Kingston Law Firm, Samuda & Johnson, and was called to the Jamaican Bar in October 1986 having earned a Bachelor of Laws, (LLB Degree) with Upper Second Class Honours from the University of the West Indies (Mona) and the requisite Certificate of Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School.
He is a company adviser and consultant with a successful career spanning over 20 years, 4 continents and innumerable industries and has acted in major commercial transactions.
Imprinted in the heart and soul of Christopher is volunteerism which he expresses in sport as President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA), President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Chairman of the Jamaica Paralympic Foundation (JPF), President of the Jamaica Disability Cricket Federation(JDCF) and a Member of Jamaica’s National Sport Council.
In the regional and international spheres, Christopher is an Executive Member of the Board of Directors of Centro Caribe Sports (CCS) formerly the Central American and Caribbean Sport Organization (CACSO), an Executive Board Member of the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC), Chairman of the Legal Commission of (APC), a member of the Ethics Commissions of the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO) and a former member of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Ethics Commission, Chairman of the Legal Commission of (CCS), a member of the Judicial Commission of World ParaVolley, a member of the Concacaf Working Group (Caribbean Football Professional League) and a member of the Federation Internationale Cinema, Television, and Sports Festival Commission(FICTS). He is also an honourary member of the Scientific Committee of the International Congress of Physical Education, Sport and Kinesioherapy, a member of the Working Group Professional Caribbean league of the confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and Chairman of the Governance Review Commission established by the Jamaica Football Federation under the aegis of FIFA.
A strong advocate of sport as a business, he, along with partners, staged four editions of the very successful International Business of Sport Conference from 2011- 2014 in Kingston which attracted major speakers in the global sport industry.
But the spirit of volunteerism first captivated him in the credit union movement where he is a former President of both the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (with oversight responsibility of then over two hundred credit unions) and the Jamaica Co-Operative Credit Union League Limited (with oversight responsibility then of over forty credit unions) as well as the Chairman of the Credit Union Fund Management Company (JCUFM). He also represented the Caribbean as its delegate to the World Council of Credit Unions during his Presidency of the Caribbean Confederation.
But perhaps the seed of volunteerism was germinated as a former President of GSB Co-Operative Credit Union Limited, then one of the oldest credit unions in the Caribbean, which subsequently merged with another to become First Heritage Credit Union a recognized leader in the industry.
A firm believer in the value of a critical education, knowledge based training and fair competition, Christopher has served as the Chairman of the Board of his Alma Mater, Wolmer’s Boys’ School, one of the oldest and leading high schools in the Caribbean, and he Is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Creative Production & Training Centre Limited (CPTC), a Government owned film and production organization, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Media Technology Institute (MTI) and Chairman of the Fair Trading Commission (FTC).
He is an experienced presenter on varied topics in corporate governance, law, sport and education regionally and internationally, is a motivational speaker and has been the guest speaker at events throughout the Caribbean and in Central America.
Carmen Patterson
Vice President
Carmen is the Vice-President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) and 2nd Vice-Chairman of the Jamaica Paralympic Foundation (JPF).
Carmen’s extensive experience in media includes 15 years at The Gleaner Company during which she served as Flair Editor, Small Publications Editor, Overseas Publications Editor, Administrator of the Editorial Department and, finally, as the paper’sFeatures Editor.
A former head of (then) JBC Radio West and Radio North-East, Carmen was one of the pioneers in community broadcasting in Jamaica. During her stint at Radio West, she conceptualized and produced 16 features per week for the station and also solicited, for in-house production, commercials from business interests within the community. While still working at JBC, she won a scholarship – funded by the Netherlands Government – to study Radio Production at Radio Nederland in Hilver sum, Holland.
Now the Chief Executive Officer of her own public relations firm, Corporate Image and Solutions Limited, Carmen boasts Presidency of the Montego Bay-based Jamaica Association of Journalists (JAJ) – the only such non-Corporate Area based entity. In concert with the then USIS, the JAJ successfully ran training courses for media professionals in Western Jamaica. This media professional was at one time head of her own Public Relations consultancy in Montego Bay and, as Media Manager for Innovative IDEAS, she utilized her wealth of experience to strategically manage the presence of the Agency’s clients in the media. She boasts exceptional success in securing significant amounts of column centimeters for the Agency’s clients, through strategic placements of legitimate stories
Edmund Jones
Treasurer
A forensic and methodical mind, practical thinking and a creative intellect do not often reside in one being but Edmund defies the odds and instills in the Paralympic movement admirable and refreshing attitudes which unearth the best of human character and behavior.
A graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Studies, Edmund is a volunteer at heart and currently serves as a Director of Quality Network Co-operative and First HeritageCo-operative Credit Union. He served as a Director of the Creative Production Training Centre Limited, Governor of the Media Technology Institute and the former G.S.B. Co-operative Credit Union Limited.
Network and databases constitute his second language and policy making and strategic planning are cousins of his all of which he brings to the table of sport in a defining way.
Edmund Paralympic experience has been tremendous and one of the greatest moments occurred when he was Head of the Jamaican Delegation to the Paralympic 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar
Ryan C. Foster
Director
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), a member of the Finance Commission of the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO), a member of the Technical Commission of Centro Caribe Sports(CCS), and the President of Skateboarding Jamaica Limited (SJL) Ryan is. multi-talented professional with a proven track record of delivering outstanding business results and sport successes.
Execution focused: adept at identifying pivotal risks/opportunities and proficient at defining effective solutions that deliver value; skilled at organizational re-engineering that results in increased custom
His achievements in the business sector are enumerable and include exponential growth in corporate revenue and profitability, brand recognition and superiority,impact operational efficiencies, high levels of employee satisfaction and loyalty and organizational transformation. erand staff satisfaction levels; and a people-skilled motivator, Ryan is a well respected leader and an innovator in the private sector and sport industry.
The foregoing competences are the result of a driven personality who brings a similar approach to academia where his performance as a student and then Lecturer at the undergraduate level is well respected.
In recognition of his expertise and dedication to duty, he has been the recipient of numerous awards for business ingenuity, corporate performance, organizational leadership, team management and motivation and community work.
But it is sport which is his second language and his interest spans many disciplines, particularly at the secondary and tertiary levels, where his knowledge of the games and inter-personal and communication skills drive many an athlete to surpass his or her best. A former member of the Board of Wolmer’s Boys School, one of the oldest High Schools in the Caribbean, and a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wolmer’s Preparatory School, he brings to education a business rigour and critical thinking.
The former Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica’s Tastee Limited and a Director on several private and public sector boards, Ryan was also a former Director of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and the Creative Production Training Limited (CPTC). Ryan’s commitment to the development of the youth, particularly through sport and community involvement, is exceptional and is an expression of fulfilling years of working tirelessly with them.
Randolph Jones
Director
Randolph joined the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) as a Director in 2012 and quickly acclimatized becoming the Chef de Mission for the successful 2015 Toronto Para Pan American Team.
Randolph is a household name at the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) having given 40 years of service in aviation in various capacities such as, Head of Special Projects, Acting Director, Air Navigation Services, Manager of Air Traffic Services and Centre Chief for the Kingston Area Control Centre. He was the first Air Traffic Controller to be certified as a Radar Controller in Jamaica.
He is a past student of Titchfield High School in the scenic parish of Portland and a graduate of the Jamaica Institute of Management (JIM) from which he holds a Diploma in Management Studies His many professional credentials include corporate planning for the public sector, which he received from the Atlantic Institute in the United States, and audit and project management obtained at the Mona School of Business.
A founding and honourary member of the Jamaica Air Traffic Controllers Association, he served on its executive in various capacities culminating as President of that Association.
An inspiring leader, Randolph was the runner-up Boss of the Year 2011/12 for the Jamaica Association of Administrative Professionals (Kingston Chapter) and a distinguished past President of the Palisadoes Co-operative Credit Union (PCCUL), one of Jamaica’s more successful credit unions.
A respected member of the Jamaica Rifle Association (JRA) Randolph played football competitively his last exploit being in the Civil Service League.
He is an Anglican, married and has one daughter and enjoys swimming, playing chess, lawn tennis and dominoes and is an avid fan of athletics.
Suzanne R. Harris-Henry
Secretary General
Suzanne is currently the Secretary General of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA), the Jamaica Paralympic Foundation (JPF) and the Jamaica Olympic Disable Cricket Federation (JDCF).
A Physiotherapist by profession, she is a graduate of the Immaculate Conception High School (1987) and a graduate of the University of the West Indies School of Physical Therapy (1992). She has worked at several hospitals,including Bustamante Hospital for children and Kingston Public Hospital, before being transferred to the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre where she has been the head of the Physiotherapy Department since 1996.
In going to work at the rehab centre, Suzanne was introduced to Paralympic sports and has helped to carry the mantle until in 2007 when the Jamaica Paralympic Association was formally registered and a board appointed. She has been the Secretary General of the Jamaica Paralympic Association since 2007.
A very experienced Sport Administrator, Suzanne has the enviable distinction of being the Chef De Mission of our Paralympic teams to several international championships including: Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia 2000, Athens, Greece 2004 and London England 20012;: IPC World Athletics Championships in Lille, France, 2002 and Assen, Netherlands; Para-Pan American Games Mardel Plata, Argentina, 2003 and Rio de Janeiro, 2007; and the Commonwealth Games Melbourne, Australia, 2006 and Delhi, India, 2010
She also does work with Special Olympics Jamaica as a Fun Fitness Coordinator in the physiotherapy aspect of their Healthy Athletes Programme.
Suzanne has previously served as President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Public Relations, Chair of the Jamaica Physiotherapy Association and has traveled extensively to represent the association at regional and world physiotherapy meetings. She was a part time Lecturer at the School of Physical Therapy (1996 – 2008) and is now a part time lecturer at GC Foster College (since 2011) and Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre at the University of the West Indies (since 2007). She has presented on numerous topics in her fields and has developed a reputation for excellence.
She is a member of St. Andrew Parish Church (Anglican) where she previously sang on the youth and senior choirs. She is currently a member of the Diocesan Festival Choir where she sings first soprano.
Suzanne is married to Vince Anthony Henry, a Systems Analyst and is the mother of two children Alana and Alex.
Suzanne has the distinction of being the Chef De Mission of our Paralympic teams to several international championships
Winfield Boban
Director
Practical and businesslike are apt descriptions of Winford whose credentials and experience include brand marketing and positioning, product portfolio management, sales and distribution, business establishment and re-engineering, regulatory compliance, budgeting and financial reporting and spans North, South and Central America.
It is, therefore, not surprising that Winford holds a Master’s in International Business, was recognized as “Top Achiever” and appointed to the “President’s Club” for three straight years during his tenure as the Regional Manager (Sales & Business Development) at Medtronic Osteotech, Inc., and pioneered the first-ever cadaver lab in the Caribbean for sixty area surgeons in Montego Bay.
But it is his love for, and expertise in, prosthetic management that brought him personally close and eventually into the Paralympic movement and to the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre where his company, Sergix Limited, of which he is the Managing Director, operates a prosthetic workshop and limb replacement facility providing person’s access to a range of services and cutting edge prostheses.
Always current in demonstrating social responsibility, his personal mandate is to make the disabled able, to build capacity in enabling others and to motivate the physically challenged to be the best versions of themselves all of which constitute an admirable autobiography of service. A business innovator and a “first to market” philanthropist.
Kamal Powell
Director
Kamal is a highly efficient and results driven Senior Marketing Executive with over ten (10) years extensive experience in FMCG companies and a proven track record in developing and executing multi-million sales, marketing and corporate relations communications strategies.
Proficient at stakeholder management and leading large groups of individuals, he is comfortable working in a fast paced, hands-on, growth orientated work environment and demonstrates an enviable ability to ensure that brand strategies, messages, standards and communications are understood and implemented effectively.
A graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Marketing Management and of the Mona School of Business (UWI) with a Maters Business Administration (MBAs), Kamal is the Regional Marketing Manager (Caribbean) at tyhe Camapri Group at J. Wray & and has held major corporate positions notably the Senior Sponsorship and Development Manager at DIGICEL. and the Brand Public Relations Manager at Red Stripe! A Diageo company.
As a policy maker, he is responsible for, inter alaia, the strategic development and execution of marketing campaigns for business for the CAMPARI brand However, in fulfilling one of his professional roles, it is his commitment in driving social corporate responsibility programmes that has instilled in him an admirable spirit of volunteerism which led him to the Paralympic family.
Well known in the sport fraternity, he has managed and developed critical relationship strategies for key business stakeholders including Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Usain Bolt and Chris Gayle.
Thelma Johill
Director
A consummate professional, Thelma is a volunteer at heart and serves from the soul and selflessly in capacities that span both the private and public sectors which have benefited from her commitment and expertise.
Her record of volunteerism and public service include directorships on the boards of Milk River Hotel and Spa and the Creative Production and Training Centre Limited; governorship of the Media Technology Institute, and commissionership of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and the National Commission on Reparations; and chairmanship of Forecourt High School.
An accomplished business woman, she is the Chief Executive Officer of Genret Farms and provides practical entrepreneurial advice and consulting services to a cross-section of business persons and outfits utilising strong communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills for which she is known.
In marketing, Thelma’s credentials are well respected and one of her signal achievements was the successful rebranding and repositioning of the LPG product line of the Petroleum Company of Jamaica (PCJ).
As a strong policy maker, she undoubtedly brings to the Paralympic table a wealth of knowledge and experience in strategic planning and execution, governance and management and in conversations thereat she provides insight, with a keen eye, into the infrastructure necessary for the growth and development of sport.
Travis Banks
Director
Travis Ebanks is not only reading the law to be called to the Jamaica Bar whereat he intends to excel as an advocate, but he is also studying life as a volunteer and athlete who fervently believes that sport engenders values and life-skills which are priceless.
Before his admission to the Board of Directors of the Jamaica Paralympic Association as the athlete representative, Travis dedicated his efforts at the Office of Marketing, Recruitment and Communication at the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus) where his baptism fuelled his legal and volunteer interests.
But law and volunteerism are not the only facets in the humanity and business of life which occupy him as his interest also lies in the media – media technology and journalism – having had his teeth cut at one of Jamaica’s free-to-air television stations, CVM Television Limited, as a Production Assistant, Scriptwriter and Floor Manager
A strong problem solving technician and results driven professional, Travis sits at the board table with a critical eye for youth development and empowerment which he frames with the foresight and instinct of a skilled badminton player whose resume has a gold medal in the unified men’s doubles event at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games
Dr. Rory Dixon
Director
Rory is a Director of the JPA and the Jamaica Paralympic Foundation. He is a consultant orthopedic surgeon and senior medical officer with special responsibilities at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre, which rehabilitates patients with spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions. He is also the General Secretary of the Jamaican Orthopaedic Association.
Rory has a successful private medical practice in general orthopedics and sport medicine and is a respected lecturer at the University of the West Indies School of Physical Therapy.
He was formerly the Chief Residential Orthopedic Surgeon at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Surgical Resident at the Kingston Public Hospital and the Bustamante Children’s Hospital and did a successful internship at the Kingston Public Hospital,Victoria Jubilee and Bustamante Hospitals.
He is a member of the Jamaica Medical Council, Medical Protection Society and the General Medical Council and his presentations include:
– Amputations and Prosthetics (2010)
– Sir John Golding Annual Symposium June 2010
– Bed Sores (2009) Medical Association of Jamaica Conference
– Cerebral Palsy,The Jamaican Experience (2009) Bustamante Children’s Hospital Leila Wynter Conference
– Sports and the Disabled (2008)
– Jamaican Orthopedic Association Conference
– Bicycle Spoke Injuries (2005) Jamaican Orthopedic Conference
A few of his activities include:
– Chef de Mision Paralympic Team, Beijing, China 2008
– Team Doctor, Para Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2007
– Team Doctor, IPC World Athletics Championships, Assen, Netherlands 2006
Courtney G.O. Lodge
Director
A well respected Business Transformation and Change Management Consultant who has done consultation and training for organizations including the Commonwealth Secretariat (India), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Bank (CAIB), Credit Info Jamaica Limited (CIJL), Scotia Jamaica Investments (SJIL), Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), and the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC).
He a former Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCUL) where he spearheaded the organization’s efforts to transform over 342 credit unions represented by affiliates in 18 Caribbean countries. He is also the former Staff Director, Executive and Branch Manager of the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), the only Jamaican financial institution with operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the Caymans Island and St. Vincent and the Grenadines; a Licensed Securities Dealer Representative with the JN Fund Managers Limited, a subsidiary of JNBS; a Deputy Superintendent of Police with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) who studied with the Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Crime Office) in Germany; and a Computer Specialist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, USA.
He was the Chief Executive Officer of GSB Cooperative Credit Union Limited, Jamaica’s oldest and fourth-largest credit union, a Director of Creative Production & Training Centre Limited (CPTC), and a Governor on the board of the Media Technology Institute.
Courtney holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree from the Nova Southeastern University of Florida, the USA, anda First Class Honours (summa cum laude) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Degree from the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC, USA.
A well known and respected motivational speaker, Courtney is the author of the inspired work “Lives of a Soul” read by an eclectic global audience.
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Major Robert Neish, CD, JP
Director
Major General Robert (Bob) Neish, CD, AFC, JP is the immediate past President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) attended Munro and Jamaica College and the Royal Military Academy in the UK.
He then served as an officer in the Jamaica Defence Force for 32 years and his career included infantry, flying, staff, and command positions culminating in the appointment of Chief of Staff from 1979-1990 with the rank of Major General.
He is a Director of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) and currently serves as President, Royal Air Forces Association (Jamaica Branch), and Vice President, Jamaica Legion. He is a member of the PSOJ Standing Committee on National Security and a Board Member of Crime Stop. He is also a Past President of the Rotary Club of Kingston.