Report for 2000-2004
As we
enter this New Year, 2005, I wanted to give a very brief review of the Dominica
Academy of Arts & Sciences (DAAS) activities during its short existence
from its incorporation in the US in May, 2002 to the present and to look at the
future of the organization.
The
present management structure stands as follows:
Board of Directors
|
Chair |
Dr
Clayton Shillingford |
|
Vice
Chair |
Dr
Peter St Jean |
|
Legal
Advisor |
Gabriel
Christian |
|
IT
Specialist |
Frazer
Jones |
|
Secretary |
James
Abraham |
|
Assistant
Secretary |
Ophelia
Marie |
|
Director |
Dr
Ralph St Luce |
|
Director |
Dr
Dorothy Wills |
|
Director |
Vincent
John |
|
Director
(Treasurer) |
(Vacant) |
|
Director |
(Vacant) |
Executive Committee,
International
|
President |
Dr
Clayton Shillingford |
|
Vice
President |
Gabriel
Christian |
|
Secretary |
Athenia
Benjamin |
|
Assistant
Secretary |
(Vacant) |
|
Public
Relations Officer |
(Vacant) |
|
Treasurer |
Dr
Thomson Fontaine |
|
Assistant
Treasurer |
Bernard
Hurtault |
|
Research
& Development Officer |
Tony
Seraphin |
|
Webmaster |
Raglan
Riviere |
|
Dominica
Chapter Chair |
Mona
George- Dill |
Executive, Local
Chapter
|
Chair |
Mona
George Dill |
|
Vice
Chair |
Dr
Irvin Pascal |
|
Secretary |
Francis
Richards |
|
Treasurer |
Alexander
Stephenson |
DAAS
continues to operate through the various committees: Finance, Membership, News
and Information, Agriculture amd Environment, Business and Economic
Development, Health Assistance, Research and Development, Tourism and
Hospitality, Education and Youth Development. Members of the Board and the
Executive met in Buffalo in February to define plans for 2004. To date
reports have been submitted by the chair of the Health Assistance and
Agriculture Committees to give an account of projects identified at the Buffalo
Meeting and other initiatives. Some of the DAAS achievements for 2004 and previous
years can be seen on the website.
Chair of Working
Committees
|
Agriculture
& Environment |
Dr
Clayton Shillingford |
|
Education
& Youth |
Athenia
Benjamin |
|
Tourism
& Hospitality |
Athenia
Henry |
|
Health
Assistance |
Marvlyn Birmingham |
|
Finance
|
Dr
Thomson Fontaine |
|
Membership |
Bernard
Hurtault |
|
Business
& Economic Development |
Dr
Maureen Paul |
|
Arts
and Culture |
Delmance
Rasmo Moses |
|
Research
&Development |
Dr
Peter St Jean |
|
Dominica-Diaspora
Relations |
Franklyn
W. Watty |
|
Emergency
Relief |
Gabriel
Christian |
|
News
& Information (PRO) |
(Vacant) |
Special Project
Coordinator
|
Dominican
Associations Worldwide |
Petronella
Savarin-John |
The key
projects for 2004 were initiation of the agricultural recovery program, aid to
Blows Agro-products, Dominica Medical professionals, health watch, renewed
membership drive, crime prevention research, Save our Sons (SOS) and substance
abuse prevention, mentoring, and guest lecture series. The year ended with
preparation and presentation of the DAAS Draft Diaspora Policy Paper in October
to the Government and the creation of a website to feature Dominica Botanical
Gardens. A prototype of the latter is
expected to be released by the end of January, 2005. We are awaiting feed back
from the Government on the policy paper.
We have
established bank accounts in the US and Dominica and are registered as a
non-profit, charitable organization in the US and under the Companies Act in
Dominica as DAAS Inc. We plan to register similarly in Canada and possibly in
the UK. Attempts to raise funds through grants (Colgate-Palmolive, Bayer
Americas) have not been successful to date. We are hoping that with the
formation of a Grants Subcommittee under Finance and the newly established DAAS
raffle we will be in a position to improve the financial status.
We
continue to work with affiliated Dominican associations, and other institutions
where honorary members work. Examples are attendance and participation at the
Commonwealth of Dominica Ontario Association (CDOA), Dominica UK Association
(DUKA), Dominica Oversea Nationals Association (DONA), National Association of
Youth in Agriculture (NAYA), ongoing collaboration with Archbold Tropical
Research & Education Consortium (ATREC), Oceanographic Institute of
Dominica (OID), and Clean and Sober Humans (CASH).
A
memorandum of Understanding was signed with Special Projects Assistance Team
(SPAT), a local Development Agency, to facilitate partnership in agriculture,
arts, sciences, and sustainable technology. An MOU has also been submitted to
the Dominica State College (DSC) to assist in defining the relationship between
DAAS and the DSC.
There
is a draft plan before the leadership of DAAS to establish a Community Center
and Headquarters most likely in Washington. The intention here is to establish
an international base for DAAS to serve as a physical headquarters, an
educational center, and in part a museum of Dominican Diaspora efforts
(cultural, social and economic).
Elections
are due this year. According to the DAAS By-laws, the BOD is elected for 3
years and approximately 1/3 of the directors should be elected each year. Term
of the Executive is also 3 years and replacement occurs at the Annual General
Meeting. An officer may only be elected twice, that is, to serve 9 years in the
same office. I would like to encourage all members to read our By-laws to have
a clearer understanding of the mission and purpose of DAAS, membership rules,
the authority and composition of the BOD, Executive Committee, financial
administration and the working committees.
Let me wish our members every success for 2005 and hope that we will be better able to meet the challenges for DAAS in this New Year.
