Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, October 21, 2022: The Ministers of Cabinet have approved the appointment of the Board of Directors of the Development Bank of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
According to the Development Bank of Saint Kitts and Nevis Act, Cap. 21.05, the Board must consist of no more than seven Directors which include the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and five additional members. The Government is confident that the Directors, listed below, will be effective in professionally administering the Bank’s affairs; establishing sound policies for management; and making rational decisions about the important issues arising in the Bank’s operations.
Chairperson: Mr. Shavon Douglas
Mr. Douglas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from St. Francis College, Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management from the University of Bradford, a Master’s in Project Management from Universidad para la Coorperacion Internacional, and a Master of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
He has worked as an Assistant Branch Manager at M&T Bank in Buffalo, New York, a multi-state community-focused bank founded in 1856, that serves New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington. He also worked as a Personal Banker at Carver Federal Savings Bank in Greater New York City, one of the largest African American banks in the United States, where he provided financial counseling, and marketing strategies and helped to minimize operational discrepancies by improving their review and approval process. Mr. Shavon Douglas worked at the Development Bank of Saint Kitts and Nevis for 10 years and climbed the ranks serving as a Senior Project Officer, Senior Business Support Officer and as Manager of the Business for Support Unit. Mr. Douglas is an analytical and detail-oriented professional with comprehensive experience enabling informed decision-making through robust financial planning and analysis. He is equipped with an in-depth understanding of financial statement analysis, loan management, and general banking operations.
Deputy Chairperson: Mrs. Sophia Lawrence
Ms. Sophia Lawrence has worked in the civil service and private practice as an Attorney-at-Law for many years. She graduated from the Norman Manley Law School with a Bachelor of Laws degree at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, Barbados. She was called to the Bar in St. Kitts & Nevis in October 1994. She then obtained a postgraduate Diploma in International Relations for which she studied at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies. Ms. Lawrence also attained a Master of Laws (International Business Law) Degree by the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Director: Ms. Karen Crossman
Ms. Crossman is a well-rounded professional who has served as an employee of our prestigious Social Security Board for sixteen years and counting. During her tenure with St. Christopher & Nevis Social Security Board as a Senior member of staff, Ms. Crossman has provided administrative support for the CFO, performed accounting duties, and benefits processing between the Finance and Benefits departments.She is also an inspiring leader. Her strategic perspective ensures that efforts are synergized to realize objectives efficiently. Her grounded perspectives add value to decision-makers. She is versed in numerous fields including Financial Accounting, Marketing and
Organizational Behavior, Caribbean Business Environment, Economics, and Human Resource Management. Ms. Crossman will add value as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank and strengthen efforts to bolster good governance and resilience throughout the ranks of the institution. She also realized her entrepreneurial ambitions as she is the proud owner and operator of a local small business. She is therefore comfortable in virtually any professional environment.
Director: Ms. Almaz Glasford
Ms. Almaz Glasford is currently the Risk & Compliance Manager at National Caribbean Insurance Company Limited with over a decade of work experience in the financial services sector, with the majority being in Credit, Sales and Finance. Her career started as a Customer Service Representative at the SKNA National Bank for three years. Ms. Glasford proceeded to further her studies and obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Mid-Western State University. During her tenure there, she would have interned at a financial firm for 3 months and worked at Wells Fargo Bank for approximately 8 months. Ms. Glasford returned home and was employed at the Best Buy Supermarket as the Assistant Accountant then transitioned to be a management trainee at Unicomer St. Kitts & Nevis Ltd.
During her professional experience at Unicomer, she was successfully trained and groomed in every management role of the institution and worked within the Credit, Sales, and Optical departments. Her focus to remain on her career path and further her goals as a Finance and Management professional came to fruition when an opportunity presented itself as the company decided to open a new branch for small business and consumer loans where she received the role of Supervisor in Courts Ready Cash. While performing her regular duties, she was also able to simultaneously
complete a master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
Director: Ms. Kelvina Salters
Ms. Kelvina Salters is a young, value-driven professional who is becoming increasingly passionate about empowering others via civic engagement and national service. She graduated with honors from the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Science. She was also awarded the 2019 Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholar and the renowned H.B.C.U. (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Title III Scholar titles during this period.
Throughout her internship at the acclaimed Washington Centre in 2019, Kelvina received foundational training in organizational finance, where she was able to acquire industry best practices to achieve strategic goals.
Ms. Salters worked for five years in the crucial government departments of the National Security Secretariat and Citizenship by Investment Unit before departing St. Kitts to pursue her studies. Shortly after her return, she temporarily held a position at the First Federal Cooperative Credit Union, where she closely collaborated with the management team on important projects. In 2021, she returned to the field of Citizenship by Investment, where she worked as an application liaison for a private firm in St. Kitts. Ms. Salters, who is still employed in the sector, is continuing to advance and recently obtained an executive support job with a private, international real estate firm. Her position allows her to take advantage of her multidisciplinary training to advance her nation’s cause
in terms of economic development.
Director: Ms. Camilla Williams
Ms. Williams has a Bachelor of Science and a double major from the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Accounts & Economics. Ms. Williams is a former staff member of the Central Housing Authority (CHA). She was transitioned from CHA into the National Housing Corporation (NHC), where she is currently employed. Ms. Williams has acquired over 26 years of in-depth knowledge of the institution, 12 of which she spent managing the NHC Mortgage Department. In the last six (6) years of her professional career, Ms. Williams has held professional and community memberships. Ms. Williams is poised, competent and enthusiastic to serve in this capacity for the advancement of the institution’s vision and objectives.
Director: Mr. Blyden Brudy
Mr. Brudy is an outstanding member of society and has contributed vastly to nation-building, particularly in youth empowerment religiously, academically and in the sporting arena. He is the owner of and sole proprietor of Brills Ltd, located in Newton Ground and has been instrumental in providing agricultural products for the local and regional markets for the past 16 years. Mr. Brudy has dedicated over 12 years of his life to the teaching fraternity, teaching Mathematics at Sandy Point High School from 1997 to 2009. In 2001, he attained an IWAF Level 4 Certification in Middle and Long-Distance Coaching from the University of Technology in Jamaica and completed an advanced course in the said field in Lima, Peru in 2006, which affords him the privilege of being an international professional coach. He has since served as a national coach for the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletic Association and founded the High Voltage Track Club, where he organizes athletics programs for children.