OYW Bahamas Caucus 2022: 17 February

Mrs. Rochelle Newbold has been working in the environmental field for more than 21years. She has worked in both public and private sectors of The Bahamas managing environmental matters for the country. She has also managed United Nations, regionally funded projects and was the first Chair of the Bahamas Small Grant program. Mrs. Newbold recently served as the first appointed Director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Projection, which is the first legislative environmental department in The Bahamas.

Mrs. Newbold holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University in Coastal Environmental Management and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Marine Biology.  She has represented and negotiated for The Bahamas at numerous international and regional environmental conferences and has authored and contributed to various national environmental legislations, policies, handbooks and plans. Mrs. Newbold recently led the technical team at COP26 and has been appointed to the Office of the Prime Minister as the first Environmental and Climate Change Tzar for The Bahamas.

Mrs. Larissa Cartwright has been working in the environmental field for a decade. During that time, she has worked in the private sector promoting environmental conservation and education and is currently employed with The Bahamas government posted at the Office of the Prime Minister. Mrs. Cartwright’s work experience has centered on environmental management, sustainable development, and national climate change matters. Mrs. Cartwright has supported the advancement and development of The Bahamas’ Third National Communication, Initial Biennial Update Report, and Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for submission to the UNFCCC.  Further, Mrs. Cartwright has served as the Secretary to The Bahamas’ National Climate Change Committee.

Mrs. Cartwright holds a Master of Science degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management from the University of the West Indies and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental, Natural Resources and Plant Sciences from Tuskegee University.

N. Charles Hamilton is a Climate Change Advisor in The Office of the Prime Minister. He has worked at the nexus of climate change, global health, youth and sustainable development issues, through various roles held in government, the private sector, civil society, and multilateral organizations in The Bahamas, Canada, and Europe. 

Charles has supported The Bahamas in regional and international Climate Change negotiations and was most recently elected as a representative to the UNFCCC Article 6.4 (Carbon Credit Market) Supervisory Committee. He has delivered interventions at the 75th United Nations General Assembly. Additionally, Charles has served as Project Manager for the development of several key climate change and health-related reports for the country. 

He is a proud alumnus of St. Andrew's School, where he received a full academic scholarship, graduating in 2008. Charles went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences ('14) from the University of Guelph and a Double Masters Degree (with Distinction) in Public Health, specializing in Health Economics and Governance of Health Systems ('19), from the Europubhealth+ program - where he researched "National Adaptation Planning for Climate Change and Public Health in the Caribbean". 

He continues to be involved in the publication of scientific papers to advance climate science and the empowerment of persons from "Big Ocean States" (like The Bahamas) and other marginalized groups in academic research. 

Kelli Ashley Armstrong, spent her childhood in Nassau and Freeport. After graduating from Sunland Baptist Academy in 2006, Kelli studied Chemistry at The College of The Bahamas before transferring to Acadia University in Canada where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. Kelli was one of two students invited to represent Acadia at the 2011 IMPACT! Youth Conference on Sustainability, and later received the Acadia Students' Union Leadership Award in 2012. 

In 2013, Kelli received a full scholarship for a Master of Arts degree in Climate and Society at Columbia University in the City of New York, which included an assistantship to research forecast-based disaster preparedness in the Caribbean with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society. Following completion of her studies, Kelli was retained as a Senior Research Staff Assistant to further develop applications for her research. 

Kelli returned to Nassau in 2015, and joined Caribbean Coastal Services as their first Environmental Scientist. Now Project Manager for BRON, she continues to lead climate assessments and internship programming, as well as some public outreach and business development activities. Last year, Kelli received the BRON Community Award following her service as the Global Youth Climate Network's 2021 Climate Ambassador for The Bahamas, and designation as the first Bahamian Climate Change Professional (CC-P) certified by the Association of Climate Change Officers.

Barrise Griffin is The Master of Disasters.

As an expert in disaster risk management and development, Barrise’s work focuses on critically examining the social perceptions of risk to create more effective strategies in disaster preparedness and response throughout the Caribbean. She received her MA, awarded with Distinction, in Disasters, Adaptation & Development in 2020 from King’s College London, with particular focus on Climate Change, Human Mobility, and International Development.

More than being an expert, Barrise sees it as her calling to craft policies and execute plans that improve crisis response and disaster management in the Caribbean, and for Small Island Developing States at large. Her long-term goal is to become a national-level policy advisor and researcher.

Her recent work focused on the human impacts of the 2019 Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas. Barrise is currently a Research Associate at the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Research Centre at The University of The Bahamas. 

Chaz is an intern coastal engineer at Tatham Engineering. He joined in October 2021 shortly after graduating from Dalhousie University with his Bachelor's degree in civil engineering.  Chaz is based in Ottawa, engaging in coastal and municipal projects across Ontario, Canada.  Being born and raised in The Bahamas, Chaz gained an appreciation for the importance of coastal resilience and climate change adaptation and enjoys organizing, leading and participating in related projects. These include leading the youth arm of the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance’s 1 Million Tree Planting Project, and participating in the UN Climate Change Summit in 2019. In January 2020, Chaz organized, hosted and led ‘The Sustainable Lifestyle’ in The Bahamas, an event that educated, entertained and inspired over 200 Bahamians about sustainability and how it can be used to combat Climate Change.

Chaz also is an aviator; he is registered as a commercial pilot in The Bahamas, US and Canada and he is a certified drone pilot.  In his free time, Chaz enjoys reading about climate change and nature-based solutions, and going out to enjoy practically any outdoor activity.

Jewel Beneby is a Science Officer at the Bahamas National Trust based in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. She is responsible for the Community Based Conch Management Pilot Project and other coastal restoration projects in Grand Bahama. Jewel received her Bachelors of Science and certificate of Environmental Science From Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fl. Through her ecological and social science field work, she aims to bridge the gap of conservation and community.

Chantal Curtis serves a dual role in the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) as the Parks Planner and New Providence Parks Manager. As the Parks Planner, she is responsible for planning, organising, and facilitating the implementation of management plans for the national parks across the archipelago. As the New Providence Parks Manager, she is responsible for supervising staff and volunteers along with the planning and organising of the daily operations and management of the resources in the four national parks on the island. Stakeholder engagement, education, and awareness are important elements of both of her roles especially as an advocate for the sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity and its conservation.

Chantal received her Master of Science degree in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of the West Indies, her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Murray State University and has a Diploma in Education from the College of The Bahamas.

Chantal’s motto ‘learning experiences have a way of making us humble, inspired, and overwhelmed all at once’. Her background in the field of Instructional Design and Human Performance has encouraged her to both investigate and implement strategies to improve staff engagement and performance in her work environment. Through her role as a member of the core enforcement team responsible for designing and implementing the enforcement programme for BNT park wardens, she transfers her knowledge and skills to the workplace in a meaningful way.

Chantal was born in Barbados and raised in The Bahamas. She enjoys spending time in nature, in particular, the serenity of spaces protected by national parks. She recently started experimenting with growing her own food in preparation for the apocalypse, and enjoys running, and spending time social distancing with family and friends especially her two nephews.

Gloria Miller is a Senior Education Officer at the Bahamas National Trust, responsible for managing the national park experience program, summer camps, and national park signage projects. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Richmond and previously taught Chemistry at the senior high school level. Her passion for service, the natural environment, and science led her to intern and volunteer with the Bahamas National Trust while in high school and university. In addition, Gloria is a certified youth leader who served in her church’s youth ministry. She also completed the ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) Level II certification course. Gloria uses her positive attitude and communication skills to instill into others an appreciation and care for the natural environment.

Alannah Vellacott is a marine ecologist, science communicator and ocean advocate with 11 years of experience working in marine research, conservation and education in The Bahamas and The Caribbean.

As a Bahamian living in a small community that bordered an expansive mangrove creek system, Alannah grew up with the ocean as the backdrop to her childhood. Exploring the mangroves, fishing with her neighbours, and learning the science behind the ecosystem she lived in from her father, a former biology teacher, formed the base of Alannah’s love for the ocean.

After graduating high school, her unbridled passion was given direction and purpose through a scholarship to attend the Cape Eleuthera Island School and an internship with the Shark Research and Conservation department at the adjacent Cape Eleuthera Institute. This experience springboarded Alannah’s career in marine research. Since then, Alannah has made the rounds of working and volunteering for non-profit environmental conservation organizations including the Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation, the Bahamas National Trust, Community Conch, The Nature Conservancy, and most recently, Perry Institute for Marine Science.

A PADI scuba instructor with 17 years of experience in diving, Alannah has travelled to The Bahamas and The Caribbean working on a variety of marine research and outreach projects. Some of her experiences include conducting AGRRA coral and fish surveys, reef restoration, conch population research, shipwreck mapping, and blue hole ethnography. Alannah received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences in with emphasis in Ecology in 2017 at South Dakota State University and plans to pursue a graduate’s degree in Marine Ecology in the near future.