PRESIDENT

John Percy Woods was born to John David Mendes and Edith deJongh Woods on July 4, 1956, in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands. The second of four children, he grew up with his siblings Robert (deceased), Fred (deceased), and Julie on the deJongh property, just north of Savan. He attended public school in St. Thomas and graduated in 1974 as the Salutatorian of the Charlotte Amalie High School. He received a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City in 1979. From 1979 – to 1982, he worked with the Juan Montoya Design Corporation in New York City, a well-known interior design firm.

Several of the projects he worked on were featured in Architectural Digest and Interior Digest magazines, including the residence of the internationally renowned artist, Francisco Botero.

In 1982, John returned to the Virgin Islands and began working at his Uncle Robert and Aunt Donna’s firm of deJongh Associates where he worked for ten years, rising to the position of Associate Principal. In 1992, John, in conjunction with LeRoy V. Smith, PE, formed the Jaredian Design Group, a full-service architectural/engineering firm in the Territory.

Since their founding, Jaredian has had long-standing and extensive experience in the design and construction industry of the Virgin Islands and has grown into one of the Virgin Islands’ most prestigious architectural firms. Their projects have included the Restoration of Roosevelt Park, Main Street Revitalization,

Veterans Drive Expansion, V.I. Public Finance Authority Reconstruction, Fort Christian & Government House Restorations, Charles W. Turnbull Library, and Omar Brown, Sr. Fire Station.

The Jaredian Design Group has received design awards from the St. Thomas Historical Trust in 1999 & 2000, the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce in 2008 & 2010, and International Property Awards in 2014.

A Board Member of the St. Thomas-St, John Chamber of Commerce since 2012, John has served on many public and non-profit boards. These include V.I. Chapter American Institute of Architects, V.I Board of Architects, Engineers & Land Surveyors, V.I Board of Land Use Appeals, St. Thomas Reformed Church, St. Thomas Historical Trust, Harmonic Lodge No. 356 E.C., St.Thomas Lodge No. 9679 E.C., and Zetland Chapter No. 356 E.C.

John has three sons from a previous marriage, Ian; Jared; and Reid. He is married to Dr. Catherine A. Kean, MD.

PAST PRESIDENT

2021-2023

Shaine is an expert in the gaming industry with a focus that reaches far beyond daily business. In 2003, he accepted the challenge of designing and implementing the Video Lottery program in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Following a successful launch, Shaine supported significant organizational growth and now manages a team of key personnel. In addition, he diligently maintains strict compliance in this highly regulated arena while leading operations to promote clientele's positive, enjoyable experience.

While extensively traveling and studying gaming laws and markets in the U.S., United Kingdom, Asia, and Europe, Shaine is fully committed to advancing the resources across expansive regions and jurisdictions. Through his dedication to USVI, he drives the company's mission of promoting responsible gaming practices and reducing unregulated activities, which assists governments in their continued efforts to decrease crime and increase revenue through a strengthened tax base.

In addition, Shaine has traveled as part of a Virgin Islands Delegation on a Trade Mission to China to promote business, industry, and tourism in the territory. He is very active in the business and civic community, closely working with the government and private sectors.

Shaine is the President and Co-founder of Ella's Hope non-profit organization with a mission to extend global awareness of Rett syndrome and fund research grants to world-renowned organizations and universities to pursue a cure.

He resides in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, with his wife Lauren and daughters, Alex and Ella.

Mike currently serves as President of International Private Bank (IPB) based in St. Croix, USVI, and is responsible for investment management, asset allocation, tax planning, and operational integration across a broad portfolio of companies. Prior to IPB, Mike was a founding Partner of Sheridan Capital Partners, a direct private equity firm in Chicago focused on buyouts of lower middle market healthcare businesses.

Prior to the launch of Sheridan in 2011, Mike spent six years at International Capital and Management Company in St. Thomas, USVI where he led the financial planning and investment service lines. His responsibilities included real estate acquisition and expansion, new hospital development, financial modeling and analysis, project management, and investment and tax planning. Prior to ICMC, Mike completed a management fellowship at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a national chain of integrative cancer hospitals, where he focused on finance, hospital operations, and new center development.

Mike graduated magna cum laude from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and holds a Lean Six Sigma Green belt.

AeroMD, one of the fastest-growing companies in the territory over the last five years, is the only locally-headquartered, air ambulance company, with three dedicated jet aircraft and medical personnel on the ground, ready to go at a moment’s notice. They have evacuated over 13,000 patients from the USVI since its inception, saving countless lives. AeroMD now employs approximately 50 Virgin Islanders directly plus scores more indirectly.

In addition to running AeroMD, Brendan is a practicing ER surgeon (literally in his spare time on weekends) and won a Bronze Star while serving in the US Air Force Special Ops Critical Care Evacuation Team in Afghanistan.

After earning degrees in Economics and Environmental Sciences from Emory University, Adrien Returned to his birth home of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands to create businesses that added value to the economic landscape. Focused on ecology and efficiency, the goal was not simply to just sell another trinket but rather to diversify the economy and hopefully aid in financial and ecological sustainability.

In 2011 Adrien co-founded Drive Green VI, which brought the first Electric Cars to the USVI proving their viability; introduced Dual-fuel propane upgrade technology, and today is the largest fleet management company in the USVI. Drive Green VI is also the ONLY major brand Electric Vehicle warranty facility and auto dealer in the Virgin Islands allowing the residents of the VI to invest in the future of transportation with the full support of the private sector. Adrien is also the owner of Dollar/Thrifty and the founder/co-owner of Breeze Air Charters as well as the founder of an App Development incubator.

In keeping with his continued willingness to advocate for the betterment of the USVI, Adrien has spoken at the Congressional Black Caucus as an expert panelist on “E-Mobility in Black and Brown Communities” at the request of Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and he was the volunteer Chairman of the Economic Development Committee which audited revenue-generating USVI Government entities for the Governor-Elect, Albert Bryan’s transition Team.

For the past 21 years, Scott Barber has been the President and CEO of Universal Business Supplies, an established office supplies, office furniture, and office technology business. For twenty years, Scott has also been the President of Barber Enterprises, a business development company that does business in the Caribbean and the United States.

Scott obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Howard University. He has participated in over 40 Business and Leadership skills training courses. He is the recipient of the Best of the VI Award for Universal Business Supplies from 2011 to 2020 in the category of office supplies and office furniture. Scott currently serves as a member of the Chamber Board; he is the Past President of United Way and served on the Board of United Way for six years. He is a leadership skills development consultant for United Way. He serves as President of the Dorothea View Homeowners Association is a greeter and usher at the Assembly of God Church, past Vice President of the Full Gospel Businessmen, and a past mentor for C.O.R. Youth Group

Sharmane Brookes has been involved in the financial services industry in the U.S. Virgin Islands for over 35 years. Her primary focus has been commercial banking. Ms. Brookes is currently the Vice President/Commercial Business at FirstBank, USVI. She received her MBA from the University of the Virgin Islands. She serves as Director of the Foundation of the University of the Virgin Islands and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce in 2019.

Filippo Cassinelli is an alumni of Montessori and Antilles schools. He graduated in 1988 from New York University with a BA and returned to work in the family businesses.

Currently, he is a Vice President and a principal of IPA Inc., a family-held real estate company that manages the A. H. Riise Mall and other properties in the historic district. Filippo is a managing director of AHR watches which operates a Rolex boutique in the A. H. Riise Mall and a boutique on the island of Tortola.

Filippo was appointed by Governor Trumbull in the 90’s to serve on the first-ever Cruise ship task force which resulted in unprecedented cruise passenger arrivals to the territory. In 2016 he was appointed by Governor Mapp to serve on the Port of Charlotte Amalie Cruise Ship Task Force.

Filippo served for three years on the board of the St. Thomas Historic Trust. He serves on various committees for the St. Thomas and St. John Chamber of Commerce. Filippo is a regular contributor to the editorial page of the Daily News and Source.

Sebastiano Paiewonsky Cassinelli is a principal and officer of AH Riise and Isidor Paiewonsky Associates, Inc., both privately held, family-owned businesses. AH Riise is a luxury retailer and the Official Rolex Retailer in the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands. Isidor Paiewonsky Associates, Inc. is a commercial real estate company with holdings in downtown St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie. Mr. Cassinelli is also a Co-Managing Member of St. Thomas Properties, LLC, a commercial real estate company with holdings in St. Thomas.

Mr. Cassinelli graduated from the Antilles School in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, has a B.A. in English literature from Brandeis University, and graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1990. He is a member of the New York and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Mr. Cassinelli is currently serving his eighth term as president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, a founding board member of Downtown Revitalization, Inc., and served as a board member and Treasurer of Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.

Adriane Dudley is a prominent St. Thomas attorney who has been an active member of the Virgin Islands community since her arrival in St. Thomas nearly 40 years ago. Attorney Dudley hails from Boston, Massachusetts where she attended the Northeastern University School of Law, graduating in 1972. Her strong ties to the community are no doubt fostered by her desire to have meaningful exchanges with all those she encounters. She prides herself on greeting everyone and remembering names. Evidence of her commitment is demonstrated by two community service awards that she is proud of: the 2013 St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce Wilbur “Bill” LaMotta Community Service Award and the 2009 VI Bar Association’s Winston Hodge Award for Public Service.

Her work for the community began when she arrived. Due to the one-year residency requirement for attorneys, she was unable to take the bar exam or practice law. She thus took advantage of that time to do charitable work, primarily working with young people in such organizations as the Girl Scouts of America and the Big Sister program and working as a school volunteer and tutor. Her community involvement has included service on many local Boards, but she has been committed to the St Thomas-St John Chamber of Commerce for over 30 years, serving as its President for three separate terms and continuously on its Board of Directors. Dudley is also an active member of the American Bar Association and on the ABA Board of Governors.

In private practice in the Virgin Islands, Dudley continued to work in the area of labor law, representing clients before the NLRB, EEOC or the Department of Labor and in legal proceedings in the courts. However, in 2007, sensing the onset of the economic depression that was taking hold in the USVI as well as the States, Dudley began to assist clients interested in participating in the EDC program, helping them to navigate the government bureaucracy. Dudley described some of the challenges facing potential developers as well as EDC companies, including legal battles with members of the community who oppose development or projects initiated or operated by “outsiders.” While Dudley has expressed long-term optimism about the economic plight of the U.S. Virgin Islands, clearly the intransigent opposition to some forms of economic development is one factor of concern. As Chair of the Legislative Committee of the St Thomas-St John Chamber, she is pleased to work with the Senate and to have a role in drafting pending amendments to the EDA law which will increase development incentives.

Dudley’s career establishes that she is a “doer,” committed to improving the community, not sitting back and complaining about society’s shortcomings.

Meaghan Enright is the Executive Director of Love City Strong, Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Love City Strong formed as a group of volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September of 2017. The early mandate was clear - identify gaps in the response and leverage community resources to fill those gaps as efficiently as possible. The group’s early successes garnered the attention of federal and local government responders as well as nonprofit and private philanthropic response groups and lasting public-private partnerships were born which continue to spur St. John’s recovery today.

Over the past four years, Love City Strong has grown, offering a portfolio of programming that focuses on disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, with an emphasis on community resilience. As Executive Director, Meaghan has led her team through a series of steep learning curves and spearheaded disaster preparedness and housing recovery programs that are first of their kind in the United States Virgin Islands. In her years as Executive Director,

Meaghan has contributed to two panels with the Clinton Global Initiative and presented at the National Hurricane Conference, on the topics of housing recovery, community disaster preparedness, and public-private partnerships in response, respectively. She was also a member of the 2019-2020 Cohort of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard university.

A graduate of The George Washington University with a dual concentration in Marketing and Event and Hospitality Management, Meaghan moved to St. John in the fall of 2005. After nearly a decade in the hospitality industry on the island, she started a boutique consulting firm in 2013, focused on brand development and content strategy, which catered to small businesses in the United States Virgin Islands. Over the next four years, Meaghan built her brand and supported a network of local businesses in the process.

Since Hurricanes Irma and Maria altered her career trajectory, Meaghan has been able to draw on a strong background in communications, systems, and management to bring fresh perspectives to the response and recovery of St. John.

Dexter Freeman has spent over 30 years in the telecommunications industry. He currently manages the AT&T Network operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Previously he spent 10 years at General Dynamics as a Test Engineer working on the Tomahawk Cruise Missile program.

Dexter currently serves as President of the St. Thomas-St. John Golf Association under which the Junior Golf Program has helped to develop and mold young girls and boys into becoming better citizens. Many young golfers that participated in the program received scholarships and are currently active players or work in the golf industry. Dexter is a past President of the Humane Society of St. Thomas and a member of the board of EAST. Mr. Freeman is a US Navy Veteran and attended South Western University in California. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce.

Hugo V. Hodge, Jr., is the Executive Vice President and General Manager, Caribbean Basin, for Tantalus Systems. At Tantalus, he leads strategic efforts to expand the company’s presence in the Caribbean Basin through his extensive experience in distribution utility operations coupled with his understanding of the unique business and operational issues in the territory. Mr. Hodge is an accomplished utility veteran with more than 25 years’ experience in power distribution, engineering, and utility marketing leadership roles.

Prior to joining Tantalus, he served an eight-year tenure as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority (WAPA). Under his leadership, the Authority embarked on an ambitious strategic plan to bring state-of-the-art solutions by which both electricity and potable water are generated and distributed throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands. He committed himself to leading a utility that efficiently served the people of the Virgin Islands as the best steward of the public’s dollar.

With more than two decades of experience in the utility industry, Hodge has honed his skills as a Certified Power Quality (CPQ) professional and public manager. He is experienced in managing alternative sources of generation and possesses an impressive record of both improving and sustaining system efficiency at power utilities. Most recently at WAPA, Hodge guided the utility through the negotiation, contracting, construction and pre-commissioning of the first LPG facility in the Caribbean. During his tenure, WAPA connected over 8 megawatts of generation capacity to its sub transmission grids with the connection of solar facilities in each island district, and successfully negotiated for an additional 8 MW to be added by 2017.

Hodge holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University. He is a former chairman and current Board Member of the Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) and a former member of the board of directors for the American Public Power Association (APPA). He also served as co-director of the Energy Development in Island Nations- U.S. Virgin Islands (EDIN-USVI) initiative, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Government and the Government of the Virgin Islands which seeks to achieve a 60% reduction of fossil fuel usage by 2025.

A native son of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hodge remains an active member of community organizations, specifically those that mentor and provide guidance to the younger generation. He has been a facilitator for the Junior Achievement Program. Hodge currently is Vice President of the Elrod Hendricks Little League West and coaches several sports teams. He also mentors’ young people towards careers in technology and business. Hodge is also a Board Member of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Foundation for the Reichhold Center for the Arts’ Board of Directors.

Being raised by his mother, Charlie grew up reading cookbooks and cooking for his mother while she worked. So, it is not surprising he had a hospitality career spanning more than two decades before joining Yacht Haven Grand in St. Thomas. His career started in hospitality at the very, early age of 12 when he worked at a deli making salads, and sandwiches, cooking on the grill, and attending the register. He was a bar back, bartender, busser, and server at Wells Restaurant in Harlem New York. As he tells it, “I was too young to be employed at a restaurant, but they allowed it, so I worked and learned”. While attending school at Queensborough Community College. Charlie continued his career at the opening of the Four Seasons Hotel New York in 1992.

He moved from Four Season Hotel to take on Food and Beverage Assistant Director then Director positions in other prestigious New York hotels. Moving into hotel general management in 2005 at Miami’s Hotel Victor, a Hyatt Hotel, Charlie returned to New York in 2006 as the General Manager for the popular Soho House and in 2009 became the General Manager for the Duane Street Hotel. For a brief time, he deviated from Hospitality and joined a vibrant company in the Cars by Hour space called Zipcar as General Manager of the New York Tri-State Area. Then, with years of experience behind him, Charlie became a task force General Manager on projects including the preopening of Hotel Indigo in Newark New Jersey and converting a Ritz Carlton into an independent hotel called the Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa.

With family origins in Kingston, Jamaica, Charlie decided to move to the Virgin Islands as the Director of Operations for Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas. In this role, he was responsible for the strategy, marketing, government relations, business, and operations of Yacht Haven Grande, an IGY property. During Charlie’s tenure as Director of Operations for Yacht Haven Grande, the property was awarded the Superyacht Marina of the Year, 5 Gold Anchor Award and best shopping 2013 through 2017.

Charlie was promoted to Vice President of Hospitality for IGY. In this role, he oversaw the operations of all hospitality locations, and the current and future growth of the hospitality division for IGY. After hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the islands in 2017, he returned to St. Thomas to help rebuild the Yacht Haven Grande property. In his new role, Charlie is the General Manager of Real Estate at Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas.

Tony is a Senior International Operations, Sales & Business Development Executive with over 35 years of experience in successfully providing the vision, strategies, and leadership required to grow the cruise industry and travel-related companies. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Miami in International Finance and Florida State University in Multinational Business. He also has Associate of Arts Degrees in both Architecture and Finance from the University of Florida. In 1984 he was awarded a Congressional Appointment by U. S. Representative Claude Pepper to Kings Point, The United States Merchant Marine Academy. Although he received a candidacy, he did not attend.

As President and CEO of Virgin Excursions and Virgin Port Services, Tony is the Managing Director of a multi-faceted company that provides high-quality shore excursions, port agency and consultancy services to all of the world’s major and smaller up-scale cruise lines, high-end mega-yachts and concession / retail operators. The company regularly services approximately 600 cruise ship calls per year as a port agent, as well as providing an extensive and innovative line-up of various shore excursions for thousands of cruise ship guests.

He is the President of Taras Consultancy, Inc, a consultancy firm that specializes in concept, product, and revenue development within the cruise and travel destination industries, working with cruise lines, hospitality entities, concessionaires, and manufacturers, as well as property & destination developers.

Navin Sakhrani was born in Hong Kong and his family moved to St. Thomas in 1974 when he was just 9 months old. The only time Navin has lived away from home was during his four years at university. He went to school at All Saints Cathedral School and graduated from Georgetown University in 1996 with a degree in marketing and finance. Navin moved back to St. Thomas to join the family business. Navin’s father, Kishoo Sakhrani and his 3 brothers, starting opening retail stores in downtown St. Thomas in 1974. Grand Jewelers was opened in 1982 and Navin had always grown up in the jewelry retail trade. After graduating, Navin joined his father who had always been active in community service. His father was an active Rotarian and a director of The India Association of the Virgin Islands. Watching his father always be active in the community was something that Navin felt was important.

After the passing away of his father in 2001, Navin became a director of the India Association of the Virgin Islands and he is currently the Vice President of the association. Navin has also served on the board of the Chamber of Commerce. St. Thomas has always and will always be his home, so being an active member of the Chamber is especially important. There is always so much work to be done to improve our business community. Navin married his wife Simran Sakhrani in 1998 and they have 2 daughters, Milan, and Karina ages 18 and 16.

Rosa C. Thomas is the owner of Payroll Vault LLC, a full-service payroll processor for the USVI and Puerto Rico. Prior to this Rosa served for six (6) years as the Senior VP of Operations at SVN International Corporation, a Commercial and Corporate Realty franchisor with franchisees and clients throughout the world. She was also responsible for their Virgin Islands operations, Real Impact Corporation. Rosa has over 20 years of operation and financial management. She held the position of General Manager for Hudson Management Group, a captive insurance servicing company for over seven (7) years. Rosa is a JP Morgan trained commercial loan officer with many years as a commercial lender, branch manager and select banker for JPMorgan Chase Bank and First Bank VI.

Rosa is a graduate of Vassar College and is an avid reader and active member of the Virgin Islands non-profit community. She has delivered lectures on captive insurance, commercial real estate, and co-hosted operations summits. During the past 10 years, Rosa has honorably volunteered and currently serves as the Vice President of the non-profit School of Visual Arts and Careers.

Cassandra P. Webster serves as the Vice President and Commercial Relationship Officer at Banco Popular in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI). With over 25 years of extensive experience in the commercial banking industry, Cassandra has a wealth of business expertise including, but not limited to, knowledge in finance, accounting, credit analysis, loan underwriting and structuring. A consummate professional, she maintains a standard of excellence in not only her banking experience but as a leader in the community.

This dynamic leader has served as the Vice President of Phi Beta Lambda at the University of the Virgin Islands Chapter; has held membership in the Business and Professional Women (BPW), National Association of Female Executives (NAFE), and the American Association of Professional Women (AAPW); and participated in the University of the Virgin Islands 1999 Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders. A global citizen, Cassandra is fluent in Spanish, has exemplary interpersonal skills, and maintains working relationships with critical businesses and organizations throughout the USVI and abroad.

She is a proud alumna of Charlotte Amalie High School and holds a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, and Associate of Arts in Business Management from the University of the Virgin Islands. Known to the community for exceptional service to internal and external customers, Cassandra is affectionately described as a loving, dedicated, and supporting mother to her son Cerghio and daughter Micayaela.