Presenters Page 3
Owen Wilson holds Diplomas in Industrial Arts Education and Building and Drafting Technology; a Bachelor degree in General Technology and Master of Science in Career and Technical Education from the University of Technology. He is currently assigned to the Technical and Vocational Unit of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Jamaica, with direct responsibility for monitoring and supervision of the industrial education programme.
Patricia Bidart, M.Ed., is presently the Dean of the Schools of: Trades, Hospitality and Tourism and the Arts (Fine Arts & Music). She has instructed CBET in China, Tanzania, Mozambique, Canada and Belize and has worked with the partners to facilitate an applied approach to teaching. She worked in Kingston with CICan as Senior Technical Advisor for the CEFE program with responsibilities in Jamaica, Belize, Guyana and Suriname.
Pamela Chirwa is acting as Head of Department in the Automobile Section at Salima Technical College in Malawi. She is one of the first female graduates to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree of Education (Technical) from the University of Malawi (The Polytechnic) in 2006. Ms. Chirwa also holds a Diploma in Automobile Mechatronics obtained from Blantyre Mechatronics Training Centre.
Paulette Dunn-Pierre is the CEO for Dunn, Pierre, Barnett & Associates, and provides technical assistance to Governments, NTAs and TVET Councils across the Region especially in Qualifications Framework and Human Resource Development. She is a graduate of The UWI, Ohio University, and the University of Sheffield. Dr. Dunn Pierre was instrumental in the development of the regional NVQs and CVQs
Pauline Ruffin is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, she holds both a Bachelor of Education and Masters in Education Degree in Testing, Measurement and Evaluation. She is currently the Quality Assurance Co-ordinator at the Grenada National Training Agency. Pauline is also a certified Master Assessor in TVET.
Pauline Whiteman is the Senior Manager, Programme Development & Management Department, National Training Agency Trinidad and Tobago. She was educated at The UWI (BSc Human Ecology, MPhil Agricultural Extension – Nutrition Education), John. S. Donaldson Technical Institute (National Technician’s Diploma, Craftsmen’s Diploma, Technical Teacher’s Diploma). Turin, Italy (Training Policies and Management of Training Systems), University of Wisconsin, Madison (Curriculum Development in TVET). She is a Certified Professional Home Economist (CPHE)
Paulson Skerrit has a BEd. Primary Education- Special Needs, an MS in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a PhD. in Education- Literacy Studies. Dr. Skerrit has worked with the NCPD which provides technical and vocational education and training for persons with disabilities. He lectures at the UTT’s Centre for Educational Programs and part-time at UWI St. Augustine.
Raona Williams is an international educational and clinical professional based in London UK. Her special interest is in learning technologies used within clinical and vocational health education settings, as well as in exploring the efficacy of digital technologies for adaptive learning and the vocational education journey. Raona is also a UK trained practicing Chartered Physiotherapist and specializes in musculoskeletal assessment, functional rehabilitation, and disability analysis.
Raymond Dixon is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Idaho. His main research areas include STEM integration, Workforce Development, and Design Cognition. Dr Dixon serves as Co-PI and Key personnel on NSF grants that aimed at developing technicians for manufacturing and developing the STEM identity of Native American students.
Rosemarie Heath, Ph.D. is a Lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Studies, The University of the West Indies Mona Campus.
Reynaldo Martinez Jr. earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Speech and English Education from Texas A&I University, a Master’s Degree in Occupational Education from Corpus Christi State University, and a PhD in Vocational Education with specialization in vocational teacher education from Colorado State University. He currently heads the Department of Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State University, and teaches masters and doctoral classes.
Robert Clark graduated with a BS and MED from North Carolina State, and received his Ph.D. from Penn State University, Pa. In January 2013, Dr. Clark became the Executive Director of the Center for Professional Development in Career and Technical Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. He co-edits the International Vocational Education and Training Association Journal.
Raquel Fernandez-Coto is a Consultant in the Labor Markets and Social Security Division in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where she works on the design and implementation of Bank projects in the areas of youth employment, labor market insertion and apprenticeship programmes, primarily in the Caribbean. She has a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.