Speakers
The organizers of the Connected Caribbean Summit 2024 are delighted to feature a distinguished lineup of experts in their respective fields at this year’s summit. Each speaker offers a distinct perspective shaped by years of expertise and experience, specifically designed to resonate with the Caribbean context while also holding relevance on a global scale. Explore the roster of speakers below.
Bevil Wooding
Summit Host
Bevil Wooding has been one of the leading voices out of the Caribbean promoting the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in regional development.
Wooding’s pioneering efforts in the development of technological solutions for the administration of courts and court processes has set important benchmarks for the modernization of the Caribbean Justice Sector. His work in technology education, youth outreach and Caribbean Internet development was recognized in 2019 with the bestowal of the Excellence in Internet Governance Award by the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum.
Petipha Lewis
Chair, Network of Caribbean Chambers of Commerce
Petipha Lewis is a dynamic and seasoned business leader, who is deeply invested in fostering economic collaboration and growth within the Caribbean business sector. She currently chairs the Network of Caribbean Chambers of Commerce and is the Executive Director of the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Rodney Taylor
Secretary General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union
Rodney Taylor has been the Secretary General of the CTU, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the development of the telecommunications sector in the Caribbean since March 2021. He was formerly the Chief Digital Technology Officer with the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology (MIST) in his native Barbados, where he was the technical lead on a landmark digital transformation initiative that improved the island’s public sector service delivery through the strategic use of innovation, science, and SMART technology.
John Curran
President/Chief Executive Officer, American Registry for Internet Numbers
John Curran is an early Internet executive and one of the founders of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), currently providing leadership of this organization dedicated to supporting the operation of the Internet by the management of Internet number resources throughout its service region, which includes the United States, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean.
Bernadette Lewis
Secretary General, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization
Bernadette Lewis is a highly respected leader in the global ICT sector, who created history in August 2020 when she was appointed as the first female Secretary General of the over 120-year-old Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO). She joined the CTO after a trailblazing career at the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), where she also had the distinction of being its first female Secretary-General.
Sir Dennis Byron
Retired Justice
Sir Dennis Byron was President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (2011-2018), former Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (1999-2009) and has been Chairman of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Halifax, Canada since 2000.
His judicial career began in 1982, age 38, when he was appointed as a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He was soon frequently sitting as a Court of Appeal Judge in an acting capacity before being appointed a substantive member of the Court of Appeal in 1990.
His 36 years of adjudication have bequeathed an unparalleled jurisprudential legacy. The president of the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations described Sir Dennis as having a “sharp intellect” and being “a truly international legal icon”.
Michael Abejuela
General Counsel, ARIN
Michael Abejuela is a respected legal expert, who has been General Counsel at ARIN since September 2010, where he oversees the ARIN in-house Legal and Government Affairs Departments and manages outside counsel. He holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) certificate from the University of Richmond School of Law.
Nigel Edwards
Executive Director, Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation
Nigel Edwards brings a wealth of experience with more than 25 years of strategic management at the highest levels across an array of disciplines.
Edwards continues to lead the cultural, commercial and technological transformation of the Corporation, focused on a customer-centric approach and driving technological transformation to cater for UTC’s future growth and expansion.
He has demonstrated visionary leadership throughout his career and is a vigorous advocate that people are a company’s strongest asset, and they are the foundation for value-creation for all stakeholders.
Mr. Edwards has served as a non-executive Director on several listed companies on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange as well as on several public interest company Boards. He is active in several community organisations across Trinidad and Tobago.
Richard Wall
Chief Technology Officer, Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions
Richard Wall is an ICT innovator and highly skilled software developer, who has been at the forefront of developing cutting-edge Courts Management solutions for courts across the Caribbean.
Kevin Khelawan
Chief Executive Officer, Advent AI
Kevin Khelawan is a co-founder and CEO of US-based Advent AI, an AI software engineering and research firm and a cofounder of and Director at Teleios Systems an enterprise application development firm based in Trinidad and Tobago.
He is an accomplished innovator and technology visionary with over 35 years of professional experience in the computer industry with an emphasis and focus on software development. Kevin has been involved in developing software for multiple industries and with a wide range of technologies and regularly advises leaders in the public and private sector about emerging technologies and their impact on business and society.
Dr. Marcia Headley
Research Director, Apex Academy
Marcia Headley is an accomplished professional in education and academic management, and possesses a diverse skill set including research, curriculum development, program and project management, and online teaching. Her career exemplifies a commitment to educational excellence, evident in her role as a dynamic professional who pushes boundaries and fosters effective relationships for collective success.
Beyond education, Marcia’s proficiency extends to high-quality content creation and effective communication, showcased in her freelance editing and writing pursuits. With a strong educational foundation complemented by ongoing professional development, she passionately promotes educational quality and innovation. Marcia’s journey reflects an unwavering thirst for knowledge, demonstrated in her ability to analyze complex issues and contribute to the field.
Dr. Curtis Charles
Academic Director UWI, FIC
Dr. Curtis B. Charles is a distinguished academic leader who currently serves as the Dean and Director of Academic Affairs at the UWI Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda. His career spans education, administration, and community engagement, leaving a lasting impact on higher education in the Caribbean. Having earned a Doctorate in Education, his expertise extends beyond academia, encompassing areas such as curriculum development, student support, and faculty development. Dr. Charles’s qualifications uniquely position him to shape the academic landscape at the Five Islands Campus.
As the Dean and Director of Academic Affairs, Dr. Charles plays a pivotal role in fostering a vibrant learning environment. His leadership focuses on enhancing teaching quality, promoting research, and ensuring student success to create a dynamic campus experience. His vision aligns with UWI’s mission of advancing knowledge, fostering critical thinking, and empowering future leaders. Dr. Charles actively engages with the local community and understands the importance of connecting academic pursuits with real-world impact.
Stephen Lee
Chief Executive Officer, Arkitechs Inc / DIrector, CaribNOG
Stephen Lee is the Co-founder and CEO of ArkiTechs Inc., an IT provider with offices in Florida and Trinidad & Tobago. He has over 20 years of experience in IT infrastructure design, implementation and support for enterprises.
Stephen is one of the founding members of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), a community of network operators dedicated to sharing technical information and experiences related to the management of ICT infrastructure in the Caribbean region. Since its establishment in 2007, he served as CaribNOG’s Program Coordinator. This role entails identifying community needs, collaborating with stakeholders to align the organization to those needs, and building relationships within the community and with partner institutions.
Stephen is a regular participant in regional and international fora, including meetings hosted by ARIN, LACNIC, LACNOG, NANOG, ISOC, ICANN, CTU and CarPIF (the Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum).
Leslie Nobile
Senior Director, Public Safety, ARIN
Leslie Nobile currently serves as ARIN’s Senior Director, Trust and Public Safety where she leads ARIN’s global engagement program with criminal and civil law enforcement, public safety communities, and related governmental and non-governmental organizations. Her role supports ARIN’s mission of helping to ensure that the Internet remains open, stable, and secure.
Leslie has over 30 years of technical and operations management experience in the Internet industry. She began her career supporting the expansion of the Defense Data Network (DDN) before transitioning into the Domain Name and Internet Protocol Number registry worlds. She has been a contributing author to RFCs, Internet Society (ISOC) articles, and other industry publications, and has been actively involved in the global coordination of Internet addressing policy. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of M3AAWG’s Names and Numbers Committee and is a member of the Public Safety Coordination Group (PSCG), a joint RIR coordination group.
Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American University in Washington, D.C.
Einar Bohlin
Vice President, Government Affairs, ARIN
Einar Bohlin is the Vice President, Government Affairs, at the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN). He oversees and maintains relationships with governments and key intergovernmental organizations for ARIN, working closely with the ARIN management team to accomplish the external mission, goals, and strategic plan of the company. He also participates in the discussions at organizations such as CITEL and the ITU to expand awareness of number resource issues and ARIN policies. Prior to ARIN he worked as a Number Analyst at UUNET and an IP Analyst at InterNIC/Network Solutions where he handled IP number, ASN, and in-addr requests.
Sonia Gill
Secretary General Caribbean Broadcasting Union
Ms. Sonia Gill, the first female Secretary General of the Union, rejoined as head of the Secretariat from September 1, 2021.
Ms. Gill originally took up the role of Secretary General in January 2014 and served at the Headquarters in Barbados until January 2019 when she became Head of Programme for the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in the Dutch and English Caribbean.
Ms. Gill has an extensive portfolio of media experience as a broadcast journalist and producer with the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Barbados, as well as a regulator and policymaker with the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ).