A key annual academic and public policy event focused on national development is set to take place this week in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, hosted by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Site of The University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus. The event, the Annual Sir Dwight Venner Memorial Independence Lecture, is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the UWI Global Campus location in Kingstown.
This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Kertney Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts-Nevis Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council. Dr. Thompson will center his address on the timely theme “The Next Independence: Building the Skills, Talent and Enterprise to Shape Our Future”. The discussion will dive into what types of human capital and entrepreneurial ecosystems are required to drive sustained national growth and shape a prosperous long-term future for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Following the keynote lecture, a public panel discussion will be held, moderated by Andrea Bowman, a distinguished former public servant and educator whose career includes serving as Resident Ambassador of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the Republic of China (Taiwan) and former Headmistress of the Girls’ High School.
Four leading professionals from across the public, private and entrepreneurial sectors will join the panel:
• Desron Bynoe, Vice President and General Manager for Barbados at Liberty Caribbean (Flow Barbados)
• Pearlette Hannaway, Senior Education Officer overseeing TVET at St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ministry of Education
• Kimya Glasgow, Founder and Creative Director of Kimya Glasgow Designs Inc., who also works as a business coach and mentor
• Keisha Phillips, Officer in Charge at the Centre for Enterprise Development under the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Private Sector Development
After the panel wraps up its conversation, an open question-and-answer session will be held, giving all in-person attendees the chance to engage directly with the keynote speaker and panel members, share their own perspectives, and contribute to the ongoing conversation about national development strategy.