NEW YORK – American film director, writer and producer, Malcolm D. Lee, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Hon. Sherice Cartwright Robinson, Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Jamaican Hotelier, Kevin Hendrickson and Banker Anya Schnoor, are the recipients of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) 2019 awards. The two heads of state are alumni of The UWI.
The awards will to be presented at the AFUWI 22nd Annual Legacy Awards Gala at the Pierre Hotel, New York on February 27, 2019.
University of the West Indies Alumni Association (UWIAA) Pelican Award
Her Excellency Pennelope Beckles, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to the United Nations and President of UN Women will receive the University of the West Indies Alumni Association (UWIAA) Pelican Award.
This award is presented by the Association to graduates of The UWI who have excelled in their chosen fields and have made significant national, regional or international impact.
The AFUWI, a registered US Charity, annually hosts the Legacy Awards Gala and other events in New York, raising funds for scholarships to The UWI.
Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles will present the five AFUWI awards.
AFUWI 2019 Pinnacle Pathfinder Award
Malcolm D. Lee will receive the Pinnacle Pathfinder Award. Lee has been making films since age 12 in animation, video and super-8 film formats. Since age 17, he has worked as a production assistant, apprentice film editor, casting associate assistant director and director’s assistant. A graduate of Georgetown University with a BA in English and Fine Arts minor, he completed a Fellowship in screen writing from Walt Disney Studios before honing his craft at New York University’s Tisch School of Fine Arts.
He directed the action comedy UNDERCOVER BROTHER (with Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle and Neil Patrick Harris); WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS (with Martin Lawrence) and SOUL MEN (with Samuel L. Jackson & Bernie Mac); BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT (Ice-Cube, Cedric The Entertainer, Nicki Minaj); GIRLS TRIP (Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tiffany Haddish).
In November of 2013 (a banner year for African American films) Lee released the sequel to his first film. The Best Man Holiday grossed $30.5 Million in its opening weekend alone pleasing audiences and shocking the industry with a game-changing debut. Another installment of The Best Man franchise is in the works.
In September of 2018, Lee teamed up with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish for the comedy, NIGHT SCHOOL which grossed over $100M worldwide, and is now in the process of developing film and television projects for NBCUniversal and Universal Pictures.
AFUWI 2019 Legacy Awards
Receiving one of two Legacy Awards will be Dr. the Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas who obtained the MBBs degree in Medicine from The UWI in 1980 and in 1985 completed specialized studies in Jamaica in obstetrics and gynaecology.
He is a member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. A former Minister of Health and Leader of the Opposition, he was elected Prime Minister of the Bahamas in 2017.
The Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, the other Legacy Award recipient, is the first female Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands.
A graduate of The UWI with a LLb., she previously operated the law firm Cartwright and Co., and worked as a law tutor at the TCI Community College.
She is the first female to have served her party as Vice Chairman, Secretary General, National Chairman, Deputy Leader and now Leader and she led her People’s Democratic Movement to victory in the 2016 general elections, beating 52 other candidates for the premiership.
AFUWI 2019 Chancellor’s Award
The AFUWI 2019 Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in Business Leadership will be presented to Kevin Hendrickson who owns and operates several businesses in Jamaica.
Hendrickson is currently guiding a massive multibillion dollar redevelopment and integration of his hotel holdings on Knutsford Boulevard – the former Wyndham Hotel; the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites and the Jamaica Pegasus.
He also owns and operates three bakeries- Dr. Lushus in Old Harbour; Yummy in Kingston and Holsum in Manchester and Kingston’s Courtleigh Corporate Centre.
AFUWI 2019 Caribbean Luminary Award
Receiving the Caribbean Luminary Award will be Anya Schnoor, Executive Vice President, Retail Products for Canadian Banking at Scotiabank since November 2017.
In this role, Anya Schnoor and her team are responsible for designing and delivering financial solutions that drive growth through Scotiabank’s Canadian branch network call centres and digital.
She previously served as Senior Vice President, Investment and Wealth, International Banking, based in Jamaica; Senior VP and Managing Director Trinidad & Tobago International Banking and Senior VP and Head Caribbean South & East, International Banking, with responsibility for the bank’s business across 12 countries in the Caribbean.
