ST. JOHN`S, Antigua – The Honorary Counsel Of Guinea to Pennsylvania and Managing Director of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates, PC., the largest African American-owned Certified Public Accounting firm in the United States, is set to receive this year` Team Jamaica Bickle community service award.
Stanley L. Straughter will be presented with the 2008 Team Jamaica Bickle International Community Service Award, officials of the Philadelphia-arm of the organization announced yesterday.
Straughter will receive the award at it’s the group’s annual reception on April 10, 2008 at the PECO Headquarters, 2301 Market Street in Philadelphia. The reception is being presented again this year under the distinguished patronage of Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Philadelphia, Dr. Alston Meade.
In announcing the award, Christopher Chaplin, co- chairman of The Philadelphia Organizing Committee of Team Jamaica Bickle said, `Mr. Straughter epitomizes the principles of Team Jamaica Bickle which include service above self and bringing international communities together. It is our honor to convey our International Community service Award on Mr. Straughter.`
Each year, the award is made to an individual living in the City of Philadelphia who exemplifies the spirit of giving, support and service to the Caribbean community in Philadelphia. Previous recipients include Kenny Gamble, founder of Universal Companies; Philanthropist Dr. Walter Lomax; Philadelphia Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and State Representative Dwight Evans.
Straughter also serves as chairman of the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs for the City of Philadelphia and has served as a senior advisor to the International Foundation for Education and Self- Help (IFESH), an organization founded by the late Reverend H. Sullivan, with the mission of supporting African nations in their efforts to eradicate poverty, disease and inequity through self-help partnership programs.
Straughter speaks French and has considerable experience working with bilateral and multilateral financial development entities such as USAID, African Development Bank, African Development Foundation, Eastern Caribbean Investment Promotion service and U.S. Trade and Development Administration.
He also provides consulting services to OIC International, Inc. a NGO serving, Poland, Philippines, Haiti, and eighteen countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
As a Senior Advisor on Trade, Mr. Straughter represented the Eastern Caribbean Investment Promotion Services (ECIPS) in the United States. He organized in-bound and out-bound trade missions between the United States and the member countries of ECIPS. He was directly involved in the increased foreign direct investment into the ECIPS member countries from the United States. The investments benefited small and medium enterprises in the Caribbean. He served as a Senior Advisor to U.S. Virgin Islands Government Employees Retirement System (GERS) and assisted the GERS in the restructuring of its loan portfolio and the design of a system of accountability and reporting to management.
Straughter is also a specialist in state and local government issues and has served as the executive director of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. NBCSL is an organization of 600 legislators from 44 states and the US Virgin Islands. He was executive director from 1986 to 1990. He now serves as senior advisor to the president of NBCSL on international matters.
Straughter has organized delegations of state legislators to African and Caribbean countries and Foreign delegations to study trade and economic development issues in the United States for NBCSL.
Team Jamaica Bickle is a non-profit organization that provides food and hospitality services for the visiting athletes and officials from Jamaica and the Caribbean who attend the annual Penn Relays. The group provides over 300 visiting athletes and coaches with food, transportation and accommodation in Philadelphia while the athletes participate in the Penn Relays which takes place this year from April 23 – April 26.
