President,

Rafael Brathwaite - Panama

Welcome our new President!

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Pauline J. Ford- Jamaica

Founder, Previous President

Outreach/PR Representative

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 Vice-President,

Kendell Jno-Finn DPT- Dominica

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Treasurer,

Irma  Moore- St. Thomas-Virgin Islands

Secretary,

Rehana Perry- Guyana

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Florence Dyer - Haiti

Pauline Jolly PhD - Jamaica

Eric Jack PhD - Trinidad

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Daven Annamunthodo - Trinidad

Stephanie Hunter Esq. - Jamaica

Janet Hamm- USA

Central Alabama Global Alliance Vice Chair- Birmingham Board of Realtors

Alvin Binns- Jamaica

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The dream of CACAO began in 2010 with an idea shared among friends.  At the time Founder Pauline Ford knew of only 3 Jamaicans and one Trinidadian in Birmingham, but had been informed that there were several other Caribbean people who had been living in the area for a number of years.   With encouragement primarily from Ms. Ford's friends, Pauline Jolly and Kirk Thame, the first meeting convened in January of 2011 at the Smolian International House on the campus of the University of Alabama, Birmingham.  A second meeting followed in April where the group was formalized.  That in turn led to a “Meet and Greet” which was graciously hosted by Kirk and saw approximately 60 persons in attendance. With the help of Maureen Richards, Peggy Watson, Angela Balfour Franklin, Brian Spellen and all who shared the vision and gave of their time, talent and resources, Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization was born and there was no looking back.  Michael Talbot who was then a very talented high school student in Jamaica created the CACAO logo.  Michael is now attending university in Boston where he is pursuing a degree in art.

Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization is a social organization whose main purpose is to be a resource for students from the Caribbean who have chosen to pursue their education at one of the many universities in central Alabama. Our goal is to fulfill our mission while sharing the best of Caribbean culture with the local community.

As CACAO has grown, so has its reputation and the respect with which they are viewed in the community, including that of Mayor William Bell. It is due to the Mayor’s recommendation that CACAO now has a new representative, Stephanie Hunter, on the Sister Cities Commission.  CACAO is also thrilled that Mark Jackson, the Vice Chair of Birmingham Sister Cities, has joined the board.  Mark is the CEO and Chairman of Moreson Conferencing; he has traveled extensively throughout the world and at one point resided in the Caribbean.  

Ad Hoc Members:

Mark Jackson - USA

Vice President of Birmingham Sister Cities-Moreson Conferencing

Tavane Lewis- Jamaica

Scholarship Committee Coordinator

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Melinda Clarke- Bahamas

Caribbean Student Coordinator