Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

VI & USVI unite to join ‘world’s largest’ HR association

VI & USVI unite to join ‘world’s largest’ HR association

The Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands have collaborated to join what is regarded as the largest Human Resources industry professional association in the world, the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

SHRM, founded in 1948 to serve the professional development needs of HR professionals, represents more than 275,000 members in over 140 countries.

The Executive Members of SHRM Virgin Islands (SHRMVI) were installed on August 24, 2022, in the conference room of BVI Finance in Cutlass Tower, in Road Town, Tortola.

Ms Kendra C. Roach of the US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Mrs Shondria N. Turnbull of the VI were installed as President and President-Elect respectively.

Others on the team are Ms Sabrina King-Leone, Mr Ruben Jennings, Ms Kelly Rothwell-Simon, Ms Rochelle Lawrence, Mr Stedman Hodge, Mr Gabriel Knight, Mr Rick Grant, Ms Deborah Leslie and Ms Reba Thomas.

Executive Support will come from Ms Quianna E. E. Christian, who is a Student Member and Ms Tracy E. Callwood as Strategic Partnership and Workforce Readiness Advocate.

Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2), in his feature address, underscored the timeliness of the organisation as he sees the government partnering with it to assist with the reform of his ministry, especially the Department of Labour.

Some of the persons present at the installation ceremony for SHRM Virgin Islands (SHRMVI) on August 24, 2022.


‘You are going to help us fix Labour Department’- Hon Turnbull


"What I believe is important is not recreating the wheel. There is an issue that we know in this territory with labour, with workforce development. As Labour Minister here is what I decided to do: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, the Ministry of Education, the Premier's Office, through the Department of Trade and Economic Development, together with SHRMVI, together with partners of all HR companies in this Virgin Islands, you are going to help us fix the Labour Department, because we and what we do affect how we do business in this territory."

He added, "So I believe it is for us to join in that public-private partnership to develop not only the workforce of the Virgin Islands [but] to change the trajectory of where we are in this territory and the development of our people so that we could continue to be leaders in our territory."

Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has welcomed the Virgin Islands chapter of Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).


‘Very difficult time for workforce in VI’- Premier Wheatley


This push to tap in on the expertise of SHRMVI was further solidified by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) who, while greeting and congratulating the new board and its members, said: "As [has] been said before it’s a very difficult time in the Virgin Islands for the workforce and persons in the workplace but we see a brighter future ahead and to be able to navigate all of the challenges that we have in the workforce it would certainly require leadership.

"And it will certainly require cooperation and collaboration and, along with the Minister for Labour and of course with the Acting Governor and substantive Deputy Governor and the rest of the government, we really pledge our cooperation and our support to make this initiative and this collaboration really a successful one," Premier Wheatley said.

President-Elect of SHRMVI Mrs Shondria N. Turnbull.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×