Patlian Johnson

  • Patlian Johnson, Director, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, HLSCC

    Patlian has over 16 years of experience leading national planning, fiscal reform, and development programs in the British Virgin Islands. She has spearheaded major reform initiatives, including the institutionalisation of results-based budgeting, modernisation of financial reporting systems, and the development of the territory’s first medium-term fiscal plan. Her contributions extend to the design of national strategies such as the National Sustainable Development Plan and the Recovery to Development Plan, as well as the creation of frameworks that link planning, budgeting, and performance outcomes.
    Patlian’s career has bridged government service, international development, and higher education. She has advised on fiscal stability during crises, advanced blue economy and digital transformation initiatives through her work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and led recovery planning in the aftermath of natural disasters. Today, she serves as Director of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, where she drives strategic planning, institutional research, and the accreditation process.
    But beyond the titles and reforms, Patlian is an adventurer at heart. Whether hiking a rugged trail, cycling new terrain, or immersing herself in new cultures, she thrives on broadening her perspective and embracing change. She firmly believes that if you want different results, you must be willing to do things differently — a philosophy that has guided her life’s work in building stronger institutions, more resilient communities, and opportunities for transformation.

Traci O’Dea

  • Traci O’Dea, Poet
 

Traci O’Dea is a Senior Lecturer of English at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College O’Dea and the author of two poetry collections: Waving (Assure Press, 2021) and Restricted Movement (Scotland Street Press, 2021). The audio book for Restricted Movement, narrated by the author, was released in 2022. Her poetry has appeared in the following places: Poetry, cellpoems, Literary Matters, The Hopkins Review, The Jersey Evening Post, BBC Radio Jersey, Gallery, and elsewhere. She also serves as a poetry editor for the international poetry review Smartish Pace.

Raven Phillips

  • Raven Phillips, Writer and Poet

Raven Phillips is a writer and poet that has been a member of the U.S. Virgin Islands community since 2010. As she spent her formative years commuting between St. John and St. Thomas, she gained a deep appreciation for community bonds and advocating for structural change in the Virgin Islands. She highly values cultural preservation and research, and self-expression through artistic mediums.  

Her works have appeared in the St. John Tradewinds, the V.I. Source, Destination Magazine, The Caribbean Writer, and the Virgin Islands Daily News. She has also hosted multiple poetry workshops for different age groups and skill levels. Additionally, she has hosted Rhyme and Lime, a local spoken word and poetry jam at Bajo el Sol Gallery in St. John, USVI for nearly three years. In celebration of Rhyme and Lime’s 5th anniversary, Bajo el Sol Gallery and the Gri Gri Project released the poetry anthology, “Like Salt and Wet Soil Poems from the Rhyme & Lime”. Raven edited the anthology alongside David Knight Jr. 

Derron Sandy

    • Derron Sandy, Poetry Slam Winner

Derron Sandy was born in 1987 in Maloney, Trinidad and Tobago. He has been a full time performer for eight years extending his art form into innovative solutions. He provides creative direction (theatre and film), educational products, master classes and riveting performances. Sandy is a master teaching artist with over ten years of experience in workshop curricula design, coaching and evaluating spoken word performances. Sandy has been awarded in the field of performance on multiple occasions, including publication in Indianapolis and longlisted for the Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Award. A five-time finalist at the First Citizens National Poetry Slam, he won the Grand Slam title in 2021.