The St. Croix Foundation Board of Directors announces that President Roger W. Dewey is stepping down from his role after 22 years of leadership. Deanna James, Chief Operations Officer, who has co-directed the Foundation with Mr. Dewey for the past 12 years, will be guiding the Foundation’s transition with Board and Staff.
Dewey took the helm of the Foundation two years after its inception in 1990. The Foundation was established by two community activists, Philip Gerard, leader of the municipal government movement, and Michael Neuberger, retired aerospace executive. They desired to create a flexible, responsive organization that could address critical community and socioeconomic needs after Hurricane Hugo devastated the US Virgin Islands.
Since Dewey took the helm of the Foundation and with the leadership of Ms. James, the Foundation has been recognized for its work on the local and national stage by the National School Boards Association, the National Youth Leadership Council, the US Center for Disease Control, the US Small Business Administration, the International Downtown Association, and the Council of Foundations. Additionally, with the vision and dedication of many longstanding and productive partnerships, the Foundation’s annual fundraiser, the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience is now an internationally known event, named one of the Top 10 International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Travel Magazine, contributing to countless charitable projects and serving as an economic engine for the hospitality industry.
The Foundation’s scope of work, spanning from youth and education to community revitalization, public safety, economic development, and fiscal services encompasses all three islands and supports both critical services as well as impacts public policy. Dewey stated, “It has been a true honor to serve our community side by side with committed staff and Board members. The partnerships we’ve built over the last 22 years are the bedrock for the Foundation’s success and are testimony to our motto that “together we can make a difference.”
For more information on the St. Croix Foundation, please call the St. Croix Foundation at 773-9898 or visit their website at www.stxfoundation.org.
Together, We Can Make A Difference!