Our People
St. Croix Foundation’s fundamental belief is that civic organizations cannot Lead Equity if they are not Living Equity. Our commitment to Equity “in action” is reflected in all the places we sit in Community, but most of all within the People who serve at the Foundation. Every day, we are cultivating a culture of leadership that reflects our core values and our unwavering dedication to walking the talk. Meet our Team.
Our Board
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Deanna James
President -
Willard John
Chairperson -
Mike Dunham
Vice Chairman -
Shomari Moorehead
Treasurer -
Miguel Tricoche
Secretary -
Gladys Washington
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Shawn Williams
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Attorney Ron Belfon
Deanna James
President
Deanna James was appointed President of St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) in 2015 as the first person of color in over 25 years to lead any of the 3 community foundations in the USVI. During Deanna’s 18-year tenure at SCF, she has overseen Grantmaking, Fiscal Sponsorship Services, and Educational Program Development. Currently, Deanna works intimately with a cadre of public, private, and civic partners throughout the Territory advancing the Foundation’s core mission of marshaling resources and encouraging greater philanthropic activity. Today, she is leading SCF through the most radical shift in its history, building an extensive national philanthropic network and deepening the USVI’s nonprofit infrastructure through comprehensive capacity-building investments. A St. Croix native, Deanna holds a BA in Literature from Lehigh University and an MA in Public Communications from American University. She currently serves on the Board of the Philanthropy Southeast and several national climate justice councils.
Willard John
Chairperson
A retired educator and school principal with 38 years in service, Willard John is also a culture bearer as the founder and artistic director of The Guardians of Culture Moko Jumbies. Active member and former president of Rotary Mid-Isle, Willard has also been a volunteer and supporter of the St. Croix Foundation for over 10 years, partnering on a number of successful educational initiatives.
Mike Dunham
Vice Chairman
Mike Dunham is the Chairman and investor in Mobile Video Computing Solutions, LLC (MVCSOL). MVCSOL provides software and technology solutions to capture and live-stream video from emergency responder vehicles and specialty work truck fleets. Previously, Mike was the owner and Chairman of WorkWise, LLC which specialized in ERP and CRM software systems for manufacturing companies. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President-Business Development for Industrial & Financial Systems (IFS). Mike reported to the CEO of this multi-national organization, which is headquartered in Sweden. Mr. Dunham was also a co-founder and CEO of Effective Management Systems, Inc. (EMS), a Milwaukee-based public software corporation that provided Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) with over 1,600 customer locations in North America, Asia and Europe. Mike is proud to serve as the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Shomari Moorehead
Treasurer
Shomari A. Moorehead is the founder of St. Croix based CrucianPoint Consulting where he leads the design and development of software, mobile applications, and social media marketing. Prior to CrucianPoint, Shomari worked at IBM as a User Experience Consultant. Shomari was born and raised on St. Croix and graduated from St. Joseph High School. He earned a degree in Computer Science and Master Degree in Computer Information Systems from Boston University. Shomari and his wife, Kimberly, are the proud parents of three boys. Shomari currently splits his time between St. Croix and Atlanta.
Miguel Tricoche
Secretary
Miguel Tricoche joined the Board of Directors in 2017 and currently serves as Board Secretary. Separately, Miguel is the Deputy Commissioner for the Virgin Islands Department of Human Services. Miguel has attended the University of the Virgin Islands, Emory University, and earned an MBA from the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.
Gladys Washington
Gladys Krigger Washington is the retired Deputy Director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With a mission of supporting organizations and networks helping to move people and places out of poverty and achieve greater social and economic justice in the South, Gladys supervised the Foundation’s programmatic work in 11 Southern states. Prior to joining the Babcock Foundation, Gladys was a Program Officer for the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. In 2019, Gladys received the Berea College Service Award and LISC’s Rural Champion Award. In 2015, Gladys was named James A. Joseph Lecturer by the Association of Black Foundation Executives, the organization’s highest honor. Gladys earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the College of Charleston and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina and the University of Charleston. Gladys is happy to have returned home to St. Croix and serves proudly on the Board of Directors for SCF.
Shawn Williams
Shawn is a Project Manager and Program Manager with over 15 years of experience managing programs, projects, products, and applications across various industries including airline, retail, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and banking. Shawn joined the Board of Directors in January 2022 and looks forward to supporting the mission of the Foundation to benefit the people of St. Croix- his childhood home.
Attorney Ron Belfon
Forty years ago, Ron moved to St. Thomas to head Legal Services of the VI. He learned quickly that the needs of Virgin Islanders were not just for equal justice under law but also for equal access and equal opportunity to become self-sustaining and self-supporting. Lincoln University and Howard University prepared him to serve as a Tenant Organizer, Law Professor, Legal Services Executive, Land Use and Environmental Lawyer, Community Legal Education presenter, and advocate for community-based economic development. He is proud to serve in his role with SCF in fulfillment of its mission and to improve our community’s health and wealth.
Our Team
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Deanna James
President
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Jennifer Carbon-Richardson
Fiscal Officer
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Essence Carter
Grants Associate
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Lilli Cox
Director of Communications and Community Investments
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Magali Roldan
Operations Coordinator
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Claver Lazare
Fiscal Assistant
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Haley Cutler
Project Manager
Deanna James
President
I feel so privileged to serve such a progressive, forward-thinking Organization that continues to affirm the Power of Place-based Philanthropy. While we’re small, we are proof positive that in isolated, underserved communities with unstable governmental systems, Community Foundations can evolve to lead differently. Ultimately, I believe our radical approach to Philanthropyis a lesson to the field that before equity can be funded, it must be lived!
Jennifer Carbon-Richardson
Fiscal Officer
Here at the Foundation, we serve multiple, diverse clients— our community nonprofits, public sector, and businesses. As the Fiscal Officer, I’ve been honored to serve at the Foundation’s for 14 years, ensuring accountability for every single dime. But I am still here after all these years because Philanthropy isn’t just about money. It’s about community, about resources, and about making sure those resources are leveraged to improve People’s lives.
Essence Carter
Grants Associate
Serving in a space with such deep wisdom, I have learned that this resilient community (as most communities) knows exactly what it needs. I am simply proud to be a steward of the work.
Lilli Cox
Director of Communications and Community Investments
Nimble. Innovative. Curious. And yes, a little disruptive! We’re investing in new models and healthy systems that bypass outdated and inequitable ones to drive change. Perspective is everything, and ours is close to the ground with our nonprofit allies, funders, and public sector partners. Through this lens, the process of change is dynamic and continuous: we ask the hard questions, do the research, collect all the data we can, and then build. At the Foundation, philanthropy is not static but one that evolves with and for community.
Magali Roldan
Operations Coordinator
Philanthropy is Community. At St. Croix Foundation, I see the impact of place-based philanthropy every day on everyday people, businesses, and nonprofits. I believe that philanthropy is about the past, the present, and the future — and everyday, I get to see glimpses of a bright future where all of the People of St. Croix and the Virgin Islands are living a whole and happy life… at home.
Claver Lazare
Fiscal Assistant
Place-based philanthropy has love at its core. Love for people, for place, for civic organizations, and our private and public sectors. Some nonprofits, like St. Croix Foundation, may be small. We may be quiet. But we are a stronghold for nonprofits and our community.
Haley Cutler
Project Manager
St. Croix Foundation epitomizes the small but mighty spirit of our beautiful community. It is my profound privilege to serve an organization so unapologetically committed to equity and leveraging philanthropy for good. The power of place-based philanthropy lies in the engine driving all of the work– and that’s heart. If our corner of the world is to be more resilient, more equitable, safer, healthier… then that revolutionary work will need to be funded, nurtured, and loved. Collectively, that is what we do every day. The nonprofit sector on this tiny island is filled with more courage and revolutionary power than one can imagine. Together, we do things differently. Agile but considered. Strategic but heartfelt. Honest. But above all else– we know we will get where we are going TOGETHER, and only together.