Our Team

BCRC-Caribbean Staff

The BCRC-Caribbean team is made up of a dynamic group of environmental, science and research practitioners, project management specialists and core administrative staff. The team members combine their global, regional and national experiences to ensure the successful execution of projects throughout the region and the provision of feasible recommendations for environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste in the member countries.

Our team members include the following:

Jewel Batchasingh

Director

Ms. Jewel Batchasingh is a career environmental management practitioner and has over twenty (20) years of diverse experience in environmental management at national, regional and international levels under the thematic areas of biodiversity, climate change and waste and chemicals management. Her qualifications include a BSc. in Environmental Biology, University of the West Indies, Jamaica and a Masters in Environmental Management, University of the West Indies St. Augustine. Her current role as Director of the BCRC Caribbean has heightened her project management and business administration abilities and increased her passion for law. Jewel always enjoys sharing an anecdote or adage.

Karen P. Persad

Executive Administrative Assistant

Ms. Persad has been appointed to the BCRC-Caribbean since June 2011. Ms. Persad had 20 years of experience in the medical arena as both a medical administrator and an office manager at a laboratory and medical clinic in Trinidad and Tobago and Ontario, Canada respectively. She has training in the areas of medical administration and computer programming as well as experience in the development of quality management systems for ISO 9002 accreditation for laboratories.

Kerwyn Fletcher

Logistics Coordinator

Mr. Fletcher began working at the BCRC-Caribbean as the Logistics Coordinator in December 2014. Mr. Fletcher is dedicated to fulfilling his roles and responsibilities within the organization in order to ensure efficient operations.

Janine Boodram

Research Analyst

Ms. Boodram joined the Project Management Unit of the BCRC-Caribbean in July 2020. She graduated from Kings College, London, U.K. with an Integrated BSc. and Master of Science in Chemistry with Biomedicine. Ms. Boodram has published research on breast cancer and has attained over five years of experience in the field of environmental management and regulation and project management.

Rachel Ramsey

Project Coordinator

Ms. Ramsey joined the BCRC-Caribbean in April 2016 as a part of the Project Management Unit. Ms. Ramsey is an environmental and sustainable development professional with over fourteen years’ experience in environmental management and project management throughout the Caribbean region.  Ms. Ramsey is driven by the desire to contribute to sustainable living and conservation in the Caribbean.

Maurissa Charles

Project Execution Officer II

Ms. Charles joined the Project Management Unit of the BCRC-Caribbean in April 2016. She has over 5 years’ experience in research and laboratory settings and is a published researcher. Ms. Charles has an MSc.E in Civil, Sustainable and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University, as well as a MSc. in Biotechnology from Claflin University, USA.

Laura Teixeira

Project Execution Officer II

Ms. Teixeira joined the BCRC-Caribbean in September 2017 under the Associate Professional Programme of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Ms. Teixeira graduated from the Loyola University New Orleans, USA with a BSc. Environmental Sciences in 2016, and has also completed her PMP Certification. She is passionate about environmental and biodiversity conservation as well as raising awareness and promoting sustainability in the Caribbean.

Amara Prevatt

Project Execution Officer I

Ms. Prevatt joined the BCRC-Caribbean in October 2020. After completing an undergraduate degree at Duke University in the US, Ms. Prevatt’s interest in protecting the environment continued to grow. In September 2019, she completed an MSc in Environmental Technology with a focus on Pollution Management at Imperial College London, UK. Ms. Prevatt is passionate about waste management, the circular economy and seeing recycling becoming more widespread in the Caribbean.

Dana Lewis

Research Officer

Ms. Lewis joined the BCRC-Caribbean in February 2022. She graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine in 2019 with a BSc. in Geography and Environmental Natural Resource Management, and is currently pursuing an MPhil in Geography. Ms. Lewis has GIS competencies and experience conducting research, with her undergraduate thesis being accepted to the CDM conference in 2019 and her ongoing postgraduate research to the UGI Centennial Congress in 2022. She hopes to contribute to understanding and improvement of human environment interaction across the Caribbean region.

Danielle Akeung

Research Officer

Ms. Akeung joined the BCRC-Caribbean in February 2022. She studied at Florida Gulf Coast University and attained a BA in Environmental Studies in 2018, graduating with honours. She is passionate about wildlife and environmental conservation, as well as spreading awareness about sustainability through education.  

Hadassah Bournes

Research Officer

Ms. Bournes has rejoined the BCRC-Caribbean in February 2022 after completing the Associated Professional Programme of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in August 2020. She has attained a BSc in Environmental Science and Sustainable Technology (special) from the University of the West Indies and is very passionate about the promotion of sustainable environmental practices and waste management.

Shalina Rooplal

Research Officer

Ms. Rooplal joined the BCRC-Caribbean in September of 2021. She has attained a Masters of Business Administration with specialization in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and a BSc. Chemistry and Management. Shalina is passionate about promoting sustainability and the circular economy in the Caribbean.

Michael Liu

Research Officer

Mr. Liu joined the BCRC-Caribbean in November 2022. A graduant of the University of the West Indies, with a BSc in Environmental Science and Sustainable Technology and a MSc in Renewable Energy Technology. He is passionate about environmental sustainability with a keen focus on pollution abatement and renewable energy across the Caribbean and Latin America.