Friends of the Environment

Abaco, Bahamas

Who's Who at FRIENDS

2008 Board of Directors-Officers

Jim Richard -President

Jim is Principal of Forest Heights Academy, and has been involved in education in the Bahamas for 10 years.  He has served on the FRIENDS board since Jan 2005, and during that time has also chaired the Education Committee.  Prior to joining the board, he helped to organize the annual Earth Day Events as President of the Abaco Science Association.  Jim has been active in the reef ball project, Earth Day events and the awarding of environmental scholarships to both Abaco's teachers and students.  He lives in Central Abaco with his wife and two children.

Cha Boyce- Vice President/ Secretary

Cha Boyce was born in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. She is a citizen of the Bahamas, and has lived in Abaco for over 30 years. She also lived in California, and graduated from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. Cha returned to the Bahamas in 1985 and managed the Abaco Inn, a small resort in Abaco until 1990. During this time, she became involved with Friends of the Environment, where she served as president in the early years of the organization. She is now married and has two children, ages 9 and 11. Cha continues to be active in Friends of the Environment, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors, and Chair of the Recycling Committee. She also serves on the Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee as its Chair.

Charlotte Dunn - Treasurer

Charlotte Dunn, was born in Nassau, Bahamas and has grown up in Hong Kong and the UK. Her background is in computer programming, working for Merrill Lynch for 8 years in New York, London and Hong Kong, writing software for stock market trading.  She completed her Master of Science degree in Environmental Biology at the University of St. Andrew’s, Scotland in 2005. Her primary interests are dolphin and whale acoustics. Charlotte has been living and working in Sandy Point with the Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey since 2004. In Hong Kong, Charlotte volunteered at the World Wide Fund for Nature, both in the office and in the field, and served on the board of the Marine Conservation Society, where she helped manage and participated in the Hong Kong Reef Check effort.

2007- 2008 Board of Directors-Members

Jo-Ann Bradley was born in Orlando, Florida and now reside in Cherokee, Abaco. She graduated from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York with a degree in Fine Arts. She is a member of the National Audubon Society, the New York Zoological Society and the Sierra Club. She has studied Zoology in the University of Florida Masters Program. Jo-Ann spent many years in private industry as the Human Resources Director for the News-Press, a newspaper owned by the Gannett Co. Jo-Ann has served as the Secretary of the Friends Board, and is currently involved with the Recycling Committee and the Native Plant Fairs.

Diane Claridge was born and raised in Nassau. She attended high school and university in Canada and the United States, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science in 1988 from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. She completed an Overseas Research degree to fulfill requirements for a Master’s degree in Zoology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in 2006. Her thesis work was examining the distribution of beaked whales off the southwest coast of Abaco. In 1991, Diane returned to The Bahamas to begin the Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey, documenting the occurrence, distribution and abundance of species found in Bahamian waters. Currently based in Sandy Point, Abaco, Diane serves as the Project Director and Principal Investigator for the Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey. Diane has served two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors for Friends of the Environment, has been a Council Member for the Bahamas National Trust, and currently sits on the BNT’s Scientific Advisory Committee, and is a Life Member of the International Society of Marine Mammologists. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her contribution to the conservation of marine life, including the Ministry of Tourism’s Cacique Award and the Zonta Club of New Providence’s Living Legends Award.

Laura-lee Davis is the daughter of parents native to Cooper’s Town. She is a trained teacher in the area of social studies. She has spent the last eleven years in the field, eight of which were spent on the island of Andros and the remaining here in Abaco. She is presently a member of the teaching staff at SC Bootle High School in Cooper’s Town, Abaco. She is involved with the Student Christian Movement, Anchor Club and the Governor General Award program at her school. She is active at her church, Friendship Mission, where she is a youth leader, Sunday School teacher, Secretary/public relations officer, assistant Treasurer and a member of the Women of Purpose group. She a past recipient of the FRIENDS 2006 Teacher’s Scholarship to the Island School.

Bernadette Hall was raised and schooled in Hope Town. She returned to the Abacos in 1999 after graduating from Padworth College, in England. She is currently employed with the Ministry of Tourism. It is a passion of hers to volunteer and offer assistance with communities projects. She is currently head of the recycling Committee for Friends.

Tim Higgs is a sixth generation Bahamian and the Owner/operator of Abaco Dive Adventures. He lives in Marsh Harbour. Prior to opening his dive shop he was a Lobster fisherman for 20 years. He has been involved in the research of the soft coral PE for the past 15 years. Tim brought the artificial reef ball idea to FRIENDS and has been a volunteer with the project.

David Knowles was born in Nassau. Currently, he is the Agriculture Officer for the Abacos. He is the Chair of the Invasive Species Committee and a major part of FRIENDS bird watching activities. He and his wife and three children live in Marsh Harbour.

Ann Pleydell-Bouverie is originally from Nassau. Currently she lives in Man-O-War with her husband, James, and their son Jeremy. She received her Master Gardener Certification from Clemson in 1994 and her Master Waste Educator Certification the following year. She is an avid gardener and raises plants to sell at the MOW School Fair in February, with the proceeds going to the school, has donated native plants to the FRIENDS Native Plant Fairs since its conception and coordinates the recycling for MOW. She is presently working on re-writing the "Responsible Development Techniques For Island Friendly Living" and is planning on coordinating a Gardener's Corner article for the FRIENDS' Newsletter.

Junior Board Members

Elaine Fenelus

Adrianna Phillpot is in the 11th grade at Forest Heights Academy. She was selected to become a Junior Board Member at Friends of the Environment. She feels that working with FRIENDS has made her more aware of Abaco's environment and the damage that is inflicted upon it daily. She is taking a personal effort topromote the correction of this damage through student awareness and education and to preserve Abaco in a cleaner and more pristine form, for future generations.

2008 Staff

Kristen Cartwright Williams

d'Shan Maycock Education Officer

Olivia Patterson Project Coordinator

Anita Knowles Office Manager

Executive Director

2007-2008 Committee Heads

The History of FRIENDS 1988 to Date

Education: Laura-lee Davis

Data Coordinator:  Nan Kenyon

Marine Parks & Preservation: Cha Boyce

Recycling: Elaine Martinborough

Reef Ball: Cha Boyce

Special Projects/Consultant: Lindsey McCoy

Terrestrial Parks & Preservation: Anita Knowles & David Knowles

Website: Kent LeBoutillier

Past Board Members & Committee Chairpersons

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