Honorees

James Alston is a distinguished Jamaican-American entrepreneur, community leader, and philanthropist with a career spanning more than five decades. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of McCall’s Bronxwood Funeral Home in New York, a community cornerstone he helped establish in 1966. Trained as an attorney, Alston was a young law graduate when he joined the founding of the funeral home, one of the first Caribbean-owned funeral services in the Bronx, which has since grown into a respected institution serving families with compassion and cultural understanding. Under his leadership, the business advanced through hard work and community trust, persevering without the backing of major financial institutions and becoming an integral part of the “village” it serves.

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Patricia “Miss Pat” Chin is a legendary figure in reggae music and an iconic Jamaican entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of VP Records – the world’s largest independent reggae record label. With a career spanning six decades, Mrs. Chin’s influence on the global spread of Jamaican music is unparalleled. In 1977, together with her late husband Vincent “Randy” Chin, she established VP Records in Jamaica, Queens, New York, after emigrating from Kingston, Jamaica in the mid-1970s. This bold move built upon their earlier success operating Randy’s Record Mart and the Studio 17 recording studio in Kingston, where they had nurtured the early careers of reggae legends like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Gregory Isaacs. Today, VP Records is an empire with offices in New ...

Henry “Larry” Duffus is a pioneering Jamaican-American entrepreneur and community mentor renowned for his success in New York’s bicycle industry. With over forty-five years in the cycling business, Duffus has built an enduring legacy as the founder of a thriving Manhattan bicycle enterprise and a champion of healthy lifestyles. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, he arrived in New York in the 1970s with technical expertise and big ambitions – he had previously owned a small business in Kingston and honed a rare talent for fixing anything on wheels. In 1977, combining his mechanical wizardry and entrepreneurial drive, he co-founded one of the city’s first bicycle shops specializing in multi-speed bikes. What began as a 400-square-foot storefront, known as Larry & Jeff’s ...

Gregory Fisher is a finance expert and philanthropist whose extraordinary support for Jamaica’s development has earned him the 2025 National Development Award. A Managing Director at Jefferies Financial Group, Fisher has spent over four decades in the securities industry, specializing in emerging markets and championing investment in the Caribbean. In his current role with Jefferies’ Private Wealth Management division, he advises on fixed income and capital market opportunities, bringing global investors into closer engagement with the Caribbean region. Over the years, he has been instrumental in raising international confidence in Jamaica’s economy, frequently highlighting the nation’s fiscal turnaround and stable outlook to global audiences. Indeed, Mr. Fisher is...

Alfarita “Rita” Marley, OJ, OD, is a reggae music icon, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian whose life’s work has uplifted Jamaica’s heritage on the world stage. Best known as a founding member of the I-Threes – the female trio who provided rich harmonies for Bob Marley & The Wailers – Rita Marley has had an illustrious musical career in her own right. Early on, the talented young Rita Anderson (as she was then known) helped shape the sound of reggae during its golden era, touring internationally and bringing Jamaica’s message of “One Love” to audiences far and wide. She emerged as a solo artist in the 1980s with a catalog of hits, including the memorable anthem “One Draw,” and earned acclaim for her soulful voice and songwriting. As the matriarch of the Marley f...

Dr. Anthony E. Munroe is a nationally recognized higher education leader and the 11th President of Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York City. Since assuming the BMCC presidency in 2020, Dr. Munroe has spearheaded dynamic growth and innovation, with a focus on educational equity, student support, and inclusive excellence. His tenure has been marked by initiatives to address students’ basic needs and to expand academic and career opportunities for BMCC’s diverse student body. One of his first acts as president was establishing a Race, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee to confront systemic barriers facing students, underscoring his commitment to a supportive learning environment. 

Under Dr. Munroe’s leadership, BMCC has achieved improved student ret...

Adam Stewart is a visionary Jamaican entrepreneur and hospitality leader, serving as Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and the ATL Group. Under his leadership, SRI – the region’s iconic all-inclusive resort brand encompassing Sandals (for couples) and Beaches (for families) – has flourished as a cornerstone of Caribbean tourism. Born in 1981, the same year his late father Gordon “Butch” Stewart opened the first Sandals resort, Adam practically grew up alongside the family business. Today, Sandals Resorts International is one of the Caribbean’s largest employers, with over 18,000 team members and 24 resorts across nine islands. Adam Stewart has been the driving force behind the brand’s expansion and innovation, helping to carry forward his fa...

Mrs. Audrey Tugwell Henry is a distinguished banking executive and the President and CEO of Scotia Group Jamaica Limited, one of Jamaica’s leading financial institutions. Appointed to the top post on January 1, 2021, she brought over 34 years of banking experience to the role. Taking the helm in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tugwell Henry navigated the organization through unprecedented challenges with steady leadership and strategic vision. Under her stewardship, Scotiabank Jamaica has maintained its reputation as a pillar of stability and performance in Jamaica’s financial sector, even regaining its position as a pre-eminent banking house on the island.  

Mrs. Tugwell Henry’s career trajectory is a testament to dedication and excellence. Hailing from Montego...