Bio
Francine Charles is the co-founder and Chairperson of Wise Parenting.
She and her husband co-founded the My Child and I Charity in 2011, dedicated to parenting education, partnering with governments and parent and children related agencies to provide mass media communication materials and in-person training sessions on effective parenting throughout the region. My Child and I was transitioned to Wise Parenting (under the non-profit, Auxano Community) in 2023.
Francine Charles is a communications professional with over 25 years of experience in the fields of Journalism, Broadcast Media, Public Relations and Communications Strategy with a strong leaning towards social and regional development, working with organisations like the Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children (FDCC); the Caribbean Development Bank, UN Women and UNESCO.
Francine started off her career in mainstream media in Trinidad and Tobago before relocating to Barbados to start her regional career with the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). She later moved out on her own as a Communications Specialist. In 2019, she became the Programme Manager for Childhood Obesity Prevention at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, focused on policy advocacy for the reduction and prevention of obesity and NCDs.
Francine holds a First Class Honours Degree in Mass Communications from the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica and was also the first recipient of the Alva Clarke Memorial Scholarship that gained her a Reuters Fellowship at Oxford University in the UK.
She and her husband have been married for 26 years and have had the joy of parenting two young ladies.
Bio
Joseph Charles has over 30 years in banking, having held positions of Branch Manager, Manager of Retail Credit, and Manager of Corporate Communications – Barbados & EC. He currently works as Manager of Marketing and Brand and is Co-Chair of the My Child and I Charity, founded with his wife in 2011.
Joseph studied Marketing, Advertising, and PR at UWI and holds an MBA certification in Global Marketing and Brand Management from the University of Wales. He has been married for 26 years and is the father of two children. He loves golfing, football, videography, and family time.
Bio
Theo S Jones, LL.B. (Hons), (UWI), LEC, MSc. (Dist.) (UWI) Attorney-at-Law | November 7, 2023
Theo S Jones has been a practicing Attorney-at-Law in Barbados since 2015. In his private practice, he provides general civil law legal services with a particular focus on corporate and property matters. He also serves as the Director, Legal Services for The Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions (CAJS) – a non-profit regional entity charged with producing transformative, multifaceted solutions for the regional justice sector. Theo is passionate about the intersection of business, law and technology and holds a Master of Sciences (MSc.) degree with Distinction in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus. Beyond the aforementioned interests, Theo enjoys reading, strength training, open-water swimming and socialising with close friends.