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A Personal Perspective from Turks and Caicos Islands UW Chairman
We ended the day with a vibrant and emotionally rich networking dinner hosted by Dr. Sonya Anderson, United Way Worldwide’s Executive Vice President for International, led with warmth and brilliance, reminding us that the table is wide, and there is room for us all to thrive.
Of the 56 global United Ways, 46 were represented in that room and each leader brought not just experience, but genuine encouragement. It didn’t matter if you led a million-dollar chapter or a humble island affiliate the energy was inclusive, the commitment mutual.
I made meaningful connections with leaders whose work I had only read about and yet they listened to me as an equal. They saw Turks and Caicos not as a footnote, but as a vital part of this global family.
I left that dinner with more than handshakes. I left with mentorship. With strategy. With a renewed fire. And above all, I left with this truth:
Turks and Caicos may be small in size, but our mission is no less urgent, our presence no less meaningful. The world may not always see us first, but we will always show up first for our people. We will become the solution. We will grow our impact. And we will lead because leadership is not about size; it’s about purpose.
It was a masterclass in leadership, and I sat there, not as a spectator but as a student being groomed at the seat of the international table. Learning how high-performing boards operate. Understanding the best practices that sustain legacy institutions. Absorbing how vision and governance align to drive global impact.
And yet, as global as the conversation was, the connection was deeply personal.
For me, this journey isn’t just about leading a chapter. It’s about learning how great boards are run. About understanding the rhythms of governance at the highest level. About absorbing best practices from giants in the field and translating those lessons for the good of a small but mighty nation called Turks and Caicos.
And so, I walk away from Day 2 not just inspired, but equipped.
We will bring this back home. We will strengthen United Way Turks and Caicos Islands. We will raise our standards, refine our governance, expand our reach, and keep the children of TCI at the center of all we do.
Because in the eyes of Angela Williams and every leader I met today, every chapter matters. Even the smallest. We are not too new. We are not too remote. We are not too small to matter.
Together we thrive, and TCI will thrive, because United is the Way.
