Special Guests and Speakers
Mr. Clinton D. White serves as the Counselor for the United States Agency for International Development. He has more than 20 years of experience in the public sector and is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. Counselor White has previously served the U.S. government in the Caribbean, Egypt, Pakistan, Senegal and Ghana. Mr. White’s career also includes working with national and municipal governments as well as a range of private-sector and civil-society groups, including those representing women, youth, and marginalized communities, in their efforts to improve the lives of families, communities, and countries.
He is committed to the goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. Mr. White has championed partnerships with U.S. Minority Service Institutions in the higher education system and has been a strong advocate for the rights and inclusion of underrepresented populations in the development process. He believes that by including the voices of all members of society, we can build bridges to tackle some of the world’s most vexing development and humanitarian challenges.
Caoimhe Ní Chonchúir took up her post as Consul General of Ireland to the South East United States in January 2022. Based in Atlanta, she leads Ireland’s team covering Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.
She joined the Consulate from a role at Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, where she headed the team on human rights and gender equality during Ireland’s term as an elected member of the UN Security Council. She co-chaired the Security Council’s Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security.
Caoimhe joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2008. She has served in a variety of roles at home and abroad, including a posting at Ireland’s Embassy in Madrid, Spain. From 2015 to 2018, she was Deputy Director of the Americas Unit, responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean. She also led work on the Department of Foreign Affairs’ first Equality and Diversity Action Plan.
Caoimhe is originally from Lucan, County Dublin. She has a degree in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin, a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a diploma in law from the National University of Ireland.
Dr. Louise Miller Cohen, is a native of Hilton Head Island. She has become the renowned authentic Gullah-Geechee Storyteller, historian, entertainer, teacher and preserver of the Gullah Culture and Heritage.
From infancy, Louise Miller was raised by Georgianna Bryan, on Hilton head Island. Ms. Bryan regaled the youngster with stories of the Gullah Culture, their history, songs, shouts, and food.
In 2003, Dr. Cohen founded the Non-Profit Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island. The "Little House" was restored in 2010. Today it serves as the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island where Dr. Cohen is the curator.
In 2004, she narrated documentaries including "Remnants of Mitchelville", and co-wrote the play "Seeking A Spiritual Journey" in 2005. Dr. Cohen served on the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission from 2007 to 2013.
Dr. Cohen has received many awards, including the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award in 2007, and the Governor's Award from the South Carolina Palmetto Trust in 2010, just to name a few. In 2014, Dr. Cohen served as the primary consultant, and was also featured in the award winning documentary "Hilton Head island Back in the Day."
In 2016, Dr. Cohen received an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters, from the University of South Carolina for her leadership in preserving the Gullah Culture, commitment to serving the citizens of the Lowcountry, and dedication to the restoration of the "Little House."
Dr. Donna Powell Wilson, the consummate professional, has special interest in Mathematics Education, Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Leadership and Technology.
Her professional qualification spans:
- Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction, Northern Caribbean University
- Master of Science in Educational Technology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Master of Science in Educational Leadership, Central Connecticut University, USA
- Bachelor of Science in Education, the University of the West Indies, Mona
- Diploma in Teacher Education, Passley Gardens Teachers’ College, now College of Agriculture, Science and Education
Dynamic leader par excellence, Dr. Powell Wilson has been Executive Director of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) since January 2, 2014. Under her leadership, Staff of the Year and Student of the Year Awards were implemented in the colleges and CCCJ’s first Online Learning Project was piloted. This erudite educator has vast experience at the secondary and tertiary levels of the educational system in Jamaica and in 2017 was awarded the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for over 25 years of service to education. On November 4, 2020, she was presented with the Northern Caribbean University, College of Education and Leadership Outstanding Alumni Award, for contribution to education and leadership at the local and national levels. Dr. Powell Wilson led the CCCJ in achieving its ISO 9001:2015 certification from the National Certification Body of Jamaica in August 2021.
