By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. March 17, 2024 — During a virtual meeting on Thursday, December 7, 2023, Republic of Suriname First Lady Mellisa Santokhi-Seenacherry was elected Chair of the Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN) and Bahamas First Lady Ann Marie Davis was Vice Chair.
The new SCLAN leadership team is currently meeting in Miami, from where First Lady Ann Marie Davis posted a collection of photos on Facebook on Saturday, March 16, that I absolutely had to share with readers of my Washington, D.C. – based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
Mrs. Davis posted the photos with the following narrative:
“It’s done. The new Vice Chair of SCLAN (Spouses of the CARICOM Leaders Action Network), Spouse of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. New plans in the works. Loving this new post.
Signing and handing over took place today. Ready to work hand in hand with First Lady of Suriname, the new Chair. Further meetings tomorrow to chart our new course. My journey continues.”
BAHAMAS CHRONICLE EDITOR’S NOTE: For the previous two years, Mrs. Rossana Briceno, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize, served as Chair.
SCLAN was formally established on September 5, 2017, at a meeting held in Belize City, Belize, with the overarching goal of providing a framework where First Ladies could coordinate their efforts and use their platforms to advocate for and implement activities geared toward addressing areas of critical importance across the sub-region; namely, HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, adolescent pregnancy, cervical cancer and mental health.
