Occupation: Deputy director, Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC) Contribution: As the deputy director at CERLAC, Dr. Davis aims to explore cultural links among these regions and Canada; to inform researchers, policy advisors and the public on matters concerning the regions; and to assist in the development of research and teaching institutions that directly benefit the peoples of the regions.

Educational inspiration: “I had wonderful role models in high school and at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica who made me believe that teaching and learning were interrelated experiences that extended way beyond the boundaries of classrooms and the reach of the curricula.

I remember especially Mrs. Gervan, my English teacher at Wolmer’s High School for Girls, and Dr. Claudette Williams and Mr. David Williams at UWI. They helped me realize my own potential as a scholar, but more than that, they showed me how a teacher’s interaction with a student and the student’s reception of that message could powerfully impact her sense of the world and her place in it.”