Mr. Edward Thomas, Chairman of the Board
Mr. Thomas graduated from the Charlotte Amalie High School on St. Thomas in June, 1961 and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Accounting from Inter-American University in May, 1966. He retired in 2011 from The West Indian Company Limited, which he served as its president and chief executive officer for many years. In this position, he was responsible for managing cruise ship operations and also the Havensight Shopping Mall for its owners, the Government Employees Retirement System. He served on the board of the St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce as well as the board of the St. Thomas/St. John Hotel & Tourism Association, on the board of directors of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands, and the UVI Board of Trustees. Based on his knowledge and experience he was appointed to serve on the West Indian Company Limited Board of Directors. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Research and Technology Park Board of Directors.
Dr. David Hall, President of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI)
Dr. David Hall began his tenure as the fifth president of the University of the Virgin Islands on August 1, 2009. Born in Savannah, Georgia, Dr. Hall holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University, where he was named an “All American” for his athletic and scholarly accomplishments. After graduating from Kansas State, he played professional basketball in Italy. He received his doctor of jurisprudence (JD) from the University of Oklahoma, where he also earned a master’s degree in Human Relations. He holds both an LL.M. degree and a doctorate of juridical science (SJD) from Harvard Law School.
In 1993, when he was appointed dean of the Northeastern University School of Law, he made history by being the first African-American to hold the position. He also served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Northeastern University and was also the first African American to hold that position.
Having taught law for more than 25 years in the law schools of the University of Mississippi, the University of Oklahoma and Northeastern University, Dr. Hall has enjoyed a distinguished career as an educational administrator and preeminent scholar in the field of law. In May 2010, in recognition of his significant contributions to the legal field, Dr. Hall was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been honored by the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association as a Trailblazer. Dr. Hall was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the Legal Services Corporation Board of Directors.
Judge Henry Smock, Chair of the UVI Board of Trustees
Henry C. Smock, a former Territorial Court Judge, has been practicing law in the Virgin Islands for over 39 years. Born in Los Angeles, California, he received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a partner in the Law Firm of Smock & Moorhead, a practice that was established in 2006.
His professional memberships include the Virgin Islands Bar Association, serving as a past President, Wyoming and American Bar Associations, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Virgin Islands Committee of Bar Examiners and Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association.
Mr. Smock serves on and chairs several non-profit boards and commissions, including Lutheran Social Services, the Virgin Islands Academic and Cultural Awards Endowment, Foundation for the Reichhold Center for the Arts, Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park, and is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of the Virgin Islands.
He received the Winston Hodge Award for Public Service from the Virgin Islands Bar Association in 2011 and the Dedicated Service Award from Lutheran Social Services.
Ms. Shirley Lake-King, CGFM, Vice President for Administration and Finance & Chief Financial Officer (UVI)
Ms. Shirley Lake-King currently serves as the first female Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer in the fifty-seven year history of the University of the Virgin Islands. In this capacity she also serves at the Treasurer of the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park (RTPark) and the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands (FUVI). Her professional career spans approximately thirty-five (35) years of continuous service in governmental financial management. She holds two masters degrees, one in Public Policy and the other in Business Administration and attended the University of Maryland, College Park, MD; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI; and the University of the Virgin Islands. She is also a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) and serves as one of the Notary Public of the Virgin Islands. Ms. Lake-King gives oversight to the University-wide Budget Committee, liaison to the University’s Finance and Budget and Buildings and Grounds Committees, was instrumental in the floating of the 1999 Series A, 2004 Series A and 2011 Series Bonds and was also an integral part of the University’s team as UVI achieved its first investment grade bond rating from Standard and Poors. Ms. Lake-King’s professional affiliations include the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), The American Society of Public Administration (ASPA), Association of Government Accountants (AGA), Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) Board Trustee, Middle States Commission on Higher Education Evaluator, and Malcolm Baldrige Examiner with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She is also a volunteer and mentor to several academic and youth programs in the territory.