Mental health advocate and educator Tessa Chadderton-Shaw, who led the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) for more than a decade, has died after a brief illness.
Chadderton-Shaw, who was manager of the NCSA from August 1996 to March 2010, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on Sunday.
Over a career spanning several areas, she also served for more than 13 years as a lecturer at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, teaching business administration, project management and language arts. Her professional roles included special projects coordinator at Barbados Conference Services Limited, project manager for the CARICOM Secretariat, and executive director of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization (RADO).
Paying tribute, NCSA manager Betty Hunte, who worked under Chadderton-Shaw, described her predecessor’s leadership as marked by “tenacity and determination to get each job done”.
“And when something was decided, we knew it would be done come hell or high water.”
Hunte also recalled that Chadderton-Shaw was the go-to person in the office, a leader who appeared able to manage every task.
“I do remember one of our major funding raising initiatives, was a drive to rise $250 000 to introduce a new initiative to way Barbadian children in primary schools were exposed to drug demand education. We raised that $250 000, and it remains the only initiative of its kind. We were able to get a bus, a mobile classroom, and we took that around Barbado9s to all of the primary schools.
“Tessa provided direction, she provided inspiration. I do remember staff members would recall receiving calls really 24-seven from Mrs Shaw seeking to clarify something in a document or to fulfill the mandate of the NCSA.”
Hunte continued: ‘We do look back fondly on our memories with Mrs Shaw, and we are honoured that we were able to celebrate her accomplishments, when we celebrated our 21st anniversary, even though she was no longer with the office, and she gratefully participated in that ceremony.”
Chadderton-Shaw is survived by husband Anthony Shaw and daughters Miah and Haylee.
(EJ)
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