The Learning Shift, Inc., is a non-profit organization based in Barbados, whose founders have decades of experience working in the educational and health sectors in the region. The organization was created to help remove barriers to quality education for primary school aged children in the Caribbean. The Learning Shift, Inc. aims to provide free and easy access to relevant resources to help primary school students achieve their potential.
In a bid to level the playing field for all Caribbean students, our mission at The Learning Shift, Inc. is to provide free high quality educational content through the execution of various innovative and child-centric projects.
We envisage the eventual creation of an education ecosystem catering to the first 3 tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy, viz. Remembering, Understanding and Applying. This ecosystem will help provide the skills and knowledge of core concepts taught to primary school children in the Caribbean, aiming to give them a strong educational foundation as they move forward into the exam years.
Board of Directors
Gillian Hassell
Gillian Hassell is the Principal Founder of The Learning Shift Inc. As an experienced entrepreneur and business development professional with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Computer Engineering and a Master of Science (MSc) focused in Computer Science, Mrs. Hassell brings to the table over 20 years of experience in Software Design, Web Applications, Business Development, Marketing Strategy, and Software Development. Mrs. Hassell is the Managing Director of two IT companies, Aries Technologies Inc, well-known in the regional educational software development arena for its proprietary Mathematics for 11+ and English for 11+, sold in Barbados and Trinidad, and Retail Caribbean Limited, which implements ERP solutions for businesses in the retail sector across the Caribbean. Mrs. Hassell is also an Adjunct Program Manager at the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF), with particular interest in their Computer Coding Workshops. Having volunteered with several community youth organizations, she recognized that a lack of access to quality educational resources within certain socio-economic groups prevents young people from reaching their full potential. She is passionate about helping to bridge that gap.
Sir Trevor Hassell
Sir Trevor Hassell is a former Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of the West Indies, and Consultant Physician and Cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados. Along with his membership in several leading international advisory groups, such as the World Cancer Research Foundation International Policy Advisory Group and The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Advisory Group on Advancing the Noncommunicable Diseases Agenda in the Caribbean, Sir Trevor was until recently Chairman of the Barbados National Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases Commission, and Barbados Special Envoy for Chronic Diseases, and has held top positions within the Caribbean Cardiac Society, the Inter American Heart Foundation and the World Heart Federation. He is presently President of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, a regional civil society alliance established to contribute to the prevention and control of NCDs. In 2013, Sir Trevor was appointed to the Order of Barbados as a Knight of St. Andrew in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the medical profession.
Amanda Jean-Baptiste
Amanda Jean-Baptiste is a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years experience leading investments in real estate in Europe and emerging markets. She spent 10 years at the London office of investment bank Lehman Brothers where she was a Senior Vice President in Lehman Brothers Real Estate Private Equity Funds and Head of UK Investments. In her role, Amanda directly participated in or lead over US$ 10 billion of real estate investments in Europe, particularly in the UK , Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and South Africa. Amanda then moved to a UK-based emerging market private equity fund, where she spent 8 years leading real estate investments in Africa. While working out of the London office, Amanda was Head of West Africa investments, and travelled extensively to Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, where she oversaw the development of the first international standard offices and shopping malls in the region. The focus on Africa was sustainable development, which meant as part of her investment role, Amanda led efforts to achieve skills training, environmental development goals, utilization of local resources and other responsible investment goals. Amanda is now residing in Saint Lucia, her home country, where she has established her own company focused on identifying real estate gaps in the Saint Lucian market. Amanda holds an MBA in Project Management from Imperial College, London and is a qualified accountant (FCCA).
Nadia Springer
Nadia Springer is the Executive Director at The Learning Shift. Subsequent to graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Modern Languages and Business Studies (French and Spanish), Mrs. Springer’s dedicated pursuit of a career in Marketing within both local (Trinidad & Tobago) and multi-national companies has allowed for exposure to a range of environments from fast moving consumer goods to banking. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, Mrs. Springer has experience working with both junior staff and Senior Executives on a wide range of projects including but not limited to: market research, performance reporting and analysis, website content management, database and marketing information systems creation and maintenance, brand management, innovations and new product development, logistics (regional sourcing), budget forecasting and sales administration. Mrs. Springer also has just under a decade of experience teaching Kindergarten at an International Baccalaureate School in Dubai, UAE. Her exposure to a curriculum that differs from the traditional Caribbean method, where children are taught how to learn rather than what to learn, encouraging curiosity and a lifelong love of learning, makes her uniquely suited to run the day-to-day operations at The Learning Shift.
Professor Cardinal Warde
Professor Cardinal Warde is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is one of the world’s leading experts on materials, devices and systems for optical information processing and displays . He is also an entrepreneur, inventor and author. Professor Warde is the Faculty Director of the Office of Engineering Outreach Programs at MIT, whose flagship program is a six-week intensive course in science and engineering for gifted underrepresented minority US high-school seniors. Professor Warde actively encourages Caribbean youth to pursue careers in science and engineering and, to this end, serves as the President of the Caribbean Diaspora for Science, Technology & Innovation (CADSTI), and Interim Executive Director of the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF). CADSTI and the CSF are focused on stimulating science and engineering-based entrepreneurship, and assisting with the implementation of STEM education reform to promote more science and technology for the economic development of the Caribbean. He has also served as scientific advisor to the Governments of Barbados and Belize, holds two honorary doctorates in science: one from the University of the West Indies, Barbados Campus in 2008, and a second from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in 2009. He has received numerous other honors and awards for his achievements in science and engineering.