Paul Flemming - 1995, 1998, 1999

Paul Flemming

Congratulations to the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) on this auspicious occasion! Your 50 years of service is indeed a golden milestone worth celebrating.

I am a proud alumnus of the University of the Virgin Islands. I first enrolled at the University in 1992 pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Management. When I graduated in 1995, I was able to secure a job at UVI’s Agricultural Experiment Station as a research analyst. This assignment taught me a valid lesson in academic research which actually came in handy later in my academic journey. While working in this position, I felt a calling to pursue graduate studies and so I did. In 1997, I started both the Masters of Business Administration and the Masters of Public Administration programs at UVI and graduated in 1998 and 1999 respectively.

I felt compelled to give back some of the business principles that the University taught me. As such, I joined the University’s Small Business Development Center as a part-time business consultant working with small businesses in the community. In 2000, I was also afforded the opportunity to serve as an Adjunct Professor by Ms. Nereida Washington and Professor Aubrey Washington to teach a business class. According to Ms. Washington, “We know that you can do it, and we believe in you. Make us proud.” Those words resonated with me, encouraged me, and gave me hope, which ultimately brought out my passion for teaching. I must be doing some things right because I am still teaching today!

Paul Flemming photo taken in 1995

In 2003, I was appointed as the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Lottery where I proudly and confidently represented my alma mater. While at that agency, I felt an urge to get back into academics, and in 2006 I enrolled at Capella University where I pursued a Ph.D. in Organizations and Management specializing in General Business. The discipline I learned at UVI prepared me well, and on August 9, 2009, I graduated with my Doctor of Philosophy in Organizations and Management ahead of my class. My dissertation “A Study of the Relationship between Transformational Leadership Traits and Organizational Culture Types in improving Performance in Public Sector Organizations: A Caribbean Perspective” was well received. The bibliographic information for this thesis is contained in University Microfilms International Dissertation Abstracts database, the only central source for accessing almost every doctoral dissertation accepted in North America since 1861.

Reflecting through my academic lenses, I can truly say thank you UVI for the academic foundation you gave me and others in this community. 

Paul Flemming is Coordinator of Business Development at the Industrial Park Development Corporation.