The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) recently held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Spring Council meetings to elect its new Council and Officers for the year to review progress over the past year and to discuss plans for the work of the organization, for the year ahead.

The BNT membership elected fifteen members at the Annual General Meeting to serve on the twenty-nine-member council.

Following the AGM meeting, the Council met to further discuss the way forward and elected its officers for the 2018 /2019 year. The following will lead the Counsel:

Ms. Janet Johnson: President Mr. Geoffrey Andrews: Deputy President Mr. Simon Townend: Honorary Treasurer Mr. Andy Fowler: Honorary Secretary



The fifteen elected members are;

Geoffrey Andrews: A former Audit Partner at Deloitte and Touché and is a Past President of the Rotary Club of East Nassau. Mr. Andrews serves on the BNT’s Advancement Committee and Nominations Committee.

Marvin Arrington: A professional civil engineer with over 25years experience in the Construction Industry. He acted as the Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager for the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve on Eleuthera.

Mr. Glenn Bannister: A former Managing Director of Morton Salt Bahamas Ltd, Mr. Bannister serves on Board of Directors of Colina Insurance Co. and as a member of St. Francis Xavier’s Men’s Association. An active member of BNT for over 30 years, he served as President for several years as well as serving on the BNT Executive Committee.

Kevin Cartwright: Director of Island Operations at Half Moon Cay and Manager at Highbourne Cay. Mr. Cartwright served as a member of the BNT Executive Committee.

Hank Ferguson: A Member of the BNT Advancement Committee who holds a Master of Arts degree in International Political Economy.

Andy Fowler: Vice President of Human Resources and Operations at the Bristol Group of Companies Limited.

Colin Higgs: A former Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Under Secretary and Permanent Secretary to several Government Departments. Mr. Higgs served on the BNT Executive Committee.

Marcus Laing: Founder and CEO of Insitu Arch Caribbean Architecture Magazine. He is a partner in the highly respected firm of TDG architects and his professional training involved green building, sustainability and construction technologies

Rachel Lightbourne-Graham: Mrs. Lightbourne-Graham is the assistant manager of Lightbourne Marine. Rachel has been a representative for the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) since 2008 and was presented with the Conservation Award in 2010 for her active role in the prevention of purse seine netting in Bahamian waters. 

Neil McKinney: Past President of BNT and The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce , he is a strong advocate for marine conservation. Deno Moss: Senior Wealth Advisor at Scotiabank Wealth Management and charter member of the BNT People for Parks Group.

Karin Sanchez: Vice president of MASCO, a licensed financial and corporate service provider. Ms. Sanchez served as the BNT’s Grand Bahama Regional Chair for several years.

Andy Smith: lives for conservation and fishing and has been in the fly-fishing business for the past 30 years. He owns and operates his own exclusive Flats fishing Lodge at Broad Shad Cay and has been a great supporter of the BNT’s Educational Activities on Andros

Patrick Thomson: A former the financial services industry and Vice-President of Citi Trust (Bahamas) Ltd. Mr. Thomson serves as the Chair of the BNT’s Retreat Garden Committee.

Simon Townend: A Partner at KPMG in The Bahamas, a member of the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants, a member of the Board and Finance Committee of the Lyford Cay International School and a member of Young President’s Organization. Mr. Townend chairs the BNT’s Finance Committee and serves on the BNT Advancement Committee.

Appointed Council Members include representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Education, Environment and Housing and Tourism. As well as representatives from Scientific Institutions such as National Audubon, American Museum of Natural History, The University of Florida and the University of The Bahamas. Newly appointed Governor- General’s Representatives Mr. Edward Fields and Dr. Livingston Marshall bring new expertise and experience to the BNT Council. The full list of Council Members can be found on the BNT’S Website www.bnt.bs.



The AGM also provided an opportunity for the BNT to recognize outstanding support from three outstanding entities. This year the BNT recognized the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for the long-term support and partnership with the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The Rotary Club of East Nassau was also recognized for their long-term support of the BNT’s Educational Initiatives volunteerism at BNT events and their ongoing commitment to the national parks of The Bahamas that spans over 25 years. Former BNT Council Member Teresa Butler was thanked for her tireless support, and advice to the BNT. “ Recognizing and thanking our supporters is important and essential to the success of our organization. The Defence Force supports our wardens on a daily basis. The long term support and partnership from the Rotary Club of East Nassau brings together an outstanding group of Bahamians who respect and understand the importance of our National Parks. Ms. Butler has provided guidance and insight on a number of issues, as the BNT has grown over the past 25 years. Her belief in us as an organization is inspirational and we feel honored to have had her serve on the BNT Council “. said Lynn Gape, Deputy Executive Director of the BNT. “2019 will mark 60 years of great conservation work by the organization” said Janet Johnson as she addressed the AGM. “As we look to celebrate this milestone our council will work this year to ensure we institute sustainable financing mechanisms and secure collaborative partnerships that will allow us to strengthen our network and achieve our strategic goals over the next 5 years.”

Council engaged in discussions about key policy initiatives, relating to the national parks and the Bahamian environment generally. Council also reviewed and approved the BNT’s new 2018-2022 strategic plan. This document will serve as the blueprint for BNT’s programmes and activities over the next five years and identifies its priorities for the National Park Development including providing access to the public’s several priority parks. The new strategic plan will be available shortly on BNT’S website.

The BNT is a non-governmental, non-profit, membership organisation working to protect Bahamian natural resources by building a network of national parks and promoting environmental stewardship.