International Motivational Executive Coach, Dr Lisa Walker and her husband, Dr Peter Walker, Senior Director at Visa, are the newest I Believe Initiative (IBI) Ambassadors. They were inducted by IBI Patron, Sir Patrick Allen during the Panel Discussion for Campus Ministries Day which The Governor-General hosted at King’s House on Saturday, September 21, 2019.
The Walkers, were guest presenters on a panel discussion for students from colleges and universities across the Island and give useful insight on motivation, planning, and achieving goals. The Panel Discussion was sponsored by the Adventist Laypersons Service Industries (ASI) and the I Believe Initiative (IBI).
The National Coordinator for The Governor-General’s Programme for Excellence (GGPE), Sonja Simms, met with the Walkers the days prior and explained the concept and goals of the IBI. At that meeting which characterized the ASI weekend of activities, Simms introduced the Walkers to several of the IBI Ambassadors who shared their life transformation projects. The Walkers immediately identified various areas where they could provide support to the IBI.
Dr Lisa Walker has committed to provide financial assistance, from her annual Potluck, which she will change to a fundraising event, as well as computer software and hardware. Dr Peter Walker, who is a member of the US National Council of Back Engineers has promised to secure internships for emerging engineers through the IBI.
Dr Lisa Walker, who is a Master Certified Executive Coach, holds a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Texas, Austin where she is a faculty member. She provides training in Emotional, Social and Conversational Intelligence for leaders.
Dr Peter Walker holds a doctorate in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Brown University. He is currently a Senior Director at Visa and leads the Company’s next generation Artificial Intelligence Platform. He was the Cofounder of JamKazam, a social media interactive platform that enable musicians to discover, connect and play live and coordinated across the Internet.
The Walkers, who are originally from St Mary, spoke about rising from humble beginnings to being globally recognized as leaders in their respective fields. They have been ‘giving back’ to Jamaica through sponsoring four students annually to pursue their tertiary education., providing annual financial support for the Maranatha Outreach project in Africa, and are now planning to assist with refurbishing the computer laboratory at St Mary’s High School, which was recently destroyed by fire.
The induction of the Walkers bring to over 250 the number of IBI Ambassadors who have been indicted since the Programme started in 2011. Ambassadors are located in Jamaica, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Written by: Sonja Simms
