Mrs. Jerome Miller-Vaz, head of the Western Region, Open Campus, at The University of the West Indies, and immediate past president of the Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association(CTLPA) has been recognized as a Diamond Honoree by the American College Personnel  Association (ACPA) Foundation for her exceptional contributions to education throughout her career.  Through its Diamond Honoree programme the Foundation annually recognizes a small group of educators who have made significant contributions of leadership and scholarship to their institutions, to ACPA and to students.  

Mrs. Miller-Vaz is one of only 15 individuals to be recognized as a 2010 Diamond Honoree.  In the words of one of her nominators, “The work done by Jerome while she was president of the Caribbean Tertiary Level Personnel Association is significant and strongly reflects the core values of ACPA.  She was instrumental in getting CTLPA represented on the Research Board at the University of Technology (UTECH) Jamaica. This was a first for the Association. Mrs Miller-Vaz is the first CTLPA President to launch two new chapters (Jamaica and Trinidad).  She also saw to the beginning of the formation of a third chapter in the Bahamas. 

During her tenure as President she also did the initial work on establishing the Head Quarters for CTLPA.  She stressed the importance of the stability this would bring to the Association when there is a central body monitoring activities in territories, thousands of miles apart. Mrs. Miller-Vaz has been assessed on her ability to educate and develop the total student, and as a result she was recently promoted   from Senior Administrative Officer and head of the Ocho Rios Centre to   Head of the Western Region of Jamaica, being responsible for the total development of   students in seven (7) parishes and three divisions. She also assisted in the establishment of the UWI Western Jamaica Campus and is currently involved in the expansion of Open Campus.”

The Foundation is affiliated with ACPA College Student Educators International, an international association of 8,500 members.  Through its programmes and annual appeals for funds, the ACPA Foundation supports ACPA’s priorities for promoting student learning and helping to prepare students for a lifetime of learning and leadership.

CTLPA is an international arm of ACPA, started approximately twelve years ago at The University of the   West Indies,   Mona as a professional organization for Student   Affairs/ Services practitioners in Higher Education, in the Caribbean. Since its ‘birth’ the organization has focused on  training and development of Student Services/ Affairs personnel , as well as helping to   formalize Student Services as a discipline in tertiary level institutions across the region.