Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

This Week We Feature Young Professional Reba E. Thomas

Young, smart and articulate, Reba E. Thomas, the Assistant Human Resources Manager for the Ministry of Finance, is our Young Professional for this week. She has been in this position for the past year and four months. Photo: Provided
Young Professional Reba E. Thomas was a part of the CCT Buy BVI Trade Expo where she enjoyed the opportunity to showcase to the VI products that she currently uses and enjoys. Photo: Provided
Young Professional Reba E. Thomas was a part of the CCT Buy BVI Trade Expo where she enjoyed the opportunity to showcase to the VI products that she currently uses and enjoys. Photo: Provided
May 22, 2016 will mark one year that Reba E. Thomas has been a member of the Rotaract Club of Tortola. Photo: Provided
May 22, 2016 will mark one year that Reba E. Thomas has been a member of the Rotaract Club of Tortola. Photo: Provided
Reba E. Thomas studied Human Services at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) and then went on to attain her Bachelor's in Psychology in 2014 at Georgia State University. Photo: Provided
Reba E. Thomas studied Human Services at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) and then went on to attain her Bachelor's in Psychology in 2014 at Georgia State University. Photo: Provided
By N. Johann Earle

Young, smart and articulate, Reba E. Thomas, the Assistant Human Resources Manager for the Ministry of Finance, is our Young Professional for this week. She has been in this position for the past year and four months.

Before that she worked at Nagico Insurances until she was ready to leave the territory for school in the United States. “That was in 2010 - 2011 and I went away in 2012 to finish my studies,” she said.

Thomas is the daughter of Francine Simmonds and step-daughter of Glenford 'Chappy' Maduro. She said hard work was instilled in her from an early age through the family business. “I was born in St Thomas, USVI but I am a BVIslander as I was raised in the territory,” she said. She is the eldest of four children on her mother’s side.

Thomas attended the Enis Adams Primary School and then the Elmore Stoutt High School, graduating in 2008.

“I always had a knack for the Arts, Social Studies, English Literature, History,” she said. She added that in her formative years in high school she wanted to become a nurse but this changed when she met Dr Virginia Rubaine, “And that changed my whole perspective of what I wanted to become in life.”

Thomas said it was at that point that she decided to pursue Psychology with a focus on the workplace and human resources.

Thomas studied Human Services at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) and then went on to attain her Bachelor's in Psychology in 2014 at Georgia State University.

Challenges at school

Thomas said when she left for school it was in the Spring semester and it was a bit cold coming from the VI. She said too that finding friends was somewhat difficult and it was hard because she missed home. However, she eventually made friends and this made her journey easier.

“Going away to school changed my whole perspective on life, coming from a small island where everybody knew everybody to going to Georgia State where the professors knew you as a number,” she said.

In terms of her future academic plans, Thomas said she wants to do her Masters in Industrial Organisational Psychology. “I also want to become a SHRP Certified which is the Society of Human Resources Professionals and I believe that within the next year I will be able to achieve that goal,” she said, adding that she is leaning towards doing her Master’s degree online as opposed to going abroad.

Thomas is currently back at HLSCC pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration to be able to learn some of the technical business aspects to pursue her Master’s. 

“The reason why I decided to do an Associate’s in Business is because with Psychology and Industrial Organisational Psychology you have to have a background of both businesses as well as the psychological field,” she explained.

Our Young Professional is also a Mary Kay Consultant and has been since 2012. She was a part of the CCT Buy BVI Trade Expo where she enjoyed the opportunity to showcase to the VI products that she currently uses and enjoys.

Challenges at work

At her job in the Ministry of Finance, Thomas said part of her duties focus on employee relations, recruiting and disciplinary proceedings regarding the staff. “I take pride in ensuring that officers have exactly what they need. I believe I'm responsible for the satisfaction of the employees in the Ministry of Finance” she said.

Thomas said her journey at the Ministry of Finance has not been without its challenges. “Each day I face different challenges to ensure the job is done accurately and with precision. Being one of the youngest within the Ministry has proven to be challenging as well, and I constantly have to prove myself and allow my work to show for itself,” she said.

According to Thomas, her contribution has changed the organisation tremendously. “When I first came it was some degree of division. She, however, would not take all of the credit for cohesiveness but said that the Human Resources Unit definitely made a contribution towards this regard. “If the staff is happy then the organisation is happy.”

Thomas also said her duties are not only confined to the Ministry of Finance but also to the six departments that fall under that Ministry. “These [include] Customs, the Post Office, Inland Revenue, Internal Audit, and the Treasury Department.”

She noted that while she does not need to have working experience in all of the departments under the Ministry of Finance, she must at least have a good working knowledge of what the duties of the various officers entail in order for her to properly make evaluations and assessments.

“We all need a basic understanding of what is done in an organisation but our focus is more on the employee as opposed to the organisation, although there is a mix to help the person improve their work ethics,” she said.

Rotaract                    

Thomas said that May 22, 2016 will mark one year that she has been a member of the Rotaract Club of Tortola. “I am the current Public Relations Director and I am the incoming Secretary of the Club,” she noted.

Advice to youth

Her advice to young people is taken from a quote 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln: ‘Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.’

“This quote resonated with me at a time when I was trying to find my path. Focus on your goals, never allow distractions to allow you to forget what you want to accomplish in life," Thomas said.

14 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young Professional Reba E. Thomas”



Create a comment


Create a comment

Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.