Vincentians Atiba T. Edwards, the president and CEO of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (BCM), and Roxanne Joseph, a recently retired New York Police Department (NYPD) detective, say they were “thrilled” and “honored” to serve as two of three grand marshals during the massive 2025 Caribbean Carnival Parade on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway on Labor Day.
The other grand marshal was Michelle Lewis, CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health.
The West Indian American Day Carnival Association’s (WIADCA) chairman is Vincentian-born lawyer Andrew Maloney, and its president is Trinidadian-born lawyer Roger Archibald.
“I was thrilled to receive a call from WIADCA to invite me to serve as one of the Grand Marshals for the annual 58th Annual NYC Carnival Parade,” Edwards told Caribbean Life on Sept. 2. “I spent much of my youth chipping down the road every Labor Day Monday and have seen all the changes that the parade has undergone over the years.
“One of my fondest memories is pushing my flight back to college so I could spend as much time as possible on the road,” he added. “The sky opened up, and it was a huge downpour, but this brought great joy to the route.
“Serving as a grand marshal allowed me to see the parade from a different vantage point, and I was honored to serve in this role,” Edwards continued. “This parade is a wonderful celebration of the richness that makes up Caribbean culture as it brings out everyone from, influenced by, and appreciative of, the diaspora to revel in joy and community.”
Joseph said she was “truly honored to be chosen as one of the grand marshals.
“Being named grand marshal was a title that I did not take lightly,” she told Caribbean Life. “For me, it meant that I played a crucial role in safeguarding Caribbean culture, safeguarding my culture, safeguarding the culture of my parents, grandparents, my children, and ultimately preserving this rich culture for my children’s children.
“The goal is to ensure the preservation of our culture for generations to come,” added Joseph, stating that “coming from the small island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and being raised on the Grenadine Island of Union Island, I was always inspired by the constant drive my family had, as it relates to promoting and showcasing our culture at any given opportunity.
“Being a part of the NYPD’s community Affairs team and being stationed in a primarily Caribbean community allowed me that unique opportunity to unshakably advocate for my people,” she continued.
In her 20-year career as an NYPD officer, Joseph said she “dedicated” her “entire self in ensuring our community’s voice is heard and their needs are met, and our culture is not suffocated.
“It has been the most rewarding part of my career,” she said. “I love my people, I am proud of my Caribbean heritage, and I am humbled that the West Indian American Carnival Association chose to name me as one their grand marshal.
“On Monday, I wore that grand marshal sash and walked the route along with my husband, with pure Caribbean pride and joy filled in our hearts,” Joseph added.
After acting as president and chief executive officer (CEO) since the exit of Stephanie Hill in August 2023, BCM confirmed Edwards as its new head in November of that year.
“This appointment is an honor and opportunity,” Edwards told Caribbean Life in an exclusive interview then. “I spent a lot of time at Brooklyn Children’s Museum with my family and, about seven years ago, I co-taught an arts residency for BCM’s teen program on Art and Activism and have now been working here almost five years.
“The Brooklyn Children’s Museum helped shape my experiences, because it is rooted in igniting and kindling curiosity amongst children and, in turn, their families,” he added. “Additionally, it was a place where diversity was part of the fabric as children would play in the sandbox or shop in the grocery store or have fun at June Balloon.
Edwards, who was born in Kingstown, the Vincentian capital, said he grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn and spent “a lot of time” between there and Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
He said once he started at BCM in 2019, as the chief operating officer (COO), “it was refreshing to be working deeply in a neighborhood that I also spend a lot of time in, as the community that surrounds BCM is so rich and caring.”
In his role as CEO, Edwards said he looked forward to “building upon the layers of foundation my predecessors have laid, dating back to our inception as the first children’s museum in the world in 1899.
Edwards added that “curiosity, identity and joyful learning are the key values of why BCM exists and continues to grow.
“I am honored to be the newest president and CEO at BCM, as I join an amazing team of colleagues and board of trustees who, together, we help to live our mission and continue developing the values of BCM for the 300,000 people served each year and the millions that Brooklyn Children’s Museum has served since inception,” he continued.
Edwards said being the president and CEO of BCM helped him to expand on the set of answers that young people consider in reply to the question: “What do I want to be?”
He said this is because they now see him in this role, alongside his colleagues and peers “who are also leading storied arts and culture organizations.”
Pulling from Nina Simone’s ‘Young, Gifted, and Black” Edwards said, “We must begin to tell our young there’s a world waiting for them.”
“My appointment helps to tell and show them how wide and wonderful their world can be,” he said.
Prior to his appointment as president, Edwards said he spent nearly five years as executive vice president and COO at BCM, overseeing visitor experience, finance and human resources, building operations, and marketing.
Previously, Edwards was director of operations at Brooklyn East Collegiate, a middle school that is part of the Uncommon Schools network.
He said he began his career as a fixed income research analyst at JPMorgan’s Investment Bank, where he covered the automotive sector, and at Nomura Securities in their “high grade and high-yield fixed income research divisions.”
Edwards — who graduated from the University of Michigan with degrees in industrial operations & engineering and liberal arts, with a focus on poetry and musicology — also co-founded FOKUS, a non-profit organization that connects and builds community through arts.
Joseph, who was born on June 25, 1980 on Union Island, said that, from the age of 4, she was raised by her grandmother, Cecilia Saxon, and, at 14, she migrated to Brooklyn to join her mother, Marva, who had begun paving the way for a better life for her family.
Joseph said she graduated from Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn and went on to New York City Technical College, where she majored in the Human Services Department.
She later transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors in criminal justice.
Subsequent to her appointment to the NYPD, Joseph often spoke proudly of her aunt, Sergeant Ilene Maloney, who dedicated over 30 years of service to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force as supervisor of the Central Investigation Division.
Joseph said admiring her aunt’s passion and dedication to help others inspired her to pursue a career in law enforcement. She was sworn in at the NYPD on Jul. 11, 2005. After graduating from the Police Academy, Joseph said she was assigned to the 67th Precinct Impact Unit in Brooklyn, the daily patrol squad. She said she was a member of the Precinct’s Conditions Team and the Community Policing Unit.
Joseph said her “expression of love” for her Caribbean culture and passion to keep the Caribbean community safe and empowered earned her the position of community affairs officer.
During her tenure at the 67th Precinct, Joseph said she “consistently advocated for the educating of new police officers assigned to the precinct on the West Indian culture.”
Joseph said she was also an advocate for guiding young women to be “successful, productive and to become independent women in society.”
She said such attributes have earned her the 2015 Police Officer of the Year Award, the Woman of Distinction Award, Caribbean Life Impact Award, Congressional recognition from Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, New York state and city citations, Distinguished Service Awards and Civil Service Awards, in addition to “an array of community citations, awards and certificates.”
After eight years in the position of community affairs officer and gaining the trust, respect and love of the entire community, Joseph said she was promoted to the rank of detective specialist.
As detective, she said she continued her work and dedication to the Caribbean Community, and “quickly became noticed by NYPD’s hierarchy.” Joseph said this “merited” her a position in the Police Commissioner’s Office as the West Indian liaison to the Police Commissioner.
In her last position as a first-grade detective, Joseph said she served as the West Indian liaison to patrol Borough Brooklyn South.
She said she was also named the 2018 and 2019 West Indian cultural ambassador by J’ouvert City International, organizer of the annual Caribbean J’Ouvert festival in Brooklyn.
Joseph said she retired from the NYPD on Jul. 31 “with the highest honors as a detective serving 20 years of remarkable service.”
Joseph said she has been “happily married for 24 years” to her “first love,” Rory Joseph. From that union, Joseph said, they have been “blessed with two wonderful children, Anthony and Tori Joseph.”
Lewis is a visionary healthcare leader who is shaping the future of healthcare delivery at Gotham Health, a key division of NYC Health + Hospitals and one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
As CEO, Lewis is driving Gotham Health’s expansive growth while ensuring the organization continues to provide high-quality, equitable care to all New Yorkers, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status.
Lewis said her leadership and vision have been highlighted in Crain’s New York, where she was featured for navigating healthcare funding shifts and expanding access to critical services across the city. Lewis said she worked closely with the city to develop three advanced ambulatory sites in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, with a fourth facility currently under construction in Far Rockaway.
“These state-of-the-art sites offer both specialty and primary care services, expanding access to healthcare in under resourced areas,” she said.
With over 20 years of experience, Lewis has built a reputation for leading transformative initiatives, optimizing patient care, and fostering strong, mission-driven teams.
She said she has led the introduction of essential clinical services across the enterprise, including dermatology and advanced radiology offerings such as MRI, CT scans, and 3D mammography, significantly improving access to early detection, screening, and specialized care in under resourced communities.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis said she led the rollout of testing and vaccination services across Gotham Health’s network, “ensuring that essential services were accessible to New Yorkers at a critical time across the five boroughs.”
Under her leadership, Lewis said Gotham Health has become “a model for integrated care, expanding co-located behavioral health services and enhancing access to mental health support.”
She said she has also driven the growth of telehealth, providing flexibility and ensuring continuity of care, especially for patients facing transportation or mobility challenges.
Before joining NYC Health + Hospitals, Lewis said she worked in ambulatory care services and had oversight of the emergency rooms at NewYork-Presbyterian Health System.
She said these experiences enhanced her ability to “drive systemic change while maintaining a focus on patient-centered care.”
Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lehman College in New York and a Master’s degree in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
