DR Trisha Bailey, Jamaican-born USA CEO/philanthropist/real estate mogul, will be conferred with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree (honoris causa) by the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) at its commencement ceremony in Kingston on July 16.

“The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean is honoured that Dr Bailey has consented to accept the honorary degree from our institution. She is an accomplished professional, outstanding role model, especially for our Diaspora community, and committed to the continued growth and resilience of her homeland,” said UCC President Professor Haldane Davies. “We proudly welcome her into the UCC family.”

Dr Bailey is credited with defying the odds and becoming a successful entrepreneur, leader, and trendsetter.

Hailing from humble beginnings in Jamaica and carving her space in the medical field in the USA, Dr Bailey has proven herself to be the epitome of the word entrepreneur. She was the first to graduate college in her family when she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut in 1999. She would later attain a master’s degree in business administration in 2005 and a doctorate in management in organisational leadership in 2010. Since then, her serial entrepreneurial track has furthered her life and the lives of more than 50,000 individuals.

Dr Bailey is a prominent figure in the home medical equipment industry, having established pharmaceutical facilities across the country. She has also dominated the real estate market. She owns half of an island and over 50 commercial and residential real estate properties stretching from the United States of America to Jamaica, including in the exclusive Vero Beach and Edgewood communities in Florida.

Dr Bailey has consistently demonstrated her tenacity and risk-taking acumen. Her nine thriving companies, which have a combined value exceeding $10 million and a net worth of more than half a billion dollars, she has cemented her position as a woman of firsts.

She began her entrepreneurial journey in 2007 as an owner of the Association of Medical Recruiters Inc, after serving as one of the first and youngest black female stockbrokers at Solomon Smith Barney. In 2011 she opened Bailey’s Medical and Equipment Supplies in Vero Beach, Florida — a business that provides primary equipment and supplies to medical centres and hospitals. This serial entrepreneur also established Bailey’s Pharmacy in 2014, and recently, Bailey’s Scrubs, where she manages the business as the chief executive officer. With over 18 years in business, Bailey’s medical is considered as one of the industry’s finest.

Dr Bailey has received several awards and accolades, including Woman of the Year in the home medical equipment industry and she was one of the first-ever black women ranked amongst the top 60 Medicare providers in the United States for home medical equipment.

Trisha Bailey cares profoundly for her community and is a recognised philanthropic leader.

Through the Bailey-Charitable Archie’s Foundation, she contributes her time and dollars to a community that runs programmes for single mothers, supplies weekly food drives, and provides scholarships, covering their entire expenditure over four years. She has also helped change the graduation rate from 47 to 98.5 per cent at Evans High School in Orlando, Florida, and is also the lead donor for the University of Connecticut track & field programme.

UCC honorary doctorates have been presented previously over the past decade to a number of distinguished professionals, including Professor Errol Morrison, former president, the University of Technology; Bruce Bowen, former president and CEO, Scotia Bank Group; Dr Henry Lowe, executive chairman, Environmental Health Foundation; Richard Byles, former president and CEO, Sagicor Group; Gary Hendrickson, chairman and CEO Continental Bakery; Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Democratic member, US House of Representatives; Dorothy Pine-McLarty, chair, Electoral Commission of Jamaica; Marlene Street Forrest, managing director, Jamaica Stock Exchange; Leighton McKnight, retired territory leader, PwC Jamaica and PwC Caribbean leader for diversity, equity and inclusion; Godfrey Dyer, tourism and business titan; Dr Sandra Reid, professor, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine; and posthumously to the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart, founder Sandals Resorts International, the Jamaica Observer, and ATL Limited.