How This Changemaker Is Empowering Caribbean Communities From The Inside Out

Forbes

3 days ago

Executive director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke. Courtesy of the Sandals Foundation
Heidi Clarke—a fifth-generation Jamaican with a background in child psychology—never set out to run a multi-island nonprofit. Back in 2009, she was volunteering in schools and helping run her husband's sailing company in Tobago when she got a call from Adam Stewart. At the time, Stewart was the CEO of Sandals Resorts, a Caribbean-based hospitality brand known for its all-inclusive properties. (He's now the executive chairman.)
Stewart had an idea for what he called a 'small project'—to turn the company's long-running community work into something more formal. Would Clarke help build a new charitable arm?
She said yes—without realizing just how far that project would go.
Sixteen years later, Clarke is the executive director of the Sandals Foundation, a philanthropic powerhouse operating across more than a dozen Caribbean islands. Under her leadership, the Foundation has helped build green schools, fund scholarships, support women-led farming cooperatives, restore coral reefs and launch countless programs aimed at strengthening communities and protecting the region's natural resources.
'When you see change happening,' she told me in an interview, 'it keeps you driven.'
Heidi Clarke, executive director of the Sandals Foundation, alongside three women volunteers. Courtesy of the Sandals Foundation
Clarke brings a unique lens to the work. Raised in Kingston, she studied education and child psychology, then spent years volunteering in Caribbean schools before formally stepping into the nonprofit world—and her background still informs Clarke's mission and the mission for the Sandals Foundation. 'Education underlies everything we do,' she says. 'Whether it's environment or health—education is the foundation for all of it.'
Clarke's leadership style is warm and collaborative. She jokes that she has 20,000 people working for her, since everyone at Sandals and Beaches plays a role in the Foundation's work. But her immediate team is just eight people strong. 'Everybody here has a voice and something to bring to the table,' she says. 'You have to be able to lead from the ground up and from the top down. And if we work as a team, we allow each voice to be heard.'
One of Clarke's biggest priorities is ensuring that every project the Foundation undertakes is driven by local needs. 'We're not the experts at everything,' she says. 'So what we've recognized is that within our communities, there are grassroots organizations that are doing incredible work and they just need assistance to scale up what they're doing.'
Over the years, she's cultivated a model built on partnership and trust—aligning closely with community leaders, government stakeholders and local changemakers to build programs that are sustainable and scalable. Making Authentic Connections
One of the most powerful examples of that model in action is the Foundation's long-running partnership with the Grenada Network of Rural Women Producers (GRENROP). What began as a small effort to provide basic training and infrastructure has grown into a thriving collective of 65 women farmers. Today, they're selling fresh produce to local hotels, operating a coconut processing facility and hosting farm-to-table lunches that allow travelers to connect with the land—and the women—who make it all possible.
Two women farmers from the Grenada Network of Rural Women Producers (GRENROP) stand proudly in a lush, tropical field, each holding freshly harvested squash. They wear matching purple GRENROP shirts, smiling beneath the Caribbean sun. Courtesy of the Sandals Foundation
Theresa Marryshow, GRENROP's president, grew up on her family's farm and has spent her career advocating for women in agriculture. With support from the Sandals Foundation, the group now has access to cold storage to prevent spoilage, modern irrigation systems and ongoing business training.
'My program isn't just about growing food,' Marryshow told me in an interview. 'It's about cultivating resilience, financial independence and community. We're also able to amplify our impact by welcoming visitors to the island and into our story—ultimately helping more women create better futures for themselves and their families.'
'This is one of the projects I'm most proud of,' says Clarke. 'What's unique is that now they're showcasing the best of the Caribbean to our guests and many other guests on the island. So they have a sustainable income, and people are experiencing authentic Grenada. I've seen them grow from strength to strength.
The spirit of empowerment runs through nearly every initiative that the Sandals Foundation touches—from early childhood education and job training to environmental conservation and mental health support. In the Bahamas, for instance, a partnership with the Bahamas Girl Guides Association (BGGA) helped complete the group's long-awaited national headquarters, providing a hub for workshops, skill-building and overnight programs designed to support girls and women across the islands.
'The Sandals Foundation's support has been nothing short of transformative,' Dr. Ruth Sumner, president of the BGGA, told me in an interview. 'We're helping empower women to grow, learn and thrive, and the Foundation's donations are essential to making that happen, from comfortable beds for the girls to sleep in, to appliances for skill-building workshops. We're sincerely grateful for the support, and together we're creating life-changing experiences for women across The Bahamas.' Protecting The Land
The Foundation's environmental work is just as expansive. In recent years, it has helped establish coral nurseries, manage marine protected areas and implement sustainability programs in schools across the region. But perhaps the most innovative initiative is the Coral Restoration Certification Program, which allows guests at Sandals Resorts to become certified 'coral gardeners' through specially designed PADI courses.
Guests at Sandals Royal Bahamian can become certified 'coral gardeners' through the Sandals Foundation's Coral Restoration Program, which combines hands-on conservation with unforgettable underwater experiences. Courtesy of the Sandals Foundation
'The dives that they go out on—learning about the corals, coral planting—not only are they learning something and being exposed to beautiful Caribbean oceans, but all of those dives are also giving back,' says Clarke.
This kind of hands-on engagement is a hallmark of Clarke's approach. While the Foundation is fully funded by Sandals Resorts International—meaning 100% of donations go directly to programs—she sees travel itself as an opportunity to build bridges. Guests can browse local goods in on-property artisan markets, join fish fries and street parties throughout the islands, and visit nearby schools through the Reading Road Trip program. That initiative brings travelers into local classrooms to read with students, share stories, and get a firsthand glimpse of island life beyond the resort.
'We want people to come to the Caribbean and really experience it,' she says. 'Yes, the beaches are beautiful—but the culture, the people, the potential, that's what makes it special.' Making A Lasting Impact
And the model is working. Today, the Foundation supports artisans across multiple islands, has helped plant more than 27,000 trees, has supported some 2,300 schools and has provided health services to hundreds of thousands of people across the Caribbean.
What's next? Clarke is doubling down on linkages between tourism and local economies—particularly among farmers, fishers and makers. She's also finishing a master's degree in counseling psychology to deepen the Foundation's approach to mental health, an area she sees as increasingly urgent.
'We work with a lot of abused young people. We work with pregnant teens. We work in the jails,' she says. 'When we;re looking at programs, we want them to be very holistic. It's not just coming in to do one component. And mental health is a very big thing.'
Clarke says the best piece of advice she ever received was a simple idea: 'We're not here for ourselves,' she says. 'We live on this planet to serve others.'
It's a mantra she returns to often—along with another favorite, shared with her own children: 'Find the stars in your coffee.' In other words, focus on the little things. 'It's the small moments that make life worth living,' she says. 'Each day, I remind myself: Your job is to uplift someone—through your words, your actions, even just a smile.'
Clarke may not have planned to lead a regional nonprofit, but her steady vision and deep sense of purpose have helped the Sandals Foundation evolve from a 'small project' into a long-term force for good—one that empowers communities, invests in people and reimagines what tourism can do.
"Heidi has been a driving force behind the Sandals Foundation's growth and impact since its inception,' Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International, told me in an interview. 'She is a thoughtful and empowering leader, committed to lasting change across the Caribbean while uplifting those around her and earning the love and trust of the communities we serve. She meets challenges with steady guidance, grace and practical solutions, forging a path for the Foundation to become the powerful engine for transformation it is today. More than anything, Heidi is a cherished member of the Sandals family and her unique vision continues to shape not just what we achieve, but how we achieve it: with heart, purpose and unwavering commitment."
For Clarke, it's all about people—meeting them where they are, listening closely, and helping create the conditions for lasting transformation.
As for her legacy, Clarke keeps it simple. 'I think for the next generation, it's about helping them understand that you don't have to start big,' she says. 'It's just about having a passion and taking the next step—because that's kind of how I've done it, learning along the way. And it just takes doing something for one person to realize how impactful that is.'
And for anyone wondering whether they can make a difference, she offers this reminder: 'At the end of the day, wherever we go and whatever we do, we have potential to make positive change and be those changemakers.' MORE FROM FORBES: Forbes How A Small Hotel In Jamaica Is Making A Big Difference By Laura Begley Bloom Forbes How Two Accidental Hoteliers Created One Of The World's Coolest Hotel Brands By Laura Begley Bloom Forbes How This Hospitality Visionary Is Rewriting The Rules Of Luxury Travel By Laura Begley Bloom