(Christiansted, St. Croix – November 19, 2021) – The Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts, Inc. (VIAC) is pleased to announce that it has hired Alan D. Spooner as its Project Development Consultant and Anquanette Gaspard as its Events Planner.

“I am pleased to welcome both Alan and Anquanette to the VIAC team as we move into a year of strategic development for the organization,” said Board Chair Mary Dema.  “Alan is a non-profit development strategist who has led organizations in Philadelphia and San Francisco through the critical stages of strategic development. He also has a track record in stakeholder engagement and fundraising.  He will be leading the team as it conducts a feasibility study, hosts a strategic development conference and produces a five-year plan,” she added. “Alan moved to St. Croix two years ago from Philadelphia and we are pleased to have the benefit of his skillset at this time.  Anquanette is a Crucian entrepreneur and food blogger who is an expert at event planning, marketing. branding and customer relations. Anquanette will be organizing VIAC’s events in the upcoming year,” Dema said.  “We are pleased to have both of them onboard and look forward to a fruitful, productive year for our project.”

VIAC is a St. Croix non-profit, 501(c)3, with a focus on community economic development. Its mission is to transform the Old Barracks property on Hospital Street, Christiansted, St. Croix into an urban campus and educational institute that will teach, train, and certify Virgin Islands young people in the building arts of stone, wood, iron, and other crafts prevalent in Virgin Islands and other historic U.S. and Caribbean towns. The school curriculum is envisioned as a two-year program that will provide a Certificate for students in Architecture. It will support students interested in achieving a Professional Architectural Degree through partnerships with architectural schools in Puerto Rico, US, Denmark, and Ghana. VIAC also intends to train its students to own and operate businesses connected to these crafts and be the catalyst for a cultural economic development corridor in the town of Christiansted.

Funding for this project has been provided by a technical assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs.  For more information, email VIAC at info@viacstx.com.