‘Divine Hands Guided My Career’ Says NCU Alumnus and Honorary Doctorate Awardee Paul H. Douglas

General Conference Treasurer was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Commerce degree in Jamaica.

August 27, 2024 | Mandeville, Jamaica | Shannette Smith, NCU Corporate Communications

Accountant Paul H. Douglas credits his education at West Indies College, now Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Jamaica, as the foundation for his 40-year career with the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, headquartered at Silver Spring, Maryland in the United States of America. He has been serving as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer since 2021.

“There is no foundation like the foundation you will get here at Northern Caribbean University,” Douglas declared during his address at the institution’s 101st Commencement on Aug. 11, held at its headquarters in Mandeville, Jamaica. During the ceremony he was conferred with the Honorary Doctor of Commerce degree.

Douglas also attributed the development of his career to the guiding hand of God.  He used the story of his career path to highlight how submission to divine guidance can make one achieve dreams and purpose. Speaking under the commencement theme “Empowered for Excellence…Poised for Greatness” Douglas asked the graduands, “What is your story?” “Do you know who you are, what you want and where you are going?” He encouraged the graduands to ask themselves the serious and life-changing questions of “Why me, why now, and what for?” in every situation and moment of their lives.

As a young man, Douglas graduated from Kingsway High School, a Seventh-day Adventist secondary institution in Jamaica, in 1982. He had studied the sciences and although his father was a pastor, he was preparing to pursue a medical career. While enrolled at the then West Indies College, he was encouraged to do the pre-university bookkeeping course. He was successful in that course and realized that his career path was more suited for business. In 1984, at age 18, he graduated with an associate degree in business administration.

His plan was to continue business studies in Jamaica, and he was considering taking a job offer as an assistant treasurer in the East Jamaica Conference.

However, receiving encouragement and advice, as well as support from family in the United States, Douglas moved on to Loma Linda University in the United States and continued his studies. He was eligible for various scholarships and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, with accounting emphasis, in two years.

Being a young and brilliant university graduate, Douglas applied repeatedly to various accounting firms but was rejected. He was discouraged and felt that he was not good enough.

Looking back at the 40 years since he left West Indies College, and his current life as the General Conference treasurer, he credits God and understands why the rejections happened. He believes the Lord’s message to him is “All the rejections you have received have been My directions.”

God brought the young Douglas on the right path with persons who had the right networking. He was recommended to one, Thomas Patrick Miller, at the General Conference and was subsequently interviewed. He was not hired immediately due to budgetary constraints. But eventually, in July 1986, Douglas was offered a job as an assistant staff auditor at the General Conference. He accepted the job and did well, though he was still job-hunting for “better highly recognized secular accounting jobs.” He also continued to study as well as take on various opportunities that would move him up the ranks in his profession and give him valuable experience.

He earned a certificate from the Leadership and Strategic Management Program offered at Cornell University. He earned his Master of Business Administration from California State University – San Bernardino. He holds a Certified Public Accountant license for the US states of California and Florida. He is recognized as a Chartered Accountant in Jamaica. He is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

One of the opportunities that propelled him to advance in his career and his service to God’s Church is his appointment as the Executive Director for the General Conference Auditing Service (GCAS) in 2006. Recalling it all, Douglas declared to graduands that God had placed him, as He will place them where He wanted them to be.

“As I look back at it, I recognize the hand of God. Had I done the ministry, had I done the medicine, I would not have been prepared for what God had in store for me,” said Douglas. “When God places you, He will also prepare you for where you need to be.”

Pointing to the spiritual significance of his life’s work and what drives him, Douglas said,
“Jesus is coming, so we need to mobilize all the resources of our church – human, financial, technological – all for finishing the work of the gospel!” He emphasized: “Jesus is coming soon, and he is looking for persons to join his workforce. Whether in church work, in your schoolwork or wherever you are placed -to be seen and known as a proclaimer of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that He can come.”