to the personal webpage of

Dr. Joan F. Marques

"It is better to live in serene modesty than in hectic affluence. Everything has a price.
The price for nurturing your soul is turning away from excessive stress,
destruction of self-respect, and the constant strive in lifestyle with the Joneses.
But it's worth it."
(Joan Marques)

 

I was born in Paramaribo, Suriname in the year of the rat
Sunny Suriname is a republic,
located on the northeast coast of South America.

My native language is Dutch,
but we speak our own language (lingua franca) as well: Sranang Tongo.

In the seventies I attended the Mr. Dr. J.C. de Miranda Lyceum
and in the eighties I studied Business Economics (HEAO).


(Profiled in a Surinamese teen-magazine "Hi-Time," at age 16)

Communication has always been my first love.
While conducting research for one of my High School term papers,
I was invited to take a voice-test at the SRS
(Stichting Radio Omroep Suriname/ Foundation Radio Announcement Suriname)
That's where my first career started.

From 1977 on I was successively:radio-announcer, advertising agency employee and radio- and tv show-host and program producer.

In 1979 I started my own advertising company,while continuing producing and hosting shows on radio and television.

In the eighties and nineties, I hosted and co-hosted a series of shows, among which:

  • Fundraising Galas for the SILA (Suriname Indian Ladies Association),
  • A Cultural Evening for Indonesian President Suharto,
  • Miss Suriname Pageants 1982 and 1991 (with Henk van Vliet - see pictures (1982)),
  • The Suriname Night in 1994 (induction of Suriname into the Caribbean Community, Caricom)- Georgetown, Guyana, and
  • International Cultural Gala in honor of 20 Years Independence of Suriname (with Henk Tjon)
.

In the nineties I started producing short documentaries about Suriname
in an effort to increase national pride among my fellow Surinamese citizens. Some of these were:
  • Dit is Suriname (This is Suriname) - a 15-episode series
  • CARICOM: Uit en toch Thuis (CARICOM: Away, yet Home) - 16 episodes, each highlighting another CARICOM member nation.
  • The Suriname Girl Scouts
  • 's Land's Hospitaal - a documentary about our oldest hospital in Paramaribo
  • A documentary of Suriname for profiling Paramaribo's cultural heritage to international entities
In 1996 I founded "de Stichting Vrouwen voor Vrouwen"
(the Foundation Women for Women), producing and presenting programs
about Surinamese women, their struggles, achievements and possibilities.

I am the mother of three wonderful adults:
Coert, Evita, and Mercedes
and the grandmother of Jo-Anne, Coert III, Ashique, and Ashray.

In 1998 I moved to Burbank, California, where I resumed studying, in preparation of my second career.

In December 1999 I earned my MBA at Woodbury University, where I subsequently served as an academic advisor, adjunct, and later full-time faculty, chair of the BBA program, assistant dean, and now, dean, Chair/Director, BBA Program, and full professor of Management.

In February 2004 I earned my first doctorate(Ed.D)
in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University (Los Angeles, California).

In July 2010 I completed post-doctoral studies
in Management and Marketing at Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisianna).

In November 2011 I earned a second doctorate (Ph.D)
in Buddhist Psychology in Management, at Tilburg University (Tilburg, The Netherlands).

Click here for my CV.

In 2015 I was awarded the honorary distinction of Commander in the Order of the Yellow Star on behalf of the President of the Republic of Suriname.

I consider this an important crown on my lifetime efforts and careers, and am grateful for having been the recipient of such a high national distinction.

What I've learned from life up till now?

"Simplicity, friendliness, an open mind and a positive attitude
are the answer to everything"

Click here to send me an email

 

 

Hope to hear from you soon......... Have a blessed day......... Be good to yourself and others..........  

 

 

This is the link back to my PR webpage