Growing up in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Bernita Boxill ’11, ‘13 was passionate about soccer. She even played for the USVI national women’s team before higher education beckoned and she left home to pursue a pre-med undergraduate degree.
“I had every intention of becoming a doctor,” she notes.
However, she decided she could help individuals without becoming a physician and wound up earning her bachelor’s degree in public health studies.
“This led me to get a master’s degree in healthcare administration and an MBA from UMGC,” she adds.
Exploring Her Options
When she graduated, she had the opportunity to move to North Carolina where there were many healthcare-related projects, but she decided she wasn’t interested in relocating. Instead, she worked as a federal contractor for five years before joining Accenture.
“That’s how I got into project management,” she explains.
This career path exposed her to many different industries, including manufacturing and hospitality. When a position opened up in the London office, she jumped at the chance to take it. For two years, she worked hard while taking every opportunity she could get to enjoy her first passion: soccer.
“I loved watching the English Premier League and getting to go to matches,” she says. “I was chasing the sport.”
She returned home to the USVI in October 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Relieved to be back with her family during this time, Boxill secured a position doing disaster recovery work for the local government, which enabled her to give back to the community that helped raise her. This led her to a position at a consulting firm where she did similar work until another opportunity emerged two years later.
Where Skills and Opportunity Collide
That’s when Boxill saw an opening for the head of the project management office (PMO) for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, a position that married her skill set with a sport she had loved her entire life. When she landed the job, she felt privileged for the opportunity presented to her.
“[The role] showcased all I had worked on up to that point,” she explains. “I had the opportunity to deliver what would be the largest sporting event the world had ever seen.”
In this position, she led a team of five in the PMO and partnered with a wide range of departments in more than 70 functional areas of the organization.
“Our key responsibility was to track all critical milestones for the tournament,” she says.
This includes monitoring for risk and issues and handling all of the reporting that went up to management to help ensure the matches went off without a hitch.
Finding Her Passion
Boxill was thrilled to have a role in this world-class tournament, which involved 16 host cities across three host countries.
“For me, the challenge was just the complexity of the event,” she says, “and ensuring that across planning and execution, everybody had transparent and open conversations so we could understand what the risks and priorities were.”
Communication was critical, and Boxill and her team worked on meticulously detailed arrangements, as well as contingency plans in case something unexpected happened and they had to shift directions.
“It’s important to understand how to pivot and to really be flexible,” she notes. “Plans may have to change, and you have to adapt and keep your overall objectives in the forefront.”
Despite the challenges, Boxill enjoyed many highlights, including some special visitors who flew in from the USVI to partake in the excitement.
“From a personal perspective, for me it was rewarding to be able to be at match with my family,” she says. “After all of the ups and downs of the last two years, getting to that point meant something.”
And when it was time for the finale, it was special for her celebrate and watch that last match with members of her team in the operations center realizing all they had accomplished.
“It was hard not to be emotional on Sunday when it all started,” she says.
Bernita Boxhill '11, '13 FIFA Senior Project Manager
Taking A Leap of Faith
A decade or so ago, Boxill could never have imagined where her career would take her.
“If you had told me at the start of my master’s program that I would be here today, it’s not what I ever thought I would be doing,” she muses.
She offers words of wisdom for others who may be considering a major career transformation.
“Don’t be afraid to go for it,” she says. “Try to step out of your comfort zone.”
That’s because there are many skills that transfer across a wide range of industries and roles. For those committed to learning and seeking advice from others with more experience, the sky’s the limit.
“I don’t know if I would have had the opportunity for this role if I didn’t have my network behind me,” she says.
She was able to tap into her many connections from throughout her career and degree programs to find someone to help her get her resume in front of the right people, and the rest is history. Now that the matches have ended and the stadiums have emptied, Boxill will take time to reflect on all she has achieved and what her next move could be.
“This experience opened my mind to the breadth of opportunities there are within the sports industry,” she says. “I’d like to continue my professional career in sports.”
Read more alumni news.