Ricardo Case raising queens, leading with love

Ricardo Case never set out to be perfect at fatherhood. But he was always determined to be present.

With two daughters, Taylor, 25, and Courteney, 18, the longtime engineer and now a senior vice president at the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has spent years figuring out what it really means to lead at home. Turns out, it’s not all that different from what he does at work. He listens, adapts, and builds with intention.

“My job is to pour into them,” Case told Living. “And then let them figure it out. I’ve created the environment. Now they’ll choose the path.”

That balance between structure and surrender defines Ricardo’s approach to parenting. There are lessons he wants his daughters to hold on to – like the value of discipline, the importance of hard work, and the habit of not putting off what can be done today. But just as important is knowing when to step back and let them make their own decisions.

“Me and wife, Nichole, are intent on raising queens. We do not want to grow our children to live in our shadow. They should eventually outgrow us,” Case said.

That mindset was Case’s experience growing up. Raised in a multigenerational home in Independence City and South Edgewater, Portmore, St Catherine, Case said his home was one where love showed up as consistency, and expectations were always clear. Those early years gave him a sense of grounding that he still draws on today.

Now, he’s focused on passing that legacy forward. Not by micromanaging, but by modelling. At home, he’s not the senior vice president. He’s the dad who loses at board games. The one who makes space for advice, laughter, or silence, depending on what his daughters need in that moment.

“I want them to feel seen. Not just provided for,” he shared.

That distinction between presence and performance is something he’s thought about often, especially in a world where so many fathers are missing from the picture.

He shares this advice to fathers: “Just show up. That’s what I’d tell any man. The hug. The phone call. The quiet check-in. That’s what they will remember. That’s what makes the difference. Fatherhood is a precious gift; the rewards keep flowing, and for me, it is a truly special journey that I get to share with my wife, Nichole. ”

Case’s faith also plays a fundamental role in how he navigates it all. So do four personal mantras that shape the way he lives and leads:

· Let your light shine

· Do unto others as you’d like done unto you

· The brave may fall, but never yield

· The answer is in the room

These have guided this Kingston College alum through 35 years at JPS and continue to ground him in this chapter of senior leadership, while also shaping the way he moves through everyday family life.

As one of the Caribbean’s leading electrical engineers, for Case, there is one core truth — family comes first, and his legacy for his daughters is for them to know that they are loved, powerful, and more than enough.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com