Category Archives for "session"
H.E Roosevelt Skerrit
Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica
The Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit has been Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica since 2004, reappointed for a 4th term in office on December 17, 2019. He is concurrently, the Minister of Finance and Investments and previously held portfolios to include Education, Housing, National Security and the Public Service. Skerrit has served as the Parliamentary Representative of the Vieille Case Constituency since 2000. Skerrit, as Prime Minister, has been at the forefront of Caribbean leadership, serving as Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) during periods of historic fiscal and economic challenges faced by the region and the world. He contributed to the formulation of the eight-point stabilization programme of the OECS. As leader of the first English-speaking and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to join the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our Americas (ALBA), in 2008, Skerrit is recognized for helping to foster closer ties between CARICOM states and countries of Latin America. He is an ardent advocate of wider regional integration and has worked towards the deepening of cooperation with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CLAS). Skerrit grabbed the attention of world leaders in 2017 at the United Nations General Assembly when he declared the intention to make Dominica the first climate resilient nation in the world, following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Mr. Skerrit holds a Bachelor’s (Honors) degree in Psychology (B.Sc.) and English (BA) from the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss, Oxford, Mississippi. Before his entry into politics he was a lecturer of English at the Dominica State College. He was born in the village of Vieille Case in 1972.
Laura Ell
Director of PR, Sustainability and Wellness, Jungle Bay Dominica
Laura D. Ell, MA is a tourism specialist with a successful track record of over two decades advising governments and enterprises in more sustainable and competitive tourism development. She’s served the United Nations World Tourism Organization, World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Organization of the American States, the European Union, and projects funded by USAID. Over 45 tourism destinations have advanced by differentiating their wellness tourism products and promotions and discovering assets that highlight their region’s sense of place. Laura is also a lecturer for various universities globally in courses on wellness, marketing, and community-based tourism. Laura is passionate about discovering solutions toward triple-bottom-line benefits that address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals while minimizing economic leakage and strengthening resilience. Laura has been a tourism consultant to the award-winning Jungle Bay, Dominica for 16 years. The island has become her second home where she indulges in the hot springs and other therapeutic benefits. Laura is past Communications Director for The International Ecotourism Society in Washington DC where she was liaison to 800+ members. Her graduate research: Code of Conduct for Indigenous-inspired Spa & Wellness Tourism earned a nomination for the Governor-General of Canada’s Gold Award. She has also been a featured expert on CNN Travel and supported Travel+Leisure Magazine in establishing the 1st annual Global Vision Awards criteria.
Samuel Raphael
Managing Director, Jungle Bay Dominica
Samuel “Sam” Raphael is recognized as one of the Caribbean’s preeminent entrepreneurs. Over the past 40 years Sam has pioneered numerous successful ventures in sustainable tourism, aviation, and real estate development. Sam is the visionary Developer and Managing Director of Jungle Bay, Dominica which is one of the leading adventure wellness resorts in the Caribbean. Jungle Bay is a very successful Caribbean hotel/resort development model that promotes the preservation of the natural environment and the social and economic empowerment of local populations while also providing exceptional guest satisfaction. Jungle Bay overlooks the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve with its world-class diving and watersports. The property provides an exceptional experience to adventure wellness seekers who stay in nature-inspired villas surrounded by an edible landscape of over 100 varieties of tropical fruits, ornamental plants and herbs. The organic farm-to-table and fishing-boat-to-table fare approach provide a unique community tourism experience for adventure travellers. Sam has been featured in major publications like The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, National Geographic, Financial Times and Forbes Magazine. His pioneering work has earned him several coveted international awards including the Conde Nast Traveler’s World Saver Award and the 2010 Virgin Holidays Responsible Travel Award for “Best Personal Contribution to Responsible Travel”. In 2019 Sam was named Dominica’s Person of the Year.
Tamara Lowe
President, Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC)
Tamara Lowe President of WiMAC (Women in Maritime Association Caribbean) and Country Manager of Tropical Shipping, Dominica. Tamara Lowe, native of the island of Dominica, is the President of WiMAC, recently elected in December of 2021 having previously served in the position of VP Membership & Administration of the organization. She is also currently the President of WiMAC – Dominica Chapter. WiMAC’s mission is to foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry. Tamara is the Country Manager of Tropical Shipping in Dominica. Tropical Shipping is a leader in quality, on-time transportation solutions from the US and Canada to the Caribbean. Tamara’s shipping and transportation industry experience spans over a decade. Tamara is a Director on the Board of Directors of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce. A Poet and a Rotarian, Tamara uses both platforms in service of her community and is actively involved in mentorship and leadership initiatives that aim to empower young people. Tamara speaks fluent Spanish, holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Holguin in Cuba and a Master’s in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in the UK.
Hon. Dr. Kenneth Darroux
Foreign minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business and Diaspora Relations, Commonwealth of Dominica
Amrikha Singh (Virtual)
Programme Manager, Senior Project Officer, Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Amrikha D. Singh currently serves as the Programme Manager for Sustainable Development at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, where she is responsible for among other things regional programming, coordination and development in response to current and emerging environmental challenges, environmental technical assistance, programming support to Member States, coordinating engagement in international environment governance processes, leading on technical aspects of UN-CARICOM environmental partnerships development and implementation, and regional environmental education mainstreaming. Ms. Singh leads on mainstreaming the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Programme of Action and on the articulation of the Caribbean Community Environmental Policy Framework. Prior to joining the CARICOM Secretariat in 2014, she was employed for approximately fifteen years with the Ministry of Environment in Barbados, where she served as the National Focal Point for monitoring and mainstreaming of International Sustainable Development Frameworks, SIDS issues and Trade and Environment matters. She also championed the development of sustainable development indicators, state of environment reporting, and partnered in building national capacity on environmental statistics within the context of the national statistical framework. Ms. Singh is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology from the St. Augustine Campus and a Master of Science in Marine Resources and Environment Management from the Cave Hill Campus. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London.
Jill Jarnsäter
Housekeeping and Communications Focal Point, Senior Secretary, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, WMU
Ms. Jill Jarnsäter is the Senior Secretary at the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute where she supports with the administrative services to the Director, the Head of Research and Research Officers. Jill holds a BSc. In Gender Studies and a MSc. In Human Ecology from the Department of Human Geography at Lund University, Sweden where she has studied a range of interdisciplinary subjects spanning the sustainable development field with a particular focus on fishing management, social sustainability, environmental justice, diversity, identity and environmental exploitation related to human behaviour. Before joining WMU, Jill worked at IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in Malaga, Spain from 2017 where she worked as Ecosystem Department program assistant. Her previous work experiences also covers teaching, gender-consulting, documentary filmmaking, photography, lecturing at ECPAT and working as divemaster and keen ambassador for ocean related issues. Additionally, she has lived abroad in countries such as Denmark, Australia, Argentina and most recently Spain. She has a fundamental interest in better understanding the dynamics of marine social-ecological systems, especially how they adapt and are resilient to change through time.
Elnaz Barjandi
Master of Ceremony, Project Engagement and Implementation officer, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, WMU
Elnaz Barjandi is Project Engagement and Implementation Officer at the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute. She supports the Institute’s operational delivery and implementation of research programmes/projects as per the WMU Ocean Research Agenda. Elnaz coordinates the Institute’s outreach, conferences and events, and respective donor reporting. Prior to joining WMU, Elnaz worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Denmark, as Operational, Administrative & Finance support at the Office of Information Technology and Management (OIMT). She supported the general operations, and coordinated the ICT and Green Energy service delivery to UNDP Country offices world wide. Elnaz has a BSc. and MSc. in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School (CBS), and attained knowledge in economics, international development as well as operations and management in organisations, leading people and processes with focus on sustainability. She is an alumni of the Rhodes Academy of Ocean Law and Policy 2019, as well as recipient of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Foundation’s Value-based Leadership Diploma 2014 and Fulbright’s European Student Leaders Scholarship 2008. Elnaz academic and professional experiences have heightened her knowledge for sustainable development, international diplomacy and strategy, ocean governance, as well as capacity building, organisation and leadership for human empowerment and equality.