Nominations open for elections for new Diaspora Advisory Board Representative for Southern USA
SOUTH FLORIDA – Nominations are being accepted for the position of Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board member for the Southern USA.
The nomination process is open to any Jamaican national or persons of Jamaican descent residing in any of the thirteen (13) Southern States of the United States of America, including Florida, Georgia and Texas.
To be considered for nominations, applications must be submitted by deadline date – Tuesday, July 22 to ([email protected] or by mail to Holy Family Episcopal Church, 18051 NW 7th Avenue, Miami, FL 33169. Interested applicants may visit the website (www.JamaicaDiasporaElection2014.com) for further information and instructions. On receipt all nominations will be collated and disseminated across the Diaspora community of the USA southern states. Following the nomination process the election date and voting venues will be announced.
Making the announcement, interim Diaspora Board coordinator for the Southern USA, Reverend Horace Ward of the Holy Family Episcopal Church in Miami Gardens, said that certain elements are being put in place in preparation for this process to be transparent and accessible to a wide cross section of the 13 States of the Southern USA community, the jurisdiction for which the position holds responsibility.
He further explained that an effective organized structure has been developed for conducting the election process across the region.
Persons interested in applying for the two-year volunteer position must be of Jamaican heritage or eligible to hold Jamaican citizenship; and a resident of any of the 13 Southern states. These include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee or Texas. Persons should submit a brief outline of up to 250 words indicating one’s interest in being elected to the position as well as completing personal character fitness and character reference questionnaires. These are available on line.
Following nominations, the list of candidates will be circulated electronically and at designated locations to be announced at a later date. Given the wide geographical area across the Southern USA region, voting will be conducted by all available methods of social communication. The person securing the majority votes will be declared the elected Diaspora Advisory Board Representative, according to Rev. Ward.
The Diaspora Advisory Board arose out of the first Biennial National Diaspora Conference held in Kingston in June 2004. The total of seven Board members is required to represent the interest of Jamaican Diaspora populated communities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, while maintaining close relationship with the Jamaican foreign missions and embassies in those regions as well as the Government and people at home.
In preparation for the election process to elect a new advisory board representative, Rev. Ward reiterated that he has begun to interact with community associations, media and faith-based leaders in the Diaspora communities to create awareness and interest to the “Diaspora movement to which each of us as Jamaicans residing overseas, is a member” he emphasized. The position has been vacant since last November.
For more information, contact Interim Jamaica Diaspora Coordinator:
Rev. Horace Ward
Email: [email protected]
Tel # 305-652-6797