New chair of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute champions building equity, resilience and sustainability in the Caribbean through innovation and learning

Port of Spain, March 9, 2022 – The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) welcomes Mr. Cletus I. Springer as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. In assuming his role at CANARI’s Annual General Meeting in February 2022, Mr. Springer reaffirmed the Institute’s continued commitment to the region’s sustainable and equitable development, notably through its new 10-year strategic plan (2021-2030), which charts a course for influencing the way we manage the environment, pursue economic development and bring about a more just and equitable society.

Mr. Springer, who previously served on CANARI’s Board and chaired it for three years between 2009 – 2012, said he feels “truly honoured to have been elected to return for a second tenure as CANARI’s Chairman at this exciting and promising time in the Institute’s life as it seeks to bring about a transformative shift in the way the region approaches development.”

Cletus is a Saint Lucian urban planner, environmentalist, public administrator, communicator and a published writer who has been engaged in small island development states (SIDS)-related planning and sustainable development for nearly four decades. He has worked across sectors in roles for government, international and regional organisations and intergovernmental entities such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Bank, among others. He has extensive experience in international policy, including serving as Saint Lucia’s Alternate Governor of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

He is currently a Director of Panos Caribbean and the Cropper Foundation, and President of Impact Foundation Incorporated – a family foundation dedicated to assisting at-risk youth in his native Saint Lucia. He is also a member of the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change and Development, UNEP’s Scientific Advisory Group on Water and the UNDP Experts Group on Vulnerability and Resilience in Small Island Developing States.

Also new to CANARI’s Board of Directors are Judith Wedderburn, Janine Felson and Rodney Reid, who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to leadership of the Institute.

Judith Wedderburn has been an advocate in the field of gender and development in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean for more than 30 years. She has led advocacy activities that supported the work of key women’s organisations around human rights, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and women in leadership. Judith currently serves as a Board member on several CSOs and is the Caribbean Representative to the Boards of several international organisations.

has been a leading voice for small island developing states (SIDS) in key international negotiations for the past

20 years. Janine is also currently completing a fellowship with the Melbourne Sustainable Society

Jason Felson is an Ambassador of Belize and a senior advisor to the Alliance of Small Island States {AOSIS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on climate and ocean matters. She has been a leading voice for small island developing states (SIDS) in key international negotiations for the past 20 years. Janine is also currently completing a fellowship with the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI) where she focuses on integrated approaches to global policy making on climate, oceans and sustainable development.

Having spent the last 20 years in the Japanese financial markets, Rodney Reid’s areas of expertise include financial analysis, technical analysis, options, portfolio risk and style analysis. A Jamaican national, Rodney is currently a partner at Japan Company Visit (JCV) Partners and has been selected as the Honorary Investment Advisor (HIA) for Japan by Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT).

In addition to Cletus I. Springer, Judith Wedderburn, Janine Felson and Rodney Reid, other elected Directors currently on CANARI’s Board are Steve Bass, Lisa James and Dessima Williams. Nicole Leotaud, CANARI’s Executive Director serves as Managing Partner and Anna Cadiz-Hadeed is Staff Partner.

The Institute looks forward to Cletus I. Springer’s leadership and the other members of the CANARI Board of Directors in addressing the challenges faced by Caribbean nations and seizing new opportunities to enhance sustainable development policy and governance, strengthen civil society engagement and transform economic development models.

__________________________________________________________________________________

About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit organisation which has been working in the islands of the Caribbean for over 30 years. Our mission is to promote and facilitate stakeholder participation in the stewardship of natural resources in the Caribbean. Our work focuses on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Equity, Participatory Governance and Resilience. See here for more information on CANARI: http://www.canari.org/.