Host
Dr. David C. Smith
David C. Smith, PhD (Zoology) is a leading ecologist in sustainable development. He is currently the Coordinator of the Institute for Sustainable Development, Caribbean Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Director of the Centre for Environmental Management as well as a member of the Independent Group of Scientists that co-authored the UN Global Sustainable Development report for 2019. He has developed UWI projects in sustainable development research, distance teaching, knowledge management, disaster risk management and hazard mapping. Dr. Smith has served as president of the Caribbean Conservation Association, regional Councillor for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Executive Director of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust and led the Energy, the Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Management project portfolios in UNDP’s Jamaica Country Office from 2002 to 2008. Dr. Smith played a key role in establishing Jamaica's system of National Parks and Protected Areas and nonprofits like the Jamaica National Parks Trust Fund and the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica. In September 2020, it was announced that he had been elected to the The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research’s (IAI) Science Policy Advisory Committee for a three-year term. As a member of the committee, Dr. Smith will advise the Conference of the Parties to the IAI and the IAI Directorate on how to use and design science for policy and decision-making.
Speakers
Gerald Lindo – Power
Gerald Lindo is an engineer, policy analyst and project manager who helps people to improve their energy systems, build institutional capacity, manage environmental risks, and adapt to climate change. Gerald decided to work in the sustainable energy sector so that he could unite his love for the physical sciences with his desire to create positive economic and environmental outcomes for the developing world. After researching renewable energy engineering and systems modelling in graduate school, he served in technical and managerial roles with the Government of Jamaica, the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Caribbean Community.
Ms. Suzanne Shaw – Power
Suzanne is a consultant in sustainable energy, and Director at The Leap Co., a company that works with Caribbean private sector to deliver positive environmental impact and solid financial returns. She has 15 years’ international experience integrating sustainability with profitability in private-sector investing and public-sector planning, from projects worth US$1B, in the sectors of energy, transport and infrastructure. Her work has resulted in close to 1GW of investments in low-carbon power projects in Europe, and investments in the Caribbean in 30 solar PV schools, 2 electric vehicle projects, and a financing mechanism for climate-resilient water adaptation infrastructure. At the European Commission, and as a Director at the Caribbean Policy Research Institute in Jamaica, she was successful in integrating the economic value of the environment and climate change into policies and investment decision-making. Suzanne was an adviser for the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, an initiative to enhance regional climate resilience. Suzanne has an MBA from the Wharton School, a PhD in Economics from Université Paris-Dauphine, and a BSc in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of the West Indies.
Professor Anthony Clayton – Built Environment
Professor Anthony Clayton, O.D. is the Alcan Professor of Caribbean Sustainable Development at UWI, and Adjunct Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Technology. He manages a large portfolio of research and development projects, with US$8 million in external research funding and support, and has supervised or examined 50 PhD students. He has done policy studies on development issues for several governments and agencies, including UNEP, UNIDO, DFID, the World Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the OAS. As a member of the Government of Jamaica’s Climate Change Advisory Board, he is one of the principal investigators of the pioneering Net Zero Energy Building project – the first advanced prototype of a net zero/energy-plus building in Jamaica. The project seeks to research and develop practical, working solutions that will transform building policies and practices and regulatory, educational and technical tools to promote energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy sources in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Prof Clayton graduated from the University of Edinburg with an MA in psychology and a PhD.
Ms. Dionne Nugent – Transport
Registered professional engineer Dionne Nugent is the Director – Business Development (PMO) at the Jamaica Public Service Company. She now leads the development of JPS’ Electric Vehicle infrastructure programme (e.g. utility-owned charging stations). Dionne over her 25 years at JPS has been Head of Engineering and Head of Generation Special Projects, one of the team leaders for the introduction of LNG to JPS's Generation Fleet, negotiated 300MW of power-purchase agreements for several renewable/thermal energy projects, and developed technical policies for the integration of Renewable Generation to the Transmission and Distribution grid. Dionne currently leads a cross-functional team in the development of ‘distributed generation’ solutions including Combined Heat and Power solutions, Utility Scale and Customer Sited Renewables projects and Energy Efficiency services. She holds a Masters’ degrees in Electric Power Systems (University of Bath, UK) and Engineering Management (UWI) and a BSc in Electrical Engineering (UWI, St. Augustine).
Naeen Jackson – Food
Naeen Jackson is a Food Safety and Environmental Consultant at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. A passionate farmer, she is also an avid agricultural entrepreneur. Jackson has more than a decade of experience in implementing food and environmental management systems including impact assessment and policy development. She is the Lead Consultant (Enhanced Agricultural Production, Marketing Facilities and Systems) for the Essex Valley Agriculture Development Project, funded by the UK government and administered through the Caribbean Development Bank. It is the largest single investment (£35.5 M) in irrigation infrastructure in Jamaica, and seeks to enhance the productivity of farmers in the Essex Valley in a socially inclusive, gender-equitable and climate-sensitive way. It is expected to impact the lives and livelihoods of more than 700 farmers on 700 hectares of land by providing irrigation water and improved access to local and global markets. Naeen is also a strong advocate for youth and women in agriculture.
Prof. Mona Webber – Nature
Prof. Mona Webber is a marine biologist and ecologist with over 25 years of experience in teaching and research out of the UWI Mona Campus. She is a Senior Lecturer whose research has focused on Zooplankton: their production, community structure and distribution, as well as their use as indicators of water quality and mangrove habitats, including an assessment of their biodiversity and the evaluation and development of appropriate water quality indices. She has supervised over 30 graduate students and a large number of undergraduate research projects. Her current research involves mangrove forests and associated lagoons found in the coastal areas of Jamaica to document information on the biodiversity associated with these areas and the essential role they play in protecting coastlines, especially during natural disasters, and sustainable economic activities in the hope of preventing the removal of forests/trees or other destructive activities that contribute to the depletion of the mangrove wetland ecosystems.