Meet the Team
Leadership
MARIA THOMPSON WALTERS
Executive Director
Maria Thompson Walters is a leader with significant expertise in Human Resource Management. Her experience includes industrial relations, compensation, communication and general management.
She has worked extensively in both the public and private sectors.
As a trained Compensation Specialist, Maria has undertaken several special projects such as Police Arbitration, the Parliamentary Salaries Review and the Public Sector Salaries Review during her time in the public sector.
In the private sector, she joined Cable and Wireless Caribbean as the Vice President of Compensation for the Caribbean. She left Cable and Wireless as the Chief Human Resource Officer for the Caribbean and the first female member of the company’s Operating Board.
Since 2014, Maria has been working with the Government of Jamaica to transform the public service. She was contracted by the Ministry of Finance and Planning to oversee the transformation of HR in the public sector. This includes the implementation of a public-sector-wide Human Resource Management Information System with Payroll and the introduction of a different HR operating model. The Office of the Prime Minister appointed her Executive Director of the Transformation Implementation Unit to assume responsibility for the benchmarks in this area in the IMF Programme with effect from December 2016. Under her leadership, the GOJ achieved all its benchmarks under the public sector reform programme.
In 2018, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service assumed portfolio responsibility for public sector transformation. Maria has remained the head of the programme and has intensified efforts to ensure that the transformation of the public sector is aligned to national priorities and delivers ‘a modern public service that is fair, values people and consistently delivers high quality services.’
Maria has a first degree in Mass Communication and Management and a second degree in Public Sector Management. She is certified in the measurement of Compensation by the Bureau of Labour Statistics in Washington DC .
Anneke CLarke
Communication Lead
Anneke is a communication expert with over 25 years’ experience in developing and implementing strategic public relations and social marketing campaigns, mainly in the public and non-profit sectors. She has worked in Jamaica, the United Kingdom and South Africa and has undertaken several consultancies including for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the UN Environment Programme.
She currently leads the communication workstream for the public sector transformation programme in the TIU.
As a trained journalist, Anneke’s passion is telling stories that influence the way people think and behave – to make a positive difference of course!
Her expertise includes digital communication, strategic partnerships, thought leadership and public affairs.
Anneke holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the LSE as well as qualifications in PR, Mass Communication and Change Management. She is a Member of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA).
Cherrie Ann Joseph
Change Management Lead
Cherrie Ann is a multifaceted transformation expert with over 18 years’ combined experience in change management, transformation, programme, and project management. She has worked internationally and regionally, most recently in Trinidad and Tobago where she managed several transformation projects including the transformation of the Town and Country Division and the Central Statistical Office under the Ministry of Planning and Development.
Cherrie Ann has also served on several Cabinet Committees, one of which developed the Policy Framework for the National Statistical Institute of Trinidad and Tobago.
Cherrie Ann is certified in the PROSCI change management methodology and is also a PMI-certified Programme and Project Management Professional. She holds an MBA in Project Management.
Christine Miller, PhD.
Finance and Corporate Transactions Lead
Christine Miller is a financial expert with significant experience in financial, strategic and operational management.
She is the Finance and Corporate Transactions Lead for the Rationalisation of Public Bodies Project.
Before joining the Transformation Implementation Unit, Dr Miller worked on financial-related projects for the Leeward Islands. Among her major achievements, she implemented improvements which led to the reduction in the overall length of budget processes for Anguilla, Antigua, St. Martin, US Virgin Island and Barbados. Dr Miller also coordinated multiple efficiency projects to improve the function of financial departments for entities within the region.
She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Global Business and Leadership.
Deborah King-Murray
Programme Manager - Shared Corporate Services
Deborah King-Murray has extensive experience in shared services, operations improvement, technology optimisation, and project and change management. With over 25 years of diversified experience, she has led and managed human resource shared services for 15 Caribbean territories, Miami, Puerto Rico, Panama and Latin America. She has also successfully led several project initiatives including the implementation of HR management information systems.
Prior to assuming the role of Programme Manager for Shared Corporate Services, Deborah was Head of HR Shared Services. Under her leadership, the Government of Jamaica achieved its benchmarks and commitments for HR Shared Services under the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies.
Deborah has a master’s degree in Human Resources from Nova South Eastern University, post graduate diploma in Management Analysis from the USDA Graduate School and other training certifications. She is also a certified Change Management Practitioner.
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Gregory Thomas
Project Manager- MyHR+
Gregory Thomas is an experienced Project Manager with significant expertise in Information Technology. His experience includes software implementation in Human Resource Management and Payroll.
As a certified Project Manager and IT Specialist, Gregory has undertaken several special projects in both the private and public sectors. Since 2004, Gregory has worked as a Software Consultant and has implemented systems such as performance appraisal, recruitment, payroll and leave management. Since 2015, Gregory has been working as a consultant with the Government of Jamaica to implement the MyHR+ system.
Gregory has a BSc. in Information Technology and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of the West Indies. He is also an Oracle Certified Expert – HCM, PeopleSoft Certified Developer and Project Management Professional (PMP).
Janice Walters
Finance and Administration Manager
Janice’s professional experiences crosscut the private and public sectors. She has over twenty (20) years’ experience working in the areas of Programme Management, Accounting, Auditing and Administration. She has led financial and administration teams of several donor funded projects to include The World Bank, The Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).
She is responsible for providing leadership, coordination and guidance to the Finance, Procurement and Administrative functions of the Transformation Implementation Unit. She is a strategic thinker and is passionate about delivering quality outputs and supporting the successful implementation of development projects.
Janice holds an MBA and Bachelor’s of Business Administration. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ), and as well as of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA, UK).
Luke Jackson
Programme Manager ICT
Luke Jackson has more than twenty-five years of experience in providing management and consultancy services on large scale capital projects. He has planned and implemented several critical ICT–driven initiatives in the areas of national security, public utilities, telecommunications, finance, insurance, health and education. His professional engagements have included assignments in Jamaica, the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, and Central America.
Luke has led several ICT teams, including serving as the Project Manager in the implementation of the island-wide Digital Telecommunications System for the Ministry of National Security. He also established EDUCOMM, a high-technology centre that provided web-based multimedia services to 14 tertiary institutions and 200 primary schools across the Caribbean. More recently, Luke served as the Project Manager for the Public Employees’ Pension Administration System (PEPAS), an automated system that supports the Government of Jamaica’s Public Sector Pension Reform Programme.
Luke holds a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. He also holds post-graduate certificates in Instructional Technology from the San Diego State University, and Advanced Management from the University of California, Berkeley.
Richard Panton
Programme Manager
Richard Panton is a well-respected procurement and ICT expert having worked in the fields of ICT and procurement for 14 years.
He has significant expertise in enterprise-wide ICT systems and has spearheaded a number of these projects for the Government of Jamaica while at eGovJa. At eGovJa he designed, established and led the Programme Portfolio Management Unit which provided enterprise ICT portfolio analysis and expert advice on concepts/project proposals for ICT investments in the Jamaican public sector.
He is currently the Programme Manager for the Public Sector Transformation Programme in the TIU. In addition to serving as Programme Manager, Richard is an associate trainer with the Jamaica Chapter of the International Procurement Institute, where he teaches international best practices in public procurement.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (honours) degree in Computer Science from the University of Technology (Jamaica), and is a Certified Project Management Professional and Expert Instructor of Public Procurement
Veronica Bennett Warmington
Lead-Corporate Transactions
Veronica Bennett-Warmington leads the Corporate Transactions workstream in the Transformation Implementation Unit with direct responsibility for the Rationalisation of the Public Bodies sector.
Up until March 2017 Veronica was Deputy Financial Secretary, Public Enterprises Division with responsibility for Public Bodies. She is a proficient financial analyst and has extensive experience, training and managing a core team, in the monitoring of Public Bodies. Her experience spans the areas of development finance, transport and infrastructure; the latter in varied sectors including electricity, telecommunications, water, road transport, seaports and airports.
In 2010, the dynamics of infrastructure development resulted in Veronica’s focus on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) as a viable alternative for infrastructure expansion in Jamaica. Consequently, she contributed to the development of the PPP Policy and was also instrumental in establishing the PPP Units in the Development Bank of Jamaica and the Ministry of Finance.
In 2015, as Head of the PPP Unit, Veronica led the Ministry’s Team towards achieving commercial closure on the Kingston Container Terminal which was in direct alignment with the Government’s wider fiscal programme.
Veronica is a Certified Public Accountant, has a Master’s Degree in Accounting (UWI) and a Bachelor’s Degree (Hons) in Management Studies (UWI).
MyHR+ Support Team
