A New Generation of Grassroots Defenders in Jamaica

Starting January 1, Suzanne Stanley (top right) will be the new CEO at the Jamaica Environment Trust. She is joined by (clockwise, from bottom right): Denise Reid (Public Education Officer), Tamoy Singh Clarke (Programme Director), Nazli Williams (Administrator), Terri Ann Guyah (Legal Director), and Felicia Wong (Project Coordinator).  

After decades at the helm of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), Diana McCaulay has put a solid team in place and is passing the torch to the next generation. We are pleased to welcome Suzanne Stanley as JET’s new CEO!
 
“I feel sure I am leaving an excellent team in place,” says Diana, who is celebrating recent victories:

  •     Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared a large forested area of Jamaica, called Cockpit Country, off limits to mining and quarrying.
  •     The Goat Islands have been declared a wildlife sanctuary.
  •     A proposed 1000MW coal-fired power plant was canceled. It would have been the first coal-fired power plant in Jamaica and would have locked Jamaica into decades of burning coal, polluting the air and water, and damaging the climate.

Announcing her retirement, Diana wrote to ELAW partners around the world:
 
I’m not generally short of words, but it is difficult to find the right ones to say how much ELAW has meant to me as an environmental activist from a small island. I have felt supported and celebrated and part of a worldwide force to be reckoned with. I have loved meeting many of you at annual meetings, a space that has always renewed my energy and commitment, and given me opportunities for friendship, learning and reflection. I have the highest admiration for all of you who do this work, because I know what it takes. I wish you all continued strength to continue the fight for nothing less than the planet itself.
 
Thank you, Diana! You have made the world a better place.
 
Bern Johnson
ELAW Executive Director

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