Dr. Karl Dawson (2nd from right) with participants
The Anguilla Community College, in collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands, conducted a governance workshop during last year and, on Monday, January 21st, a ceremony was held at the College for the purpose of issuing certificates to the participants who represented a wide cross-section of the public sector.
The need for this workshop was raised by the Hon. Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks, whose great interest is to see all persons who sit on public boards trained and properly certified in accordance with proper governance principles and policies.
According to the President of the Anguilla Community College, Dr. Karl Dawson, “There needs to be a professional element to the way boards conduct business. Hence, the University of the Virgin Islands, through its Institute for Organizational Effectiveness, formed an alliance last year to offer the governance training program to select public service personalities.”
Forty persons participated in the workshop and 32 successfully completed it with certification. The facilitators were Dr. Haldane Davies, UVI Vice President; Dr. Karl Dawson, ACC President; and Mr. Quincy Harrigan, ACC Dean of Studies. The workshop featured a participative style aimed at developing skills and documents useful in the governance process – that are expected to produce the impact of more standardized board practices in Anguilla. As Dr. Dawson stated, “Provisionally, some boards have already adopted customized versions of the workshop’s output, such as specific, mandatory codes of conduct.”
Dr. Dawson then gave a list of topics that were covered during the workshop. They included: Overview of Governance; Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members; Vision, Strategy and Leadership Responsibilities; Board Effectiveness; Board Operations; the Board and CEO; Board Evaluation; and Board Development.
Participating entities included: Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, Anguilla Air & Sea Ports Authority, Anguilla Community College, Anguilla Social Security Board, Anguilla Tourist Board, Health Authority of Anguilla, Paragon Corporate Service Ltd, Public Utilities Commission, Water Corporation of Anguilla, Higher Education Licensing Board, Anguilla Methodist Church and Malliouhana-ANICO Insurance Co Ltd (MAICO).
