About

National Development Plan Secretariat

Felix N. Stubbs

Chairman, National Development Plan Secretariat

MBE, D.H.L.Mr. Felix N. Stubbs, MBE, D.H.L., a past president of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and member of several boards of Bahamian enterprises and government committees, continues to make his contribution to the commercial growth and economic progress of The Commonwealth of Bahamas. Mr. Stubbs is a former President and General Manager of IBM Bahamas Ltd, . a wholly owned subsidiary of the IBM Corporation. He held that position for over 32 years. During that time he led a transformation of IBM Bahamas Ltd. from a computer hardware company to one more focused on software and services. His steady leadership has resulted in more highly-skilled employees, better customer service and improved margins despite a challenging economy.

As a result of his commitment to country and dedication to excellence, he has frequently been called upon to lend his commercial expertise and leadership skills in many other areas that would lead to the betterment of the Bahamian society at large. Most recently, since January 2012, he served as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas and Director of the Central Bank of The Bahamas.

His current roles in the development of commerce include the following. As Vice Chairman of the Board and Finance Committee Chair at Doctors Hospital, he serves an integral role by advising on the development of new lines of business for the hospital. The emerging medical tourism is high on the agenda through a new subsidy, The Bahamas Medical Center.

As a Member of the Board at Famguard Corporation Ltd., he is Chair of the Information Technology committee and a member of the Audit Committee. The Information Technology Committee is expected to enhance the company's use of technology and to improve its return on that investment.

Mr. Stubbs acts as Senior Advisor to the Bahamas Striping Group of Companies. He has been pleased to help nurture them from a $5,000.00 self-starter grant start-up company to the current successful enterprise that they have become. The group of companies earlier this year celebrated the grand opening of a two million dollar headquarters and manufacturing facility.

A ground-breaking and exciting commercial arena for Mr. Stubbs is his involvement in helping an international investor start an international company in Freeport, Grand Bahama that potentially will place The Bahamas among the world leaders in the area of stem cell treatment and scientific research.

During the past year, Mr. Stubbs accepted the Chairmanship at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute with the mandate to position the institution to help enhance the training of the future workforce of The Bahamas and a position on the Board of Directors of First Caribbean International Bank Bahamas Ltd.

Keen to see the economic development of Grand Bahama, Mr. Stubbs serves as a director of the Board of the Grand Bahamas Port Authority, a board on which he previously served as Chairman.

Committed to the wholesome development of The Bahamas, Mr. Stubbs sits on several governmental, non-governmental, civic and charitable committees and helps to shape and implement strategic, policy, budgetary and fundraising plans. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, Chairman of The Bahamas Feeding Network, on the Boards of Directors for the PACE Foundation, the Chance Foundation and the Urban Renewal Foundation as well as on the Bahamas National Festival Commission, the Governor General Youth Awards Council and the Past President’s Advisory Council of The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation. He is a past Assistant Governor of Rotary International (The Bahamas) and is currently the District Governor Elect for Rotary International, District 7020 which comprises 10 countries and 16 islands.

Dr. Nicola Virgill-Rolle

Government Lead, National Development Plan
Director of Economic Development and Planning, Office of the Prime Minister.

Nicola Virgill-Rolle serves as the Lead for the Government on the National Development Plan Vision 2040 Secretariat.

Dr. Virgill-Rolle is the Director of Economic Development and Planning where she leads of team of professionals with responsibility for strategic planning, including the National Development Plan, an Ecosystem Services Master Plan for Andros and A Sustainable Master Plan for the City of Nassau.

Prior to joining the Office of the Prime Minister she served as Director of Financial Services at the Ministry of Financial Services with responsibility for surveillance, planning and response to international and domestic initiatives which impact The Bahamas’ financial services industry; business development and promotions activities; and improving the competitiveness of the financial services sector in The Bahamas.

Dr. Virgill-Rolle also previously served as Economic Attaché in The Bahamas Embassy in Washington D.C. and as an Alternate Representative for The Bahamas at The Bahamas Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States. During her tenure at The Bahamas Mission, she was an active member of OAS bodies related to economic development and financial management. Dr. Virgill-Rolle was elected as Vice-Chair of the Working Group to Strengthen the Council on Integral Development (CIDI) and its organs (2011-2012). Dr. Virgill-Rolle also held elected positions as Vice Chair of the OAS’ Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) and as The Bahamas’ representative on the OAS’ Management Board of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD).

Prior to joining the staff of the Embassy in Washington, Dr. Virgill-Rolle held the position of Deputy Manager (Policy) within the Bank Supervision Department of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. Dr. Virgill-Rolle joined the Central Bank in April 1998.

Dr. Virgill-Rolle holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Public Policy from George Mason University. She published several peer-reviewed book chapters and articles with special emphasis on entrepreneurship, trade and development. Dr. Rolle also holds a Master of Science Degree in Political Economy of Development from the University of London (SOAS) and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Vassar College and an Associate of Arts Degree in Accounting from the College of The Bahamas.

She is married to John Rolle and they are the parents of two children.

Brett Lashley

Brett Lashley is a Programme Manager in the Economic Development and Planning Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister. His project responsibilities include the National Development Plan, the Andros Sustainable Development Master Plan, and Sustainable Nassau. After earning his degree in international relations from Boston University in 2008, Brett worked at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. on various youth entrepreneurship and leadership initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment among young people in the Caribbean and Latin America. He is also the founder and co-owner of a small trucking and logistics company in New Providence. Brett's interests include entrepreneurship and Family Island development. He enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures and great food with his wife, Jody.

Karen Moss-Timothy

Karen-Moss-Timothy is a globally recognized humanitarian, producer, life coach, transformational speaker and author. In February 2016 building on her reputation as a renaissance woman and trailblazer, she published and released 10 transformational books and four months later, in June 2016, hosted at the United Nations her inaugural global empowerment seminar “Unleash Your Roar” where Minister Frederick Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas delivered the keynote address. After representing The Bahamas for 19 years on the international stage in the United Nations’ Administration and Finance arenas, Karen has returned to The Bahamas to serve in The Public Service lending her expertise to the Government’s National development. Karen is a part of the Coordination team leading Component I of the Public Finance Management and Public Monitoring Reform project in the Economic Development Planning Unit and has begun laying the foundation for her vision to lead efforts to establish The Bahamas as the world’s number one destination for personal development and transformational training. Karen has earned her Masters Degree in Political Science from Brooklyn College and her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Hunter College. She is a Certified Bookkeeper, Certified Tax Preparer and Certified Tax Planner. In 2006 Karen passed the United Nation’s Professional Finance exam held in Switzerland and she was trained and UNHCR’s Emergency Preparedness held in Norway in 2014. During 2004 – 2008 Karen participated in several Finance and Results Based budgeting and HR trainings held in Panama, New York, Washington, Costa Rica and Brazil. In 2016 she completed Pace University’s SHRM Human Resources certification course and UNITAR’s Protocol certification course in 2016. Between 2012 and 2013 Karen has successfully completed all of the United Nation’s IPSAS courses and UNHCR’s 2016 Procurement Specialist course. In December 2016 Karen became a certified coaching specialist and is currently completing her Masters in Finance and Investment. Karen is married to Reves Timothy and they have two daughters Princess-Abiguail and Princess-Elenah Timothy.

Denise Hinds-Jordan

Ms. Denise Hinds-Jordan has over 20 years’ experience in Financial Regulation, Development Economics and Public Policy. She is a Consultant with the Economic Development and Planning Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister where she is currently focused on the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision2040. She has primary responsibility for the formulation of the national strategies on Health, Education, Macroeconomic Stability, Business Competitiveness, Economic Diversification, and Labour as well as the overall coordination of the plan. Denise has a Masters of Science in Money Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham (UK) with a focus on the development and regulation of financial markets and has significant training and experience in all areas of banking and securities regulation. She also has a Masters of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Reading (with distinction) and a BSc in Economics and Accounting from the University of The West Indies. In addition Denise is a Certified International Project Manager (CIPM) and Certified Project Risk Manager (CPRM). Prior to joining the NDP team, Denise was a Consultant with the Securities Commission of The Bahamas and was instrumental in the implementation of the Securities Industries Act and the upgrade of the regulatory infrastructure. She also previously served as the Risk Assessment Analyst (Head of Policy) at the Central Bank of Barbados (where she managed the Basel II Implementation project), as well as First Secretary in The Barbados Embassy in Washington D.C. Denise has a strong interest in microfinance and entrepreneurship, small business development, financial risk management and public policy.

Hellen Mukiri-Smith

Hellen is a development expert and barrister. She currently works as a Consultant at the Economic Development and Planning Unit in the Office of Prime Minster and is primarily responsible for drafting the Poverty and Discrimination, Land Administration, Natural Environment and Rule of Law Goals of the National Development Plan, Vision2040, and the Family Island Development Strategies. She is the Sustainable Development Goals Coordinator in the Economic Development and Planning Unit and is responsible for mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals into the National Development Plan. Hellen is also primarily responsible for drafting The Bahamas National Development Plan Bill 2017 in collaboration with the Law Reform and Revision Commission at the Office of the Attorney General. Prior to joining the Economic Development and Planning Unit, Hellen practised Civil and Commercial law at the law firms of Gibson & Co and Gail Lockhart Charles & Co and taught Poverty Law, Offshore Law, Private International Law, Administrative Law and European Union Law at The College of The Bahamas/University of the West Indies undergraduate law programme. Hellen has a Master of Science degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science with specialisations in Development History, Theory & Policy, Cities Poverty & People in the South, World Poverty & Human Rights, Humanitarianism and African Development. She also has a Master of Laws degree from King’s College London in Commercial and Corporate Law, a Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Vocational Studies from Cardiff University and a Bachelors of Laws degree from the University of Northampton. Hellen was called to the Bar in England and Wales by the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn in 2003 and has been registered as an Associate with the Supreme Court of The Bahamas since 2008.

Michelle Grell-Bereaux

Michelle Grell-Bereaux holds the position of Communications Specialist in the Office of The Prime Minister. In 2016, she was assigned to the Economic Planning and Development Unit to provide ICT-related advice to the National Development Plan Secretariat, as well as advisory and project management support in respect of the ITU Smart Bahamas and IDB-funded Sustainable Nassau projects. She has also been a member of the Cellular Liberalisation Task Force since 2014. From 2004 – 2010, Mrs. Grell-Bereaux served as a senior member of the regulatory team at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), where she was responsible for the development of a number of key regulatory instruments, spear-headed major regulatory activities and research exercises, and championed the development of the organisation’s strategic plans. She holds a Masters in Regulation and Policy (Telecommunications), an MSc. Communication Systems, Electrical / Computer Engineering and a BSc. Electrical and Computer Engineering, all from the University of the West Indies.

Daniella Knowles-Pratt

Daniella joined the National Development Plan Secretariat at the Economic Development and Planning Unit in the Office of The Prime Minister in November 2015 as a Programme Analyst. She brings with her expertise in research and programme planning. Daniella assisted with conducting research for the State of the Nation Report as well as assisting Consultants with the development of the Straw Man Framework for National Development Plan, Vision 2040 (NDP). She has led and coordinated the National Development Plan Secretariat’s community engagement consultative meetings namely, coordinating several Family Island Missions and Public Education Initiatives at local schools in New Providence. Daniella has also played integral roles in organizing and coordinating the National Development Plan Conclave during which, the first working draft of the NDP Vision 2040 was released and in organizing the 2017 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals Symposium. Pior to joining the National Development Plan Secretariat, Daniella served in law enforcement as a Grade II Immigration Officer with the Bahamas Department of Immigration since 2010; receiving the Director’s Award. Daniella holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in History from the College of The Bahamas now the University of The Bahamas where she also received the School of Social Sciences, Paul Albury Award for outstanding Academic Achievement. She is a member and past president of Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and a member of Sigma Alpha Pi Honor Society; the National Society of Leadership and Success. Currently she is pursuing to become a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) ® with the Project Management Institute. She aspires to continue her quest for higher education by obtaining a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy.

Kemi Jones

Kemie is a private sector specialist having over ten years of experience working in consulting, financial advisor and financing of some of the larger projects in The Bahamas. He is currently working in the Economic Development and Planning Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister and is primarily responsible for leading the development of a strategy to the improve the Ease of Doing Business in The Bahamas. He is also the coordinator for diaspora engagement as they relate to the Sustainable Development Goals and the National Development Plan. Prior to joining the Economic Development and Planning Unit, Kemie was employed at a multilateral financing agency where he was responsible for developing and managing a portfolio of private sector lending. He also has over 8 years of experience working for a Big 4 accounting firm in The Bahamas and Cayman Islands. Kemie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Macalester College and is presently pursuing a Master of Science in Management (Public Sector Management) with the University of the West Indies’ Open Campus. He is also a certified Project Management Professional, PMP® with the Project Management Institute, an experienced financial modeler and has extensive experience in economic impact assessments and business valuation.

Myra Farquharson

Myra Farquharson is a Program Analyst at the Economic Development and Planning Unit in the Office of The Prime Minister and is primarily responsible for secretarial administration, research, database management and stakeholder engagement. She is also the Community Engagement Specialist in the Unit and has led and coordinated the National Development Plan Secretariat’s Public Education Awareness Campaigns in primary, junior and senior high schools in New Providence. She played integral roles in organizing the State of The Nation Address during which the State of the Nation Report was launched, the National Development Plan Conclave during which the first working draft National Development Plan Strategy Document was released and also assisted with coordinating the 2017 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Symposium. Myra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from the College of The Bahamas now the University of The Bahamas and is former member of the College of The Bahamas Union of Students (COBUS). What is most fascinating about Myra is her significant contributions to youth and community development on the island of Inagua. She is the founder and president of the Young Inagua United Youth Organization which hosts, when there is demand, a number of community activities such as health and business seminars; community and beach clean-up campaigns; summer classes; teen talk discussions and annual sports camps. She has a passion of family island development and is seeking partnerships with youth organizations in the other family islands to provide greater opportunities for engaging and empowering young people to invest in their islands. Currently, she is pursing a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification with the Program Management Institute. She aspires to continue her quest for higher education by obtaining a Masters degree in public policy in the near future.

Kevin Surujlal

Kevin is a Senior Programme Analyst in the Economic Development and Planning Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister. His project responsibilities include the National Development Plan and the Andros Master Plan. Kevin has been involved in youth development for over 10 years. Kevin has a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen Mary University of London and a Postgraduate degree in Bar Vocational Studies from BPP Law School in London.