O'MEALLY-NELSON
POSTMASTER GENERAL, Dr. Blossom O'Meally-Nelson, demits office in mid-October. Dr. O'Meally-Nelson had indicated in September 2004 that she would seek an extension of her contract for one year only, to October 2005.
In announcing her retirement, Dr. O'Meally-Nelson said, "I took up the job as the first female Postmaster General at a critical time in the history of the postal service. In order to initiate the reform process, it was necessary for me to also occupy the chair as CEO of the Postal Corporation of Jamaica. This dual role has been most challenging but it has brought me much gratification."
IMPORTANT WATERSHED
Dr. Nelson said her retirement at this time was an important watershed in her life as it will allow her time to pursue her personal interests. She added: "For me, this has been a particularly rewarding experience from the perspective of being able to contribute to the development and modernisation of this important part of the country's communications sector."
Dr. O'Meally-Nelson said her departure would not affect the ongoing reform process and ultimately the attainment of Post Corp's vision of the post office as "the facilitator of communication for development through a reliable and secure service and a range of information technology-based counter services for personal and business transactions and for the transmission of information."
She comments: "Sound succession planning and continued management development ensures that Post Corp will continue to lead the transformation of the Jamaican Postal Service towards a self-sustaining corporation. The entire cadre of postal service employees has been bolstered through training, team-building, empowerment and recruitment in key skill areas to ensure continuity."
When probed regarding the timing of this decision and her future plans, she chuckled and replied: "Obviously, I cannot start my retirement at age 45 as seen in a TV ad and I need to retire from the public service realm before I become a senior citizen. My immediate focus will be to concentrate on my personal financial affairs and a new academic research project for publication. It is, in fact, a very exciting time for me."
Prior to joining the postal service, Dr O'Meally-Nelson held a number of executive appointments at organisations such as the National Development Foundation of Jamaica, and was one of the key persons behind the transformation of the College of Arts, Science, and Technology (CAST) to university status. She is currently the Pro Chancellor at UTech.
Post Corp Chairman, Lance Hylton, was quick to point out that Dr. O'Meally-Nelson is to be credited for the implementation of numerous initiatives. He stated: "Dr. O'Meally-Nelson had the vision to effect the 'Jamaica Post' branding and set corporate standards for the organisation. By establishing successful partnerships with private sector entities, she was able to allow postal outlets to offer modern, relevant, technology-based commercial services that attract customers by allowing them to perform a variety of business transactions."
