Locals appointed to leadership jobs on Cayman Brac

(CNS): Two Cayman Brackers have been appointed to senior public sector jobs on the island. The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) announced the appointment of Joshua Burke as the airport manager at the Charles Kirkonnell International Airport, and the Public Service Pensions Board (PSPB) said Valentine Shavon Bodden has been appointed in a full-time role as the member services officer (MSO) for its Cayman Brac office.

Burke joined the CIAA on 14 October 2002 and has over 21 years of experience. With several competency certifications in air traffic control under his wing during his long-standing aviation career, he also has the additional rating of ATS Assessor/Examiner for both CKIA and ORIA added to his ATC License, along with his current rating as an OJT Instructor, making him one of only four controllers with these ratings in the Cayman Islands.

CIAA officials stated that the two-staged interview and recruitment process was a very difficult decision to make as all the candidates were internal and talented Cayman Brackers with a lot of experience and passion for the role.

“We are thrilled to welcome Joshua as the new CKIA Airport Manager,” said CIAA CEO Albert Anderson. “Joshua is a very mature and capable young man who we are excited about to bring a different perspective to the leadership at CKIA and contribute significantly as part of the management team at the CIAA. His expertise and leadership will undoubtedly propel us to new heights, and I look forward to working with Joshua to continue the development of all aspects of CKIA.”

Burke has acted as CKIA airport manager many times in the past, gaining invaluable exposure to the role. “I am very excited for the opportunity as it has always been something that I have aspired to achieve whilst following in the footsteps of my mentor, Mr Martin (former CKIA Airport Manager who recently retired after 35 years’ service at the CIAA) and to one day walk in his shoes.”

He added that he looks forward to working with the CKIA team and doing the best for the Brac people and for the CIAA overall. 

The PSPB Cayman Brac office serves nearly 700 individual plan members on Cayman Brac, and this includes close to 200 who are pensioners. Since it opened in May 2019, the PSPB Cayman Brac office has offered services to meet the significant community demand for pension and retirement services.

Bodden was hired in the latter part of 2023. She then completed a rigorous training plan at the Grand Cayman office to learn the skills necessary to perform the MSO role and is now officially moving to her full-time position to formally support the Sister Islands out of the PSPB Cayman Brac office. The training included pension administration, system workflows, calculations, and pension processes.

“I look forward to helping our pensioners and active plan members understand their benefits and in providing the personal interaction and demonstrating the importance of customer service,” she said.

“The PSPB has always made a commitment to provide a full-service office to the Sister Islands, and I am excited to have a skilled and motivated Bracker such as Ms Bodden move into this role,” said PSPB CEO Jewel Evans Lindsey. “The authority is honoured with the opportunity to continue to show our retired and active plan members that they can rely on easy-to-access service and receive it from staff like Ms Bodden who are committed to providing excellence in member service.”

She added, “When you realise that a quarter of the Cayman Brac population are plan members, beneficiaries or surviving spouses of a pension plan administered by the PSPB, we want to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to serve this membership base.”

Bodden, who has lived on Cayman Brac her entire life, recently held the role of deputy registrar with the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI).