Ministry confirms new INSPORTS chairman

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Reverend Al Miller was officially notified on Thursday by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture of its decision to appoint a new Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) chairman.

The new board will be chaired by Ian Forbes and takes charge with immediate effect.

Its period of appointment runs for three years, and it is understood that the members will meet for the first time on Monday.

Amoy Bernard Morrison will serve as deputy chairperson. The other board members are Don Anderson, Marvalyn Campbell, Daphne Hurge, Carole Barnaby, Major Desmon Brown, Lorna Bell, Tafari Burry, Saleem Lazarus, Prudence Kidd-Deans and Dwayne Vernon.

Miller, the former chairman, was once again in the news earlier this week after turning up for an INPSORTS sports officers' meeting on Monday, where he was asked by executive director Ian Andrews to explain the capacity in which he was present.

The clergyman then maintained that as far as he was aware, he was still chairman of the state-run agency, underlining that he had not received any written communication of a change.

At the time, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Robert Martin, had confirmed that an investigation into the incident is impending, but also pointed out that a new board was in place.

"The Cabinet has given approval for the appointment of a new board. The members have been nominated by the minister (Olivia Grange)," Martin added, before explaining the procedures involved.

"The appointment will take effect when the instruments of appointment are prepared and distributed to all the members of the new board and the previous members thanked for their service."

Discuss the way forward

Since, the appointments have taken effect and were noted in a release from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to the media yesterday afternoon.

The release said Grange met with Miller and new chairman Forbes to review the initiatives of the last board and to discuss the way forward in enhancing the performance of Insports.

Grange, it added, thanked Miller for his service and wished Forbes the very best as he took on the responsibility of "directing an organisation in transformation with the aim of improving its efficiency and effectiveness".

She also thanked the members who served on the Miller-led board. Martin and the ministry's director of corporate services, Shawn Thompson, also participated in the meeting.