The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Marina Ramkissoon to the position of Director of the Human Resource Management Division (HRMD) with effect from May 1, 2021.

As the HRMD Director, Dr Ramkissoon will provide strategic support to the Campus Registrar in employee development, performance management, occupational health and safety, the management of industrial relations, oversight of strategic staffing plans, compensation, benefits and employee relations. She brings to the Registry a wealth of experience in the areas of organizational learning, work motivation, social psychology, applied behavioural sciences, radical collaboration, culture audits, leadership and organizational development, change management and design thinking.

Prior to this new appointment, Dr Ramkissoon had already made significant contributions to HR Strategy and development at The UWI as she introduced Radical Collaboration to the Mona Campus and supported its implementation as a strategic initiative of the campus. She also served as Project Manager and Lead Consultant for the Mona Change Makers project, an Employee Engagement initiative of the HRMD. She has also provided support to multiple departments across the Mona Campus through training and workshops in the areas of team building, employee motivation, emotional intelligence and leadership practices. Further, Dr Ramkissoon has contributed to policy development at The UWI, including serving on the Task Force for the Work Load Policy.

Dr Ramkissoon also possesses considerable experience in organizational development, defensiveness, organizational culture and change management outside of The UWI, having major roles in projects across organizations locally, including Change Management and Culture Transformation for the merger of the HEART Trust/NYS/JFLL/ Apprenticeship Board.

Dr Ramkissoon has served nationally on the Advisory Board of the Jamaica Productivity Centre from 2016-2018. From 2015 – 2016 she was a member of the Technology, Innovation and Productivity Committee (TIPC) and Chair of the Human Factors Working Group of the TPIC.

She has also served as a Member of the Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Health and Wellness Jamaica on COVID-19, and is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of the Consumer Affairs Commission and the Fair Trading Commission.

Dr Ramkissoon holds a PhD in Sociology and Master of Science in Sociology from The UWI Mona Campus and a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from the St Augustine Campus. She is a certified Radical Collaboration Trainer. Her academic career at The UWI Mona Campus spans 21 years where she has held posts of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Associate Dean for Institutional Research and Strategic Planning in the Faculty of Social Sciences. She has also been recognized for her teaching at the Faculty and Campus levels, and is currently the Managing Editor for the Caribbean Journal of Psychology.

With a preference to be addressed simply as ‘Marina’, her personal creed is to always act in the spirit of improving a situation. She loves a challenge and opportunities to innovate and build, having had a love for carpentry and farm work in her early years.

Please join The UWI Mona in welcoming Dr Marina Ramkissoon to this new position and congratulating her on this new chapter of her professional journey.