Young Caymanians Enlist in Health Ministry

Three recent Caymanian additions to the Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing are helping to strengthen its work to provide world class policymaking and administrative services to those sectors.
 
The employees who have all joined the Ministry of the last several months include Policy Advisor Alanis Linwood, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Kenisha Lumsden and Accounts Officer I Cody Ebanks.

Fascinated by medicine and health from an early age, Alanis Linwood says she decided to pursue a career in public health after attending the World Affairs Seminar (WAS) in 2014, as the Cayman Islands Representative of the Rotary Club.

Following the WAS conference, Alanis received a government scholarship to pursue a bachelor’s of science degree in health and human sciences at Durham University in the United Kingdom. She went on to complete a master’s degree in public health (MPH) at Imperial College London specialising in ‘health services and systems’.

Her current responsibilities include assisting with the development, improvement, and implementation of laws and policy arising from the health related subject areas within the Ministry’s portfolio. There are also opportunities for more direct engagement with the community, such as an awareness-raising photo-opportunity organised with the Cayman Islands Cancer Society on World Cancer Day.   

Meanwhile Kenisha Lumsden joined the public sector for the first time earlier this year looking for an opportunity to give back to the country while expanding her skillset. Before taking up her duties as deputy chief financial officer for the Ministry of Health’s accounts team in February 2019, Kenisha had previously worked only for private sector financial services firms.

To date she has found the transition exhilarating “I started right in the middle of the financial year end and the budget planning process. As a result I have been learning a lot in a short space of time! Fortunately my management team and colleagues have been very supportive of my transition period,” she remarks.

Kenisha completed her certified public accountant certification and is licensed in the state of New Hampshire. In addition she holds a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Nova Southeastern University.

Also on the accounts team Cody Ebanks brings 10 years of private sector experience to his new job as an accounts officer I at the Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing, with responsibility for payment processing, accruals and other finance related duties.

Describing himself as patriotic, the new civil servant says that working for the public sector, and hence the people of the Cayman Islands, had long been an ambition. “When the opportunity came up I jumped on it,” he states.

His self-declared affinity and aptitude for numbers are evident from his progression up the career ladder of the accounting sector over the last several years, from assistant at an auto body shop, to accounts representative at a local bank and, most recently, a sales representative at a shipping firm.

Cody has a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration and accounting from the University College of the Cayman Islands. Within the next five years he plans to earn a master’s in business administration degree, as well as the certified public accountant (CPA) qualification.

Welcoming the young people to the team Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn says the Ministry is committed to filling as many positions as possible with Caymanians who have the right combination of qualifications and experience.

Deputy Governor Franz Manderson comments that he is proud to welcome three bright, young Caymanians to the Civil Service, and commends the Ministry for its continued commitment to training and employing Caymanians.