Government Innovation Expert on Island as Part of Civil Service Strengthening Project
Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams received a courtesy visit from Dr. Jorrit De Jong at her Cabinet on Wednesday afternoon. De Jong is on St. Maarten conducting interviews as part of the Innovations in Governance, Creating Change Agents From Within, project, which is a public service training program that the Government of St. Maarten has launched.
The Prime Minister stated that the program is essential in providing civil servants the training necessary for them to be the "actors of change from within the Government Apparatus," commented the PM. The courtesy visit is part of Professor De Jong’s five day visit centered on gaining a grasp on the Government Machinery and the points for change within the Civil Service. His visit will also lead to a strategy and planning workshop tailored for for St. Maarten and the Civil Service.
According to the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government website Dr. De Jong is the Academic Director of the Innovations in Government Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he teaches strategic management and innovation in the public sector. He is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at HKS. Professor De Jong is co-founder of the Kafka Brigade; an action research organization specialized in public problem solving, based in the UK and the Netherlands. He is also co-founder of Global Faculty, a non-profit network connecting leading academics with ambitious practitioners in developing countries through Leadership Labs.