The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) has a new chief executive officer.

The Ministry of Education and Youth, in a media release, confirmed that Laurette Adams Thomas has been appointed to the post, effective today. This comes months after the former CEO, Rosalee Gage-Grey, was separated from the child protection agency after an adverse report from the Office of the Children’s Advocate.

Adams Thomas is the former general manager of the largest infirmary in Jamaica and the Caribbean (The Golden Age Home) which provides holistic care, protection and welfare services for over 450 indigent persons from the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew.

She held the position for eight years, providing effective transformational leadership. Prior to assuming that position, she also functioned as interim executive director/registrar of the Office of the Children’s Registry (now National Children’s Registry), where her focus was centred on ensuring that an effective system was maintained to facilitate the confidential receipt, assessment and referral of reports of known or suspected cases of child abuse.

Adams Thomas has a diverse professional experience in the field of social work, as she also worked internationally in supervisory and managerial capacities in group homes that provide care for clients of all ages who are mentally, physically and intellectually challenged.

Beginning her career as an educator, she taught at the secondary level for five years at an institution in a volatile community, but her ultimate goal was to transform the lives of her students. She also served in the capacity of director in the field of human resource management and administration at the Office of Utilities Regulation and The Trade Board Limited.

She is a strategic visionary with expertise in corporate and strategic planning, operational management, policy development, human capital development, organizational development and transformation and social welfare services.

She holds a master’s degree in business administration (Honours), Bachelor of Science degree in human resource management and a number of certifications in leadership, corporate governance and strategic planning.