For the better part of last week, speculation surrounded whether (and why) Therese Turner-Jones was dismissed by the multi-lateral agency, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

It is clear now that she has departed but mystery still surrounds this decision.

A few days ago, IDB president Mauricio Claver-Carone and Chief Strategy Officer Jessica Bedoya were on the island leading a high-level mission to deepen the bank’s relationships with Jamaica and further support its work in the country’s development.

But not a word on why the highly-regarded Turner-Jones would be demitting her post. No farewell and good wishes, just an ignominious disappearance after sterling service.

Therese Turner-Jones, born in the Bahamas, was appointed to the position of general manager for the IDB’s Caribbean Division and country representative for Jamaica in 2016.

She oversaw the IDB’s operations in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Bahamas and Trinidad. It is a significant position.

Turner-Jones was well qualified for this role having worked as a young economist at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), the Central Bank of the Bahamas and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington and climbed the ranks at the IDB.

Extremely analytical, data-driven and always taking a scholarly approach to her work, she carved out a reputation as someone committed to and having workable ideas for the development of the Caribbean.

She has expounded on the need for predictable low inflation in the region, a need to re-engineer the way we work, how we think about work and how we manage talent in the Caribbean.

“We still operate on very old, traditional, arcane ways of doing business and there is too much formality,” she once said.

She has lamented the lack of an innovative private sector pointing to a study of 4,000 firms across the region with only a third of them employing any sort of innovation and only 10 per cent having a research and development (R&D) department.

“That suggests that the reason why the region has been very slow to innovate and adopt technology is very much rooted in the way our private sector is working along with the public sector.”

An extremely capable woman devoted to the Caribbean, during her tenure she has called repeatedly for governments to lower their imported fuel bill and turn to electric vehicles. Turner-Jones also rew attention to moving to the digital age and making better use of e-government and for the region to be vigilant on climate change.

She is part of a generation of Caribbean woman leaders such as Mia Mottley ( Prime Minister of Barbados), Eva Lewis (Head of Citibank, Jamaica) who can be transformational.

So why is she walking away?

She gave no indication that she was exiting her role. There was plenty of notice when popular Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, Head of the Delegation of the EU to Jamaica and IMF Resident Representative Constant Lonkeng were taking on new assignments after acquitting themselves well in Jamaica.

Turner-Jones also did a good job on behalf of the IDB but has gone quietly into the night like she never existed.

There’s a story here.

To gauge the substance of the woman take in what she says here: “We are in a position of thinking about transforming the region. We are no longer at the point of incremental change, we are at the point of exponential change. Incremental meaning growing at say 10 per cent a year but exponential meaning we want to do it ten times better and faster.”

Therese Turner-Jones is a forthright person, with razor-sharp intelligence. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

If one can only ascend by sophistry, internecine politics and backstabbing that may be the only way to bring her down. She may have had to make way for a new guard at the IDB but let’s be clear, the Caribbean needs its best and brightest and Therese Turner-Jones is certainly in that class.

Her talents and skills should be utilised here in the region. She must not be allowed to fade into obscurity and retirement. There is too much to be done at this critical juncture.

This year, the IDB announced a US$3.5 billion recovery plan for the Caribbean. It is hard to imagine Therese Turner-Jones not at the spearhead of the administration of that.

So who is Therese Turner-Jones and what is she all about?

“I am focused, direct and passionate about what I do. I love to solve problems, motivate people and am always on the lookout for innovation in the next solution. I’m seldom satisfied about a first attempt at something. I think I am a natural-born leader who finds it hard to follow. However, on a personal note, I’m a family person who is largely committed to loving the people in my life.”

And there you have it.