Chair of the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC), Professor Peter Blair Henry, has expressed his readiness to lead the entity charged with monitoring the country’s post-Hurricane Melissa reconstruction and overall long-term resilience-building, pledging commitment to Jamaica’s development.

JAMRROC will provide oversight for the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), tracking progress, and ensuring public accountability.

In a Special Interview with JIS Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Giovanni Dennis at Jamaica House recently, Professor Henry cited his extensive background in international finance, economics, and academic leadership as key factors that make him well-suited to oversee Jamaica’s post-disaster rebuilding.

Professor Henry, who was born in Kingston and migrated to the United States at age nine in 1978, affirmed that “Jamaica’s in my soul, and that’s why I’m here”.

The 57-year-old former Rhodes Scholar holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Mathematics and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He highlighted his tenure as Dean of New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, noting that “those experiences and dealing with crises that come up, inevitably” have shaped him as a leader.

Professor Henry also pointed to his experience serving on Corporate Boards in New York City and engaging with financiers in the business community to raise funds for the Business School as critical lessons that will help in his oversight of NaRRA.

He pointed out that the Prime Minister and all Jamaicans want the reconstruction efforts led by NaRRA to transform the Jamaican economy and create opportunities for economic and human development.

“That’s a major task that requires the business community. It requires civil society; it requires the Government; it requires input from many stakeholders, including very importantly our international partners, the multilaterals, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and so on. I speak their language…but I also understand that you have to translate that language so that the average person who’s not a PhD economist can understand,” the JAMRROC Chair noted.

He emphasised that even though transformation means different things to different people, there are common threads for all stakeholders.

“The goal is to maximise social and economic value to the country for every dollar spent so that children can go to school, people can get to work, people can get their produce to market, so there’ll be more opportunities for economic engagement, human thriving,” the JAMRROC Chair said.

He stated that attracting private capital is central to this strategy, because having private investors finance that transformation will free up public resources to invest in schools, hospitals and other areas.

Professor Henry reiterated that his background, ranging from his work at the Hoover Institution to his engagements with international financial institutions like the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the IDB, has equipped him to bridge global capital with local needs.