AMCHAM Jamaica signs MOU with Caribbean Central American Action in DC

On Tuesday, June 14, 2016, Caribbean Central American Action welcomed a strong slate of new members to its Board of Trustees.

It kicked off two days of events around Washington that included the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AmCham Jamaica), a briefing on Caribbean and Central American issues at the US Department of State, and a standing-room-only event on Capitol Hill, co-hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank.

The CCAA agenda opened with the election of four new Trustees.  They are:

• Arthur Adams, Chairman of the Association of International Bankers of Curaçao
• Ron McKay, CEO of ADS Global, and President, American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica
• Jesse Tyson, President and CEO of the National Black MBA Association
• John L. Woods Jr., Head of Legal Services and Dispute Resolution at NS&J Advisory Group

In addition, two new Advisory Trustees will be joining the Board:

• Ambassador Richard Bernal (effective July 1), incoming Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies
• Pat Minicucci, owner of Minicucci Coaching & Consulting

The Board meeting was capped off with the first official signing of a Cooperation Agreement with a regional American Chamber of Commerce, by CCAA Chairman, Cornelius B. Prior, Jr. and AmCham Jamaica President and CEO, ADS Global, Ron McKay.  Sally Yearwood, Executive Director of CCAA, said that the signing of the agreement marks an important step in coordinating private sector engagement between regionally-focused organizations: “There are significant issues that are being addressed on a daily basis by the regional private sector, whether we are looking at the areas of banking, trade facilitation, resilience, or competitiveness, to name just a few. If we all put our strengths on the table, and work together to address the issues, the load gets lighter. 

This Cooperation Agreement is a welcome partnership and we look forward to working with AmCham Jamaica on issues of mutual importance.”  In expressing his views on what the Agreement can achieve, Mr. McKay said: “AmCham Jamaica remains committed to promoting and facilitating foreign direct investment through the areas of trade and investments. The MOU with CCAA is a great step for AmCham Jamaica as this alliance will further strengthen and leverage our international links and ties to trade and investment in Washington DC and the United States, in addition to our long standing relationship with the US Chamber of Commerce.”

In addition to the Board meeting, CCAA members, together with invited representatives from partner organizations including the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, and the Florida International Bankers Association, participated in a briefing at the U.S. Department of State where a range of areas were discussed pertaining to Central America and the Caribbean.

The program wrapped up with a CCAA / Inter-American Development program on Capitol Hill (more information on this event can be found here.)