United States (US) Embassy Public Affairs Officer, Patricia Attkisson (standing) congratulates David Geddes (left), director of consumer and public affairs, Office of Utilities Regulation, who has been selected as Jamaica's 2009-2010 Hubert Humphrey Fellow by the US Department of State. Sharing in the occasion is Lloyd Moss, chargè d'affaires, ad interim at the US Embassy. - Contributed
Chances are you have heard David Geddes' voice before, and you might have seen him on television, but what you might not know is that the trophy contested for by Jamaican high-school boys annually at 'Champs' was named for his late father, Mortimer, a former principal of Titchfield High School in Portland. And by now, you might have heard that he's one of two men who are this year's Jamaican recipients of the Hubert Humphrey Fellowships, sponsored by the United States' Department of State.
Though he's quite visible as the front man for the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), where he's director of consumer and public affairs, not much is publicly known about the man who has spent about 17 years in the radio - the RJR Group, KLAS FM, LOVE FM - and television. So, today, His Story has turned the spotlight on him. Now, he's not only the messenger, he's the message.
In making reference to his long sojourn in the media, the man who was born in the year Jamaica gained independence, said, "It was a pretty exciting period of my life and I met many interesting characters, the late Terry Smith among them. I also had the privilege of learning the 'trade' from journalism stalwarts such as Janette Mowatt, the late Clifton Segree, and my brother, Tino. From former RJR managing director, now chairman, Lester Spaulding, I honed my management and people skills."
The switch from journalism to utilities regulation was made in 2001, and since then he had been on the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators' Consumer Affairs Committee for several years and on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (United States) Staff Committee on Consumer Affairs for two years.
The holder of a master's degree in business administration, from the University of Leicester, this Titchfield and Munro College past student is also a certified utility regulator, one of a handful in Jamaica and the Caribbean. That certification was provided by the University of Loughborough, England, and the Institute of Public -Private Partnerships as a result of the professional training he had received in utility regulation from the University of Florida's Public Utilities Research Centre.
High-profile recognition
In addition, he has attended several other training courses in the capacities as participant and instructor, locally, in some Caribbean countries, the United States, and once in Balek, Turkey, where he made a presentation on the impact of utility regulation on the welfare of citizens in developing countries, to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. All this training was not in vain.
For, along his career path, he has picked a few awards. When he was a practising journalist, he received an award for investigative journalism in recognition of a series of stories he did on the pricing of fertiliser imported from Canada under a grant programme. Since being at the OUR, he has also received several awards for marketing and communication. He credits former broadcaster, Alma Mock Yen, for sharpening his oral presentation skills.
And speaking is not David's only forte, as he has written several papers, some of which are Effective Communication in 2007; Independent Water Providers, 2007; Managing Customers Expectations, 2005; The Informed Consumer, 2005; Stakeholder Participation, 2008, and Utility Customers At Risk, 2009, presented at a University of Florida training workshop for regulators from the Caribbean, the Middle East and Africa. His paper-writing will continue at the University of Washington, where he takes up the fellowship, later this month.
Reacting to this high-profile recognition, he said, "I was optimistic about the outcome, being a positive person, but I was surprised when I received notification that I was to be awarded the fellowship". Yet, "I feel honoured and excited to be selected a Hubert Humphrey Fellow. When you look at Fellows from previous years, there are heads of state, heads of government and Nobel Prize winners - I am also proud that the Office of Utilities Regulation saw it fit to recommend me and to allow me the time to pursue these studies that are directly related to utility regulation."
Professional attachments
He intends to study public policy with regard to sustainable development and renewable energy. The programme will be tailored specifically for him, and upon completion, he will return to the OUR. "I believe that the OUR will benefit significantly from my undertaking the fellowship and professional attachments. I expect to be more rounded as an individual, and to be more global in my outlook. I strongly suspect that on a personal level my sphere of friends will be significantly widened," he said with great anticipation.
"I believe that this course of study will provide me with the skills to assist in enhancing Jamaica's ability to become a developed nation and to diversify our energy sources. I expect to forge several alliances with professionals practising utility regulation across the United states. I also expect to learn the more technical aspects of regulation including engineering and economics."
Geddes and Robert Stennett, the other recipient, "were nominated for the fellowships by the public affairs section of the United States (US) Embassy based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service".
The fellowships, named after the late US vice-president, Hubert H. Humphrey, allow mid-career professionals to spend a year at a US university pursuing an individually tailored study programme. One of the goals of the programme is to provide participants the opportunity to develop lasting productive ties with their professional counterparts around the world.
paul.williams@gleanerjm.com