Mr. Horace Glaze, currently serves in the capacity of Acting Deputy Director General and Senior Director of the Preparedness and Emergency Operations Division at the ODPEM, where he has oversight for the Operational and Strategic directions of the organisation’s Technical arm.  As the Deputy Director, he is tasked with providing support to the Director General on local and Regional Disaster Risk Management policy and legislative issues.

Mr. Glaze also provides strategic oversight for the technical areas of the organisation.  That includes matters related to National Preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction Portfolios, Technical Cooperation, and Response Coordination.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Glaze served as ODPEM’s Acting Director General over the period 2013-2015.

He previously held the position of Urban Planner/Parish Disaster Coordinator in the St. James Parish Council where he spearheaded the coordination of Disaster Risk Management activities for the parish. 

Mr. Glaze holds a BSc. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Technology. He has also attended a number of training courses in emergency response – notably the Critical Incident Management Course (USA, Office of Antiterrorism Assistance) in 2011 and an international seminar on the Essential Elements of Nuclear Security (IAEA/Argonne) also in 2011.

Pauline Brown joined the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in November 2005 as Senior Director of Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation. Recognized for her exceptional research and analytical skills, strong work ethics and strategic thinking, she brings to the organization; the proven capacities in the knowledge, expertise and technical competencies required to support the organization’s vision in driving transformation and success.

As a strong advocate of professional development through progressive management, Mrs. Brown promotes the philosophy of strengthening human resources holistically in order to achieve optimal performance and sustainability.

Prior to joining the ODPEM, Mrs. Brown worked as the Senior Project Manager at the Kingston Restoration Company Limited (KRC) where she provided leadership to large and medium cross– functional project teams engaged in the implementation of diverse and complex projects. She also completed a stint with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) in the role of Technical Appraisal Officer. There, she was responsible for assessing the feasibility of projects and efficacy of outputs in meeting identified needs.  

Initially, Mrs. Brown embarked on a career in Engineering, studying for a degree in Building and Civil Engineering before switching focus to Architecture where she completed studies for a Master of Science degree in Architecture from the Kiev State Technical University of Construction and Architecture. Her thesis focused on the design of a University Town specifically for Georgetown, Guyana, which enabled her to acquire training in areas of town planning which has equipped her for the position she now occupies at ODPEM.

She also holds a Master of Human Relations (MHR) from the University of Oklahoma with a concentration in community development and social change. Towards the fulfillment of this degree, she also completed courses in project development, implementation and evaluation.

A trained teacher and a believer in self and professional development, Mrs. Brown completed certified courses in Procurement, Project Management, Grant Writing and Risk Based Audit.

In her spare time, Mrs. Brown enjoys music, reading and sightseeing.

Ms. Michelle Edwards is the Senior Director, Mitigation Planning and Research Division.

In her role at ODPEM, Ms. Edwards' responsibilities include contributing to the development of disaster management. She supports the implementation of policies, plans, and disaster mitigation activities through research which builds on the solid foundation for decision making at ODPEM.

Additionally, Ms. Edwards executed the planning and execution of National Disaster Mitigation and Risk Reduction programmes and best practices to inform the organizations’ goals and strategic objectives and to execute its mandate. This lends support to the organisation’s flagship programme, ‘Building Disaster Resilient Communities’. Ms. Edwards has also facilitated the process of drafting the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (CDRM) Policy.

Ms. Edwards holds an MSc. in Natural Resource Management from the University of the West Indies (UWI), and a BSc. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Technology (UTech). She has undergone extensive training in Emergency Response and Disaster Management – notably the Seminar on Managing Complex Emergencies at the Inter-American Defence College Washington DC. 

Gerald Wright currently serves as the Acting Director of Finance and Accounts and has oversight for the financial stewardship of the ODPEM.  He is responsible for providing sound financial guidance and to offer timely updates and financial information to support the Disaster Risk Reduction Programme in Jamaica.

Gerald started his career as an External Auditor in the accounting firm Mair Russell and Partners. He later transitioned from Auditing to Accounting and worked at the National Family Planning Board as the Accounts Supervisor for over ten years before joining the  Accounts team at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management in 2009.

Being a people person, he is passionate to impart knowledge and this has led him to teach part-time utilizing the skills gained when he completed tertiary education in Business Studies at CAST (now University of Technology, Jamaica).

Gerald formerly served the organization as the Manager Payroll and Payables and has acted as Director of Finance and Accounts on many occasions. He is currently pursuing professional designation in the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

He has also contributed to many committees within various government institutions, serving as staff representative, member of the Procurement Committee, member of the Finance Committee of the Board of Management and member of the Loans Committee.

Gerald makes the necessary sacrifices and plays his part towards the organization’s goals, he lives by the mantra which states that “whatever the mind can conceive, one can achieve”. He relaxes with music and is definitely a team player.

An enthusiastic, self-motivated and focused driven professional, Miss Beverley Joy Thompson was introduced to personnel management (Human Resource Management) after leaving secretarial college (Jamaica Commercial Institute) at the Trade Board as Secretary to the Personnel Manager.   With her pleasant personality and people skills, she was later transferred to the front office interfacing with the various personalities who applied daily to the Trade Board for licenses.

She later joined Petronal Jamaica Limited a subsidiary of Petrojam as Secretary to the Director of Human Resource and Industrial Relation.  At Petronal, her Supervisor, Mr. Derrick McKay recognized her people skills and introduced her to the profession by giving her acting assignments in the absence of the Personnel Officer.  

She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies (Open Campus) with a certificate in Personnel Management, the Institute of Management and Production, Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations, University College of the Caribbean (UCC) Bachelor of Science (BSc.,) Human Resource Management.   She has attended and received certificates from the Sir Author Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALESIS) in Monitoring and Evaluation, Boston University, Certificate in Project Management, the MIND Strategic Human Resource Management and Leadership to name a few.

Miss Thompson has worked in the capacity of Executive Secretary and Senior Human Resource Officer, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service in the capacity of Senior Human Resource Officer before joining the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.

She enjoys music and has been Choir Director for the Youth Choir and Senior Choirs at the New Heaven SDA Church.