High-level Presidential Advisor team to support President Ali

President Dr. Irfaan Ali is preparing to announce a new slate of senior appointments as he embarks on his second term in office.

The News Room was reliably informed that the Head of State will soon name a team of high-level Presidential Advisors who will provide strategic support to the Office of the President over the next five years.

The team is expected to include Shyam Nokta, Dr. Mahendra Carpen, Dr. Kofi Dalrymple, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, and Mischka White-Griffith.

Shyam Nokta – an expert in natural resources, environment, and climate change – will serve as Presidential Advisor on Climate Change and Biodiversity. Nokta previously advised the President and headed the Office of Climate Change, where he played a leading role in advancing Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the REDD+ partnership with Norway. He holds an MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management from Oxford Brookes University and a BSc in Environmental Studies from the University of Guyana.

Dr. Mahendra Carpen, a renowned cardiologist, will take up the post of Presidential Advisor on Science and Health Care Modernization. Dr. Carpen has served as Head of Medical Services and Cardiology at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Consultant Cardiologist to the Caribbean Heart Institute, and Managing Director of Cardiology Services Inc. at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. He is a graduate of the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Toronto.

Dr. Kofi Dalrymple will advise the Ministry of Education on tertiary education reform. An academic, engineer, scientist, and entrepreneur, Dr. Dalrymple is a former Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at the University of Guyana. He is a graduate of the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies, and the University of South Florida.

Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Attorney-at-Law and former Member of Parliament, will serve as Senior Advisor to the Government. She holds a law degree from the University of Guyana and is a graduate of the Hugh Wooding Law School.

Mischka White-Griffith will be appointed Chief Planning Officer in the Ministry of Education. White-Griffith, a former Principal at the School of the Nations, holds an MBA and other graduate qualifications.

This team of seasoned professionals is expected to help shape policy and drive key initiatives as President Ali seeks to position Guyana for sustained growth and development during his second term.