Govt info shake up

over 3 years in Jamaica Observer

After 13 years as the chief executive officer of the Jamaica Information Service ( JIS ) Donna-Marie Rowe is being sent home as part of what Jamaica Observer sources say is a shake-up of the Government's communication agencies."I can confirm that Ms Rowe's contract will not be renewed, but I can tell you that this has nothing to do with her as a manager of JIS. She has done extremely well in the role and has served different administrations in an unbiased manner," a Government source told the Observer on Tuesday."What is happening is that the Government is changing the way it communicates with Jamaica, and you should expect to see changes in the leadership of other communication units such as the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica, the Broadcasting Commission, and the Government's information commissioner," added the source.According to the source, the Andrew Holness Administration is moving to a faster more nimble way of getting information out to the public and, after 13 years, it was time to make a change at the JIS.Rowe, who was appointed to head the Government's lead information agency in 2009, has told JIS staff that her contract, which expires on Thursday, March 31, has not been renewed by the Advisory Board of the JIS, an entity under the Office of the Prime Minister which has minister without portfolio Robert Morgan as the man in charge."I am thankful for your support over the 13 years that I have been at the helm and the 21 years that I have served in total," Rowe reportedly told staff in a goodbye letter recently."Together we have achieved great feats as we have served the Government and the people of Jamaica," added Rowe.The outgoing head of the JIS guided the change in its format in 2010 long form to five-minute slots on radio.She also drove brand enhancement strategies that led to a high favourability rating in October 2019 of 71 per cent among the general public and 77 per cent among opinion leaders.

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