CHDS Director Richard Downie talks with a group of graduates who attended the event in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

CHDS hosted an Alumni Working meeting in Port of Spain, which coincided with the National Security Planning Workshop held there. The alumni event was well attended and included a successful virtual component in which three separate groups participated: the Jamaican Alumni Chapter, a Haitian group, and CHDS Alumni Affairs coordinators. The US Military Group Commander in the Port of Spain, CHDS alumni, and colleagues invited by alumni members also attended the session.

There was excellent dialogue among the Trinidadian and Jamaican alumni and CHDS staff and faculty that generated ideas for increasing membership and alumni growth. Alumni members were encouraged to reach out to CHDS for assistance with marketing and recruitment, and the alumni were encouraged to form both regional and national associations.

Col David Williams, an alumnus recommended CHDS consider offering courses on Disaster Management as a way to enhance individual expertise among CHDS alumni and expressed interest in continuing focusing on “lessons learned” through other courses and programs.

Alumni members scheduled the next meeting for March 8, 2012, an encouraging sign reflecting their continuing efforts toward better organization. CHDS made the recommendation that one of the best ways to gain greater outside interest is by regularly meeting in small groups to recruit new members.