Anthony Anderson named NaRRA CEO ahead of 2026 hurricane season

Retired Major General Anthony Anderson has been appointed chief executive officer of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority, as Jamaica moves to strengthen disaster recovery planning before the next hurricane season. Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness announced the decision at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, saying Anderson is expected to take up the post on June 1, 2026.

The Prime Minister said the NaRRA legislation has been signed into law by the Governor-General, clearing the way for the new authority to begin its work. He said Cabinet had approved Anderson’s appointment after a recruitment process that drew 120 applications from Jamaica and overseas, including 85 applications specifically for the CEO role.

Anderson, who is currently Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, will leave that diplomatic post to assume leadership of the authority. Holness said the appointment was handled through a panel that included the chairman of the Public Service Commission, the Cabinet Secretary, the Transformation Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Finance, the Port Authority of Jamaica and Stephen Edwards of ENROCC.

According to the Prime Minister, the selection process was kept at arm’s length from him until a final recommendation was made. He said the panel did “quite a bit of work behind the scenes” to arrive at the choice.

Anderson recently chaired Jamaica’s post-Hurricane Beryl disaster risk management review committee. His background also includes public administration, national security, institutional leadership and emergency response.

Holness said the new authority cannot become a paper-heavy bureaucracy. While the law names the post chief executive officer, he said Anderson must function as a “chief executing officer”, with the central responsibility being delivery. “This is about executing, getting things done,” the Prime Minister said.