Oliver Mair to Receive Honorary Doctorate for Diaspora Service in Florida

Oliver Mair, Jamaica’s consul general serving from Miami, is to be conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Fort Lauderdale for his record in public service and community development.

The university is expected to present Mair with a Doctor of Ministry degree, Honoris Causa, at a May 22 ceremony scheduled for Faith Centre Ministries in Sunrise, Florida.

In its announcement, the institution praised Mair’s “outstanding contribution to public service and unwavering commitment to the betterment of his community.” It also said his leadership and service had made a “profound and lasting impact.”

The university further pointed to Mair’s diplomatic and community outreach work, saying he has helped promote justice, strengthen communities and encourage hope through those efforts.

Mair is widely known among Jamaicans living in the southern United States. As consul general to the Southeast United States, he manages consular responsibilities across 13 states, among them Florida, Georgia, Texas and North Carolina, along with the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.

The honorary doctorate comes after a number of major projects led by Mair, including the Jamaica Hi-5K Reggae Run/Walk. The annual event raises funds to assist health clinics in Jamaica.

Its latest staging drew close to 2,000 people, the highest participation in the event’s history. The initiative, influenced by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health Adopt-A-Clinic programme, has grown into a diaspora activity held in multiple cities, combining fitness promotion with support for underserved Jamaican clinics.

Mair was also prominent in the response to the COVID-19 crisis, when about 2,500 Jamaicans became stranded in Florida after Jamaica and the United States closed their borders. With help from community partners, the Jamaican Consulate arranged temporary accommodation, meals, transport and medical assistance for those affected.

Outside of his diplomatic post, Mair’s professional background includes aviation, marketing, agriculture and entertainment. He worked at Air Jamaica, where he advanced to regional marketing manager, and later spent almost 10 years at Jamaica Broilers Group in sales and marketing.

He is also associated with Jamaica’s entertainment sector through his production company, “Laff It Off,” which staged several theatre productions on the island.

Mair’s work in Jamaican culture and diaspora affairs has previously been recognised by the Louise Bennett-Coverley Heritage Council, which named him “Cultural Man of the Decade.”