PERMANENT SECRETARY 
MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

Mrs. Yolande Howard currently serves as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Community Empowerment. Mrs. Howard has accumulated over 30 years of experience in the public sector at the middle and senior management levels and has gained experience in the areas of Research, Project Management and Administration.  She also has experience as a trainer in the areas of Customer Service, Supervisory Management and Human Resource Management, and has facilitated orientation sessions for public officers.

Over the course of her career, she led the successful implementation of the National Human Resource Development Strategy which was funded by the European Union, and was a member of the Human Resource Development Advisory Council, as well as the Board of Directors of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council, the Barbados Vocational Training Board and the National Insurance Department.

She possesses an MBA in Public Sector Management with Distinction, and is a Senior Executive Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a Certified Knowledge Manager.  She also holds a Certificate in Project Management from the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity and is an Alumni of the Caribbean Leadership Project’s Leadership Development Programme.