United States (US) Embassy Public Affairs Officer, Patricia Attkisson congratulates David Geddes (left), director of consumer and public affairs, Office of Utilities Regulation, and Robert Stennett (right), director of the International Department at the Bank of Jamaica, both of whom have been selected as Jamaica's 2009-2010 Hubert Humphrey Fellows by the US Department of State. Sharing in the occasion is Lloyd Moss, chargé d'affaires (ad interim) at the US embassy. - Contributed

At age 43, and at a time when the country, as is the rest of the world, is gripped by the clutches of the second 'Great Depression', Robert Stennett, chief economist at the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ), has one of the toughest jobs in the land.

However, this multiskilled high-achiever is soon to take a break from the stresses of his demanding duties, at least for a year, as he was recently selected one of two Hubert H. Humphrey 2009-2010 Fellows from Jamaica. The other is David Geddes (who will be featured next week) of the Office of Utilities Regulation. They were nominated for the fellowships by the Public Affairs Section of the United States embassy based on their "potential for leadership and their commitment to public service".

For Stennett, a graduate of Cornwall College, Montego Bay Community College and The University of the West Indies (UWI), the road to this fellowship has been long, as he had attempted to apply twice before. The third time was the charm. He had expected to come out on top, and he did.

"Absolutely. I feel I was destined to get it. My application did not reach the US embassy on two successive occasions in the past because of clerical errors, etc. By the third time, I knew the staff at the embassy on a first-name bases. They were extremely professional in preparing me for the competition and I attribute my success almost entirely to them," he said.

Academic and professional success is no stranger to Stennett. For, in addition to obtaining a Master of Science in economics, a Bachelor of Arts degree and a post-graduate diploma in information technology from the UWI, he has participated in several educational and training programmes conducted by the Swiss National Bank, the Bank of Jamaica, the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of Canada.

Published many papers

Over the years, he has written and published many research papers, some of which are: 'The First Forty Years (co-author) - Chapter on Jamaica's History of Exchange Rate Regimes in Bank of Jamaica'; 'The Sustainability of the Jamaican Current Account, Bank of Jamaica'; 'Trade Liberalisation and the Jamaican Economy: Prospects and Effects of Tariff Adjustments, Bank of Jamaica'; 'Real Sector Price Setting Mechanisms in Jamaica: An Interim Report (2001), Bank of Jamaica'; 'Stabilization and the Jamaican Commercial Banking Sector (1991-1997), Journal of Social & Economic Studies, Vol 48: Nos 1&2, 1999. 'The Impact of the CARIFORUM/European Economic Partnership Agreement on Jamaica' is a work in progress.

Stennett has been in the public sector for more than 20 years, having worked in the Income Tax Department in his early 20s. He taught economics and mathematics at Wolmer's Boys' School from 1989-1992. From Wolmer's he moved to the University of Technology, where he still lectures part time. In January 1996, he joined the BoJ in the capacity as economist, then moved up to senior economist. From May 2000-December 2004, he was adviser in the BoJ's External/Real Sector Analysis units. Now, he's head of the International Economics Department.

As director in that division, Stennett supervises a team of four economists and a research assistant. His very long list of duties includes, but is not limited to, conceptualising and developing the work programme for the department; providing broad editorial guidance for all the written reports and research papers prepared by the Research and Economic Programming Division; estimating and forecasting foreign currency cash flows in order to assess deve-lopments in the foreign exchange market; monitoring and advising on relevant developments relating to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international organisations.

His planned course of studies, starting early September at Boston University, one of the largest independent universities in the United States, will focus on the transmission of international financial and commodity market shocks to small open economies. A release from The embassy of the United States of America in the Corporate Area quotes him saying: "Exposure to the main theories relating to international financial and commodities markets, as well as the development of these markets will help me and the Bank of Jamaica better adjust to relevant changes and anticipate the impact of specific shocks on the Jamaican economy."

In an online discussion with His Story, Stennett explained how the fellowship would benefit him professionally. "We (the BoJ) intend to benchmark our internal processes to international standards. I am, therefore, poised to be a part of that exciting change process and believe that the exposure that the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship affords will help in this regard. I intend to transfer the knowledge that I receive on the course to my BoJ colleagues and my students (I love to teach!).

Returning to boj

He plans to return to the BoJ fully loaded for, while he's in Boston, he's going to take it all in. "[I want] to get maximum exposure to everything that is relevant to my job. I want to absorb all the knowledge of the international markets that I monitor on behalf of the BoJ. Networking will also be key. I expect that by the time I get back here, each number that I monitor will have a face, a name, and a smile behind it."

And how does he feel to have been selected for this prestigious and competitive fellowship, offered by the US State Department? It's a bag of mixed emotions for him. "[I am] elated that I was chosen, but sobered by the fact that I will have to leave my family, particularly my children."

Robert is married to Andrea Miller, who works at the Ministry of Labour, and his children are Kamoi, 10; Noelle, six; and Samara, five.

paul.williams@gleanerjm.com