A smile is never far away from the face of Ambassador Filomena Navarro of the Dominican Republic.
That along with her tireless efforts to promote her country are hallmarks of her tenure. She told Outlook a few things about herself, her tenure (which goes back a few years) and her homeland. You’ve been here nearly four years. How has the experience been Oh, it has been a great one. My tour of duty here has been a wonderful experience. It has served to strengthen not only the diplomatic relationship between the Dominican Republic and Jamaica in the political, cultural and commercial areas, but also has helped me to develop as a diplomat.” She pointed out that her career started here in 1997 as consul general. At that time, her country didn’t have a diplomatic mission here and President Leonel Fernandez gave her the responsibility to deal with the Jamaican government at the opening of the embassy. “At the beginning (as a consul general), I had to work just like a head of diplomatic mission, representing my country as if I were an ambassador. The return to Jamaica five years later as head of the diplomatic mission was an unbelievable experience. I already knew everything and almost everybody here and that made me feel incredibly good.” It’s no wonder then that she says she easily got into Jamaican culture and life feels at home!
Are you a political appointee or a career diplomat