Top (l-r) CEO Adele Catzim – Human Development Family n Gender Affairs; CEO Milagro-Matus – Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management; CEO Dian Maheia – Education and CEO Beverly Wade – Ministry of Blue Economy; Botton (l-r) CEO Rolando Zeteina – Public Services Constituional n Political Reform; CEO Jose Urbina – e-Governance; Chief Executive Francis Usher – Natiional Defense n Border Security and Leroy Almendarez – maybe CEO of Public Utilities n Logistics
by William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Mar. 20, 2025
The newly sworn-in Ministers –17 of them and 9 Ministers of State – will be ably assisted by their Chief Executive Officers for whom Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño announced appointments on Wednesday, March 19.
There are three new faces—Beverly Wade, previously the Director of the Blue Bond and Finance Permanence Unit, will now assist Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation, Hon. Andre Perez; former Major of the Belize Defence Force, Francis Usher, will help out the new senior Minister Hon. Oscar Mira as Chief Executive Officer at the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security; and policy analyst Milagro Matus at the Ministry of Agriculture has now stepped up to assist Hon. Orlando Habet as Chief Executive Officer at the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management.
The Government of Belize cannot dispense with Financial Secretary Joseph Waight’s financial expertise, regardless of which political party is in government, and he will continue to serve the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, as he has done for the past five years and during the previous UDP administration, and the PUP government before 2008.
Chief Executive Officer Narda Garcia remains at the Office of the Prime Minister, Investment and Civil Aviation.
Chief Executive Officer Carlos Pol became the acting CEO at the Ministry of Economic Development last year, after the former CEO Osmond Martinez resigned to run in the Toledo East by-election. With his victory in the elections, Martinez is now Minister of State for Economic Transformation in the Prime Minister’s office, where Pol will now serve. CEO Jose Urbina remains at the Ministry for E-Governance, which is also part of the Prime Minister’s responsibilities.
CEO Paul Thompson will continue to assist Hon. Cordel Hyde at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining, where he took over from the previous CEO, Nelda Tulcey, in early 2023.
H.E. Ambassador Amalia Mai will continue to serve as the Chief Executive Officer, to assist Hon. Francis Fonseca at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Culture.
CEO Tanya Santos Neal was previously at the Ministry of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs after 2020, under Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, until she was replaced by CEO Adele Catzim last January 2024. Santos will now assist Hon. Francis Fonseca as CEO for Immigration, which is a part of Fonseca’s new responsibilities.
CEO Servulo Baeza continues to serve under Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, while CEO Victor Espat remains as Hon. Julius Espat’s second at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing.
CEO Sharole Saldivar will remain to help Hon. Kareem Musa at the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, where she has been since November 2023, when she replaced attorney Kevin Arthurs, who had returned to the private sector.
CEO Nicole Usher Solano continues to assist Hon. Anthony Mahler at the Ministry of Tourism, Youth, Sports and Diaspora Relations, where she served since November 2020.
Dr. Julio Sabido will continue as the Chief Executive Officer to assist Hon. Kevin Bernard at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, where he has served since January 2022.
CEO Rolando Zetina will help Hon. Henry Charles Usher at the Ministry of Public Service, Governance & NEMO.
CEO Dian Maheia remains at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, continuing the work begun in 2020 under Minister Fonseca, with her new Minister, Hon. Oscar Requeña.
After a brief stint as acting CEO at the Ministry of Transport last year, CEO Valentino Shal PhD remains at the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government, where he has served since November 2020, although now he will have a new boss, Hon. Florencio Marin, Jr.
CEO Adele Catzim migrated from the Ministry of Transport, Youth and Sports to the Ministry of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs in January 2024, and she will continue to assist her new Minister, Hon. Thea Garcia-Ramirez.
Minister Hon. Michel Chebat and Minister of State Hon. Gilroy Usher, Sr. are in need of a chief executive officer at the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics, a post which reliable sources have tipped former Social Security Board executive director Dr. Leroy Almendarez to fill.
Similarly, Hon. Louis Zabaneh PhD is in need of a chief executive officer at the Ministry of Transport, a post which has been offered to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, though up to press time, it remains unconfirmed if he has accepted the job. ComPol Williams disclosed to the media that he had up to close of business on Thursday, March 20 to inform the Prime Minister of his decision.
