Current acting Sister Islands Coordinator, Ms Sasha D. A. Flax in her new role as President of the Civil Service Association (CSA) interim body, says that the Interim body is moving full speed ahead with plans starting with its first committee meeting at the end of May 2019. Photo: Facebook

The newly elected body of the Virgin Islands Civil Service Association (CSA) will function until the CSA’s Annual General Election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. Photo: GIS

Mr Flax, who has a host of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry was appointed on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, when the CSA met to elect their interim executive committee in accordance with section 7.4 (d) of the CSA’s constitution.

Forging ahead

In an exclusive interview with Virgin Islands News Online (VINO), the new President said, “I am very excited to be given the opportunity to work in this role and my main goal is to work along with the committee to bring positive and notable change to the civil service.”

With six months until the CSA’s Annual General Election in November 2019, the interim executive body is expected to rule until then, however, this is not hindering the new President from moving full speed ahead with plans.

A committee meeting is set for May 30, 2019, and Ms Flax says they will be putting together objectives and also drafting a plan on how to get those objectives achieved in an effort to enforce the mandate of the CSA. 

Tourism Experience

When grilled on how she plans to apply some of her tourism experience to the role, Ms Flax implored that her background is perfectly suited for the job, as the wide scope of the tourism industry allows for the transfer of skills in many areas.

“The great thing about a tourism and hospitality background is that a significant amount of my skills are transferable and can be useful in many different environments. The Civil Service Association’s main mandate is to look out for the best interest of civil servants,” she said.

Ms Flax continued, “I think that one of my main qualities is my ability to connect to people and show empathy to another person’s situation or their experiences... I think that this is a quality that is needed right now so we can forge a path forward to improve the overall service.”