Two Caymanians Join Premier’s staff

Premier Hon. G. Wayne Panton has added two new members to his staff complement in the Office of the Premier.

Dr. Celine Manoosingh will serve as Special Advisor to the Premier and Mr. Nickolas DaCosta joins as Content and Communications Coordinator.

“I am pleased that these two outstanding young Caymanians have both agreed to join our stellar team in the Office of the Premier,” said Mr. Panton. “Celine’s exceptional professional background, academic credentials and research in the areas of engineering and sustainability, as well as Nickolas’ vast background in communications, social media and service to our local community are welcomed assets to the Office of the Premier.”

As Special Advisor to the Premier, Dr. Manoosingh will provide advice in key areas, support capacity building, review and synergize various policies and assist with projects as assigned by the Premier.

She holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Southern Florida and is a tenured professor at the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing at Georgia Southern University where she has worked since 2014. Her research expertise relates to energy efficiency and optimization, environmental life cycle assessment, and green infrastructure. Dr. Manoosingh has secured more than $400,000 worth of research funding from the Department of Energy, Georgia Department of Transportation, Southern Company and the Engineering Information Foundation.

Additionally, Dr. Manoosingh serves as a representative on the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., which focuses on resilience, renewable energy, sustainable smart cities and green infrastructure.

Raised in the Cayman Islands and educated in the public school system, Dr. Manoosingh expressed her delight in returning home in this new role stating, “It has always been a dream of mine to share my expertise and knowledge with my community that raised me. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. I am happy to join the Premier and his government in their commitment to ensure that the Cayman Islands is a regional and world leader in innovation and strategic planning in response to this threat."

As Content and Communications Coordinator, Nickolas DaCosta’s focus will be supporting the development and management of the Premier’s digital content and channels while ensuring that all communication from the Office of the Premier are effectively placed across all platforms.

Mr. DaCosta joins the Office of the Premier with more than 12 years’ experience in customer service and communications in both the public and private sectors having most recently served as the Customer Relations Supervisor of Water Authority - Cayman.

He possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with concentrations in International Business and Management. He has also completed graduate studies and was awarded a Master’s degree in Public Administration.

Mr. DaCosta has served as a member of the Planning Appeals Tribunal since 2016 and was recently appointed as a Member of the Board for Water Authority – Cayman. He serves as a Notary Public and Justice of the Peace in and for the Cayman Islands, and is very active in his community.

Internationally, Nickolas is a member of the Lions Clubs International organization and currently serves as First Vice District Governor of Sub-District 60B. This District is spread across the Caribbean and has a membership of over 1,900 Lions and 500 Leos.

Mr. DaCosta noted “I am humbled to be given this opportunity to serve within the Office of the Premier. I look forward to drawing on my previous experience in corporate and voluntary communications and management of social media content and various communications to reach a diverse receiving base. I am truly excited to working along with such a great team.”