Executive Management Team

Peter Knight, CD, JP, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Government Town Planner of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the government of Jamaica’s premier environment and planning agency. Mr Knight brought to NEPA an impressive breadth of experience spanning thirty-four years in Jamaica’s public sector. He is trained to the postgraduate level and his expertise extends to natural resource management and planning, environmental public health programme management and health management.
Mr Knight is a former Director, Environmental Health Unit, Ministry of Health. In 2009, he was seconded to the NEPA from the then Ministry of Health and Environment, to the then Ministry of Environment – Office of the Prime Minister. As the Director Environmental Health Unit, he has represented Jamaica at various fora at the national, regional and international levels and has been involved in developing strategic responses to health and environmental challenges in the Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr Knight played key roles in the restructuring of Jamaica’s environmental health programmes, the development of a national sanitation policy, the preparation the water safety plan in Jamaica for Latin America and the Caribbean and has been involved with the development of various pieces of health and environmental legislation.
Since 2009, Mr Knight has ably led the repositioning of the NEPA as a regional force in global environment programme development and management and has overseen the return of the Agency to its core functions. He continues to play an instrumental role in Jamaica’s journey to the realization of the Vision 2030 goals, serving as Chairman of the Vision 2030 Jamaica – Thematic Working Group for Environmental Management and Planning who are charged with ensuring that Goal 4 – Jamaica has a healthy natural environment is achieved through: Sustainable Management and Use of Environmental and Natural Resources, Hazard Risk and Adaptation to Climate Change and Sustainable Urban and Rural Development.
During 2019, Mr Knight was conferred with the prestigious National Award of Order of Distinction, Commander Class, for contribution to the health sector and environmental planning. He has also previously received awards including the Permanent Secretary’s (Joint) Award: Malaria Eradication Programme (2007); a Certificate for Outstanding Service during and after Hurricane Ivan (2004) and the Pesticides Control Authority (PCA) Award for the individual most supportive of the PCA Programme (2003).

Mr Ainsworth Carroll MBA; BSc Hons. first joined the Agency in January 2016 where he served in the post of Director, Corporate Management Division for two years before being reassigned to his current post.
Mr Carroll has over fifteen years of experience at a senior level in various sectors including, International Trade, Food & Beverage and Telecommunications. He has a strong finance background and is a strategic thinker who is solution oriented. Over the period April 2018 to October 2019 he successfully lead a team initiative that realized a turn-around of a major project within the Agency, earning both local and international accolades.

Mr Anthony McKenzie MBA; is the Director responsible for Environmental Management and Conservation at the National Environment and Planning Agency. He has in excess of twenty five years experience in environmental management in Jamaica.
Mr McKenzie has a Masters Degree in Wastewater Treatment and Process Technology and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with specialization in Strategic Planning.
His current interest is in the area of coastal resources management, specifically the impacts of climate change. Mr McKenzie is the national focal point for sustainable consumption and production (SCP) as part of UNEP’s 10YFP for SCP and the national representative on UNESCO-IOCARIBE Regional Seas programme. He is a past member of the Jamaica Defence Force.

Mr. Gregory Bennett has in excess of twenty years’ experience in Urban and Regional Planning in Jamaica.
Mr Bennett holds a Master of Science Degree in Computer-Based Management Information Systems with special emphasis on Business Administration and Information Systems Management. Mr Bennett also has advanced certifications in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Project Management
Mr Bennett is a firm believer in the integration of spatial systems and the use of technology to boost productivity and improve efficiency in operations. He also believes in the application of robust and SMART environmental and spatial planning principles, models and concepts in development management. Staff spiritual and general welfare are also of significant interest.

Karlene Hamilton Reid, J.P., B.Sc., M.Sc. has over twenty-two year’s progressive experience in Human Resource Management and Development. She is a professional counsellor who also holds the designation of Senior Certified Professional from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP).
Her resourceful and solution-oriented focus has resulted in the successful implementation of numerous employee centred initiatives that have bolstered employee well-being and engagement within the Agency. She has also skilfully led numerous manpower initiatives to acquire specialised skill sets to augment the human resources capability of the Agency and effectively support the capacity to achieve the strategic goals and objectives.

Mr. Leonard Francis is a trained Environment and Planning professional with over 20 years of environment and planning experience. He is a past part time lecturer at the University of Technology in the Urban and Regional Planning Programme and a lecturer in the Real Estate Salesman course.
He has been a member and chair of the Urban and Regional Planning Advisory Committee at the University of Technology and has also been a regular presenter at several local and Regional Workshops.