5 questions with Janice McIntosh, Miramar’s new Jamaican diaspora representative
A Miramar city employee is stepping in to further link Florida’s Jamaican-American diaspora and the island nation, still recovering from Hurricane Melissa.
Janice McIntosh, senior information manager for the Miramar Police Department, was recently elected as the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council representative for the U.S. South region.
McIntosh, a Miramar resident, will take office April 1.
First, McIntosh says she plans to hold listening sessions across the region and meet with key stakeholders to better harness the power of the Jamaican diaspora, and launch a platform that links people to resources, opportunities and each other. Miramar will be her home base.
The Miramar News posed five questions to McIntosh about her plans:
1. As the newly elected Jamaican diaspora leader, what will your job entail?
My job is to help connect Jamaican communities across Florida and 12 other Southern states — including Georgia and Texas — while promoting collaboration, investment and development opportunities.
I believe in the power of networking. I plan to build a digital network that connects Jamaican-Americans living in 13 Southern states to resources, opportunities and each other. By identifying representatives in each state and developing a shared database of skills and assets, we can strengthen collaboration, increase access and create a more connected and empowered diaspora.
2. How will you engage Miramar’s large Jamaican community?
I have already assembled a core group of individuals with skills ranging from community building, attorneys, technology experts, business owners and professionals in marketing and strategy. This team will assist me in gathering the information I need to build a digital framework to connect Jamaicans across the 13 Southern U.S. states.
Under my platform, “Stronger Ties, Smarter Future,” I am focused on harnessing the power of our diaspora, using their knowledge, skills and global experience to help build a stronger Jamaica today and in the future.
3. Tell us about your road to South Florida and the city of Miramar?
I lived in Jamaica until 2009. I was born and raised there with my parents and four siblings. I received my bachelor’s degree locally and my master’s degree from Florida International University.
My road to South Florida began after I married my husband, Peter, in 2002. We settled into family life, and our two daughters were born two years into our marriage. About six years later, our immigration paperwork was approved.
We moved to Florida in 2009, living in Pembroke Pines for a few years before purchasing a home in Miramar. The philanthropy and generosity of the Jamaican community made it easy to settle into life in Florida, and I became active in events, joined and led associations and received a myriad of community awards and accolades.
4. What outcomes do you hope to achieve during your term? By identifying representatives in each state and developing a shared database of skills and assets, we can strengthen collaboration, increase access and create a more connected and empowered diaspora. Within the first six to 12 months of my term, my goal is to establish representation in all 13 states. A resource hub like this will connect Jamaican-Americans here who desire to help Jamaica.
5. As a Jamaican in the diaspora, what does this job mean to you?
Personally, this is a full-circle moment for me. I worked for a Jamaican multinational bank as the chief representative in Florida, especially in a city like Miramar with such a large Jamaican population. Then, my role was to promote Jamaica for trade, investment, and opportunities to attract more clients and meet financial goals. Having done this work for 11 years, now serving on a global council in this official capacity is truly an honor, especially while living and working in a city like Miramar, which has a huge Jamaican population.
