The Tribune

In July 2014, when Dorcas Cox was accepted to Barry University’s Graduate School of Education, she had no idea that the extremely rigorous journey would end four years later with her being the first in her cohort to graduate.

Today, she holds a doctorate of education in organisational learning and leadership and finds herself in a key position to help the Bahamas address social challenges that contribute to the country’s high level of crime.

As Dorcas was pursuing higher education at a later stage in her life, she sometimes struggled to fit in. At the time she was going for her degree, she was already a single parent of a very academically active teenage son.

Her son was attending 10th grade at Queen’s College at the time and was involved in the Bahamas All Star Band, extra-curricular piano, voice, and saxophone, and preparing to sit 10 BGCSE subjects.

And despite her success as a project manager and founder of Project Management Solutions, an organisational development and training company, Dorcas worked up to three jobs during a four-year period and was barely able to afford to educate herself and her son, who has since completed his first year of study pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology at the University of Toronto.

During these tough times, a strong support system made up of classmates, professors, family and friends gave her the strength to persevere through the financial and emotional challenges in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, the rigour of the classroom assignments, the comprehensive exams and the writing of her dissertation.

In the midst of that, Dorcas left 13 years of employment at Scotiabank and a position of senior manager of projects to join the public service, where she presently manages the Citizen Security and Justice Programme in the Ministry of National Security. This programme is one of the largest concerted efforts to address the social and systemic challenges that contribute to crime and violence within our communities.

As Dorcas participated in the commencement exercise on May 5 at the James L Knight Centre Miami, Florida – accompanied by her mother Ena-Mae T Cox, sister Dr Desiree Cox, son David Allens, uncle Hayward Ferguson and close family friend and relative Lynn Thurston – she was admonished to see her achievement as a beginning.

She was inspired to utilise the 20 plus years of practical experience as a human resources professional, and more than 10 years managing projects and teaching project management certification classes, to continue to affect positive change.

Dorcas presently devotes the same diligence and industriousness that she applied to her academic studies and parenting to managing the Citizen Security and Justice Programme, an initiative that is a top priority for the government and the Minister of National Security Marvin Dames, whose ministry is responsible for overseeing the programme’s implementation.

This expansive multi-agency programme aims to reduce crime and increase safety and security in alignment with the six key priority areas of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. The Citizen Security and Justice Programme is expected to pay tremendous dividends for the Bahamas in the future.