PHILIPSBURG--Brian Deher officially resigned from the Advanced Vocational & Adult Education School Board which oversees the operations of the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) on Wednesday, September 30, over “irreconcilable differences of opinion” in regard to management.
In a press release sent on his behalf, Deher stated “while I have great hopes for the future of NIPA I do have some very different opinions about the board’s management decisions and style since our inception.
“During our tenure I was willing to continue to work with the board regardless of any disagreements we may have had but at this point in time I cannot proceed to work on a board that the Ministry of Education and the Members of Parliament no longer seem to support.
“I am of the belief that the boards of government-owned companies, schools, or other institutions need to work with Government and all stakeholders to achieve the goals originally set out by Government which are presumably in the best interests of Country St. Maarten.
“I’ve sat by and watched in utter disbelief as other boards have used the legal system to act autonomously from any directives given to them from our elected officials in Parliament or our ministers and I cannot in good conscience continue on a board that is taking a similar stance against our Government.”
Deher went on to say “I understand the need for arms-length separation between boards and Government but when serious questions of performance, compliance, or transparency come into question I feel that the only honourable decision for boards to take is to either prove your strategic plan for success, work with the applicable departments within Government to correct any shortcomings and/or allow full transparency so there is no doubt about the board’s intentions and undertakings.
“In my specific case with NIPA, I believe that my opinion about how to work with Government and all stakeholders in general and the Ministry of Education specifically, is different than the majority of the board, so I have chosen to offer my resignation.”
Deher was appointed to the AVE Board as a representative of the Chamber of Commerce mainly due to his involvement in the private sector, most notably the marine industry on St. Maarten.
“I have great respect and admiration for the individual members of the NIPA board and I know that their hearts are in the right place and that they truly want what’s best for NIPA, the students and country St. Maarten and to that end I wish them much success,” Deher said.
In his resignation letter, he said that he would be available for another month to the extent needed in his role as treasurer and to continue with job training and competency evaluations of the maritime students. He added that he was happy to “help NIPA and the AVE Board with job training, interaction with the private sector and financial planning if that would be deemed appropriate by the board.”
