Gerhard Hoogers
THE HAGUE--Constitutional and administrative law expert Gerhard Hoogers will become the new Director of the Cabinet of the St. Maarten Governor per December 1.
Hoogers has been working at University of Groningen since 1994 where he is currently lead lecturer at the Department of Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Business Management.
Hoogers also has ties with the Carl von Ossietzky-Universität in Oldenburg, Germany, as honorary professor. He will continue the position in Oldenburg aside from his new job in St. Maarten.
He furthermore works part-time as senior constitutional advisor at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate EZK and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Nitrogen LNV in The Hague. He used to teach at University of Aruba and University of Curaçao.
Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Director General of Kingdom Relations Roald Lapperre is happy to get Hoogers on board. He said Hoogers “brings a lot of knowledge in the area of constitutional law and especially much know-how of constitutional law of St. Maarten itself.”
As senior constitutional advisor at the Ministries of EZK and LNV, Hoogers also has departmental experience and he has broad working experience in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. “In our talks, we have gotten to know Gerhard as an open, connecting and enthusiastic person with a strong analytic capability. He knows how to manage small teams and has a keen eye for their well-being and development,” said Lapperre.
“I consider it a great opportunity and a big honour to work in the coming years as director of the Cabinet of the Governor for the country St. Maarten and its people. In the past 25 years, I was much and intensely involved in constitutional law of the Caribbean countries, and this position enables me to use this knowledge and experience in a very concrete manner,” said Hoogers. “I very much look forward to the collaboration with Governor [Ajamu – Ed.] Baly, the staff and the St. Maarten country entities, but also with The Hague. A wonderful challenge awaits me.”
Hoogers will succeed current Director Mieke Kalter.
The Cabinet of the Governor of St. Maarten is an independent entity within the Dutch government and does not resort under a ministry. The cabinet supports the governor in carrying out his/her tasks, both on a kingdom level and a country level, and has an informative and advisory role for the governor with regard to policy, legislation and implementation.
Together with the team, the director of the Cabinet of the Governor facilitates support for the governor in carrying out all his tasks. The director is primarily responsible for supporting the governor with respect to the content and is also responsible for the general management of the Cabinet of the Governor.
