Elaine Oxamendi Vicet is boss of the year
Published:Monday | April 18, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
Elaine Oxamendi Vicet has many attributes, and to top it off, she also happens to be a very good boss.
Oxamendi Vicet, who is the interim chair of the Communication Studies Department at Northern Caribbean University, was recently voted the 2011 All-Island Boss of the Year beating out two other bosses from Kingston and St James. It was actually her administrative assistant who nominated her to enter.
"I am not a member of Jamaica Association of Administrative Professionals (JAAP). My admin assistant is, though, and she just said to me 'I've nominated you'," she recalled. But Oxamendi Vicet felt it was a good idea because it would put the NCU department on show in a positive avenue.
She is a trained public-relations practitioner with over 15 years' experience in both PR and human resources within the corporate and tourism sectors, including the now-defunct Eagle Group and the popular SuperClubs. This multi-faceted career always involved interaction and communicating, which she felt helped during the national final of the Boss of the Year competition. Each contestant was given the same topic and asked to prepare a speech in five minutes.
"I felt I had prepared and my field is communications so when it comes to public speaking, I am comfortable." But the challenge was that contestants had to speak extemporaneously on a topic they may not be comfortable with.
On her toes
"But being in communications, you can't have your head in the sand, and along with the training session, it kept me on my toes," she said. Two weeks removed from the announcement and 'crowning', she is still beaming.
"I feel good!" she chirped. "The moment it was announced it was like, you knew you wanted it, but now it was a surreal moment." She recalled the recognition she received at the office the following day, but pointed out it was quickly back to work. She expressed satisfaction in knowing she came out on top in a competition that was not just about talent, but was also knowledge-based.
And a brain filled with knowledge she has. Vicet graduated from the University of the West Indies, doing economics and history for her first degree and then communications in the masters' programme. She also holds a post-graduate diploma in marketing from Florida International University, and has pursued post-graduate studies in human resources and training and development. She is a certified trainer for the National Training Vocational Education Training Centre (NCTVET) and a certified assessor for HEART. Additionally, she is affiliated to the Jamaica Customer Service Association and Wilde Foundation, a United Kingdom-based literary arts association.
Oxamendi Vicet also has a media background, having worked as a commentator on RJR's News Line 6 programme.
"I was the Wednesday commentator. You had to find the topic and have to have something to say that is of national interest," she recalled. She has also contributed to various publications, including The Gleaner. Apart from a stint teaching economics in The Bahamas, Oxamendi Vicet has spent the last few years as an assistant professor at NCU (a post she maintains despite her involvement with the Communications department). As chair, she believes that beneficial projects have been implemented, including various symposiums, debates and film festivals.
challenging the students
"I think we're challenging the students in terms of content and honing their skills," she opined. She's been at NCU since January 2007. Two of her publications, Freshman Companion, A Student Handbook, and FAICE INSIDE OUT, An anthology of poetic works, are used in the school's library. Flair simply had to know what is the boss of the year's leadership style. She described herself using words such as participative, very transparent, flexible and also no-nonsense.
"When you have a vision ... there is just one way to go - to execute," she said.
In the arts, she is a published writer and author. She has been recognised internationally for her pursuits in poetry, having been nominated as Poet of Merit in 1995 by the International Poets Award Society, Washington, USA. Oxamendi Vicet has also received several Festival of Merit awards and several of her works are published on www.poemhunter.com.
"I'm happy in that sphere, that's the gift I think I was given," she said. Oh, and if you're not busy on the last Friday of every month, you might see her reciting a few of her pieces on poetry night at Nell's Cafe's, Grosvenor Terrace.