Bristol Washington d.c.:

Gillian Bristol, a Grenadian national, recently rewrote history when she became the first CARICOM national elected to lead the 80-year-old staff association at the Washington-based Organisation of American States.

Surrounded by throngs of colleagues, Bristol was sworn in Tuesday as president of the OAS Staff Association, at the helm of a 'Dream Team' swept into office on a five-pronged platform to address staff welfare matters, chiefly: representation; job security; fairness in the workplace; participation and inclusiveness; and respect.

Bristol then turned to Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin and all members of staff, inviting them to 'have a talk,' about creating a positive environment conducive to constructive engagement and interaction in the spirit of collegiality.

The new president intimated that the conversation necessarily embraces all stakeholders, including the member states, a few of which were represented at the installation of the new Staff Committee. "Our ambition must be to achieve a synergy that inspires the best from us, transcends our differences, and builds on our commonalities."