THE Ministry of Communities has appointed Mitzy Gaynor Campbell as the new Regional Executive Officer (REO) of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni),

On Tuesday, Campbell told the Guyana Chronicle that she is looking forward to working collaboratively with the Region Eight team and its community members to bring about even greater levels of development.

“I will definitely be interacting with the people because they are the resources that we need to build on and they will have some expectations,” she said. “I have to go in and assess the situation and meet with the other managers there so that we can get together and push a progressive programme.”

Most recently, Campbell served for several years as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

In her earlier years, she served as a typist clerk for the Region One (Barima-Waini) Administrative office. In 1988, impressed by her work, former President [during the year] Desmond Hoyte requested that she be employed at the Office of the President as a Liaison Officer in the North-West District.

After the change in government in 1992, Campbell accepted several jobs but later found her ‘home’ in the private sector in 1994 working as an Amerindian Liaison Officer at the Barama Company until 1997. She also served as the Office Administrator of the Kidney Foundation of Guyana.

Then, in 1998, Campbell discovered that she had breast cancer and fought hard to survive same, and now in remission for over 20 years.

“It is not about me anymore, my story is out there. It has been told many times but education and awareness are necessary for others, because if you do not know you have cancer your chances of survival are minimal,” she told the newspaper back in 2017.

Campbell now raises awareness about the disease and her efforts have led her to be recognised with a Humanitarian Award from the Organisation for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana (OSHAG) in 2002.

In 2016, Campbell received the Golden Arrow of Achievement for long service and exceptional dedication in the public and private sectors. She now believes that, with the experience she has gained over the years, and the knowledge acquired from interacting with people at all levels, she is highly capable of functioning well in the new position. “The team is already there so it’s a matter of getting in there, establishing myself as a part of the team so that we can push development in the Region,” she said.