On January 3, Bermuda will have its first ever Director of Sustainable Development.

Erica Smith, who was formerly the Assistant Director of Planning, will replace outgoing Project Leader Ross Andrews and will have the difficult task of making sure the Civil Service complies with a yet to be published Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan (SDSIP).

?Now Bermuda has a very capable ?daughter of the soil? ? who is a professional and dedicated Civil Servant ? ready to lead Sustainable Development,? Premier Alex Scott said in a release. ?We are most fortunate to have, in Mrs. Erica Smith, the right person to ensure the success of our strategy and the implementation of our Plan.?

In February, Government announced it would form a Sustainable Development Unit responsible for the publication of sustainability indicators and to the monitor and assess SDSIP.

Mrs. Smith was also a member of the Government?s Sustainable Development Project Team.

?The unit will also be responsible for ensuring that the Civil Service is fully aware of the SDSIP and educated in sustainable development concepts and will be responsible for the review and assessment of the impact on Sustainable Development of all major Government initiatives,? a release said. ?The unit will also be expected to ensure that the general public is informed as to the Government?s progress in complying with the SDSIP.?

?I am extremely pleased to be given this opportunity to play a leading role on one of the most important initiatives to ever be undertaken by the Bermuda Government,? Mrs. Smith said. ?This will be a position that will rely on the entire community to ensure this country?s future sustainability.?

Mrs. Smith has a Bachelor?s degree in architecture, a graduate certificate in urban design and a Master?s degree in city planning.

Since joining the Civil Service as a trainee planner in 1998, she has steadily progressed within the Ministry of the Environment to the post of Assistant Director.

In addition to her move to the Central Policy Unit (CPU) as part of the Sustainable Development Project, Mrs. Smith was also part of a team established by the CPU to review the respective party platforms ahead of the 2003 Election.

Mrs. Smith was seconded to CPU again in 2004 as a professional development opportunity at the request of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Wayne Carey.