Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee - Senior Lecturer and Director of the Mona GeoInformatics Institute of the University of the West Indies - has returned to Jamaica following a seven-week program in the United States to investigate ways to improve data-driven decision-making in Jamaica.
 
Dr Lyew-Ayee was sponsored by the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowships program, chaired by General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret).
 
Dr Lyew-Ayee visited 13 cities, conducting over 45 meetings with a range of individuals and organizations, ranging from several Fortune 500 companies, technology start-ups. top academic organizations, and various federal and city organizations. He visited multiple US military installations and city police departments, Silicon Valley companies, and federal scientific centers. He also delivered an invited lecture at Harvard University.
 
He joined 23 other Eisenhower Fellows from around the world, and will continue to develop the relationships formed through the Eisenhower Fellow Alumni Network.
 
Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and links outstanding leaders from around the world, helping them to achieve consequential outcomes across sectors and borders. EF provides a transformational experience leading to lifetime engagement in a global network, where dialogue and collaboration make the world more prosperous, just and peaceful. Eisenhower Fellows spend two months in the United States to pursue an individually-designed program in their field of interest. The program, customized to meet the goals of the Eisenhower Fellow, includes meetings with experts and leaders in the Fellow’s field, and generally includes cultural site visits and hospitality.
 
Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization seeking to foster international understanding and leadership through the exchange of information, ideas, and perspectives among emerging leaders throughout the world. Established in 1953 as a birthday tribute to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the organization has sponsored more than 1,900 Fellows from 108 countries.