USF CEO Dawes’ death sends shock waves through public sector

Transport Authority Managing Director Ralston Smith said news of the passing of Dr Daniel Dawes, the chief executive officer of the Universal Service Fund (USF), has sent shock waves through not only the organisation he leads, but the entire transport sector.

Dawes was a former managing director of the Transport Authority and at the time of his passing was a director of its board.

“We are trying to come to terms with this colossal loss,” Smith told The Gleaner outside Dawes’ St Andrew home on Friday.

“He is action-oriented and a leader that leads from the front. He is always on the frontline. It’s just the passion and the nature that fuelled the man,” he said.

“At this time, we are just trying to come to terms with the news of his passing. I am in a state of shock as we speak,” he added.

Smith said he had conversations with Dawes on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.

“He was just jovial, kind and provided words of encouragement in terms of leadership and stewardship, talking about the state of the nation and the sectors we are both involved in and how we can seek to raise the profile and just seek to contribute to national development,” he added.

Smith said that Dawes’ colleagues at the USF and the Transport Authority are in a state of disbelief.

Leads from the front

Paul Morgan is employed to the USF in the procurement department but also doubles up as Dawes’ driver. He described his boss as a teacher, noting that “he is one of the kindest persons I know”.

“Whenever he tries to impart knowledge, you will and you must learn,” he said of the man who was said to be a stickler for punctuality. “He doesn’t leave anything to chance; he leads from the front.”

Morgan said when he tried to contact his boss on Friday and his phone rang without an answer, he decided to visit his residence.

The grief-stricken Morgan said he later received the devastating news that his boss was unresponsive and had died.

Members of the Stadium Gardens community were also in shock when they discovered that Dawes died at home.

Yesterday, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz said he was “in shock” at Dawes’ untimely passing.

“He was not only dedicated to the work of the people, but a man with a great presence,” said Vaz in a statement.

Dawes was appointed USF CEO in January 2019.

Head of the St Andrew Central Police Division, Senior Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, told The Gleaner that “no foul play [is] suspected presently”.

Chairman of the USF board, Metry Seaga, has expressed sadness at Dawes’ death, remembering him as “a no-nonsense man that has worked hard to pull himself up the ranks.

“[It’s] just a horrible situation,” he told The Gleaner on Friday afternoon.

Seaga said earlier this month, Dawes graduated with his Doctor of Educational Leadership degree from the Delaware State University in the United States.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said Dawes was “a visionary who devoted himself to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that every Jamaican had technology access”.

“The public service has lost an exceptional leader. His work has helped to advance our communities and empower countless lives,” he said in a social media post.

Dawes is a former lecturer at The University of the West Indies Global Campus, formerly the Open Campus.

The USF is mandated to ensure Jamaicans have access to information and communications technology services such as Wi-Fi Internet access. It is funded by a levy on domestic telecoms service providers.

Dawes was 60 years at the time of his passing. He would have celebrated another birthday in August.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com