Staff
Our small Curacao based team provides management, administrative and technical support.
“RAC REMPEITC has earned an excellent reputation for helping developing countries meet their international obligations to protect the Caribbean Sea”
Carla Bikker, Director (Acting)
T: +5999 839-3716
Carla Bikker is the Director (Acting) at RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe, seconded by the Government of Curacao (Dutch Caribbean). The Director is a direct appointment by the Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning of Curacao. Ms. Bikker has been working at RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe since its beginning in 1995.
Ms. Bikker has a Bachelor degree in Financial Management, English Business Communication, Project Management and Office Management.
Prior joining RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe Ms. Bikker worked as a financial and loan advisor at a bank and served as a counselor at the Prime Minister’s office.
T: (+1) 868-789-2488
Ms. Nadia Gour is an Environmental Programme Officer II, employed by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) of Trinidad and Tobago. In August 2022, she was seconded by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GovTT) to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a consultant to the Regional Activity/Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Centre for the Wider Caribbean (RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe). At the Centre, she assists 33 Caribbean nations and territories to:
- “Strengthen national and regional preparedness and response capacity;
- Facilitate co-operation and mutual assistance in cases of emergency to prevent and control major oil spills incidents”
through the Implementation of the Protocol Concerning Co-operation and Development in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region (the Oil Spills Protocol) under the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR), commonly known as the Cartagena Convention.
Prior to this assignment, Ms. Gour functioned for over 15 years as a technical officer, where she was charged with the responsibility of reviewing applications for Certificates of Environmental Clearance (CECs), inclusive of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) across multiple sectors within Trinidad and Tobago. She also represented on various Inter-agency Committees and Working Groups at the National level.
In addition to her many years of experience in the field of environmental management, Mrs. Gour is a trained coastal management professional. She holds a Master of Science (MSc.) degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management, specializing in Coastal and Marine Resources Management, from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus as well as a second MSc. degree in Coastal Engineering and Management from the UWI, St. Augustine Campus.
Matthew Martin, U.S. Consultant
T: 005 999 8393716
T: 005 999 8683409
Matthew Martin is seconded to the International Maritime Organization as the U.S. Consultant to the Regional Activity Center/ Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Center for the Wider Caribbean (REMPEITC – Caribe), where he assists 33 Caribbean nations and territories to prevent and respond to marine pollution and enforce international environmental standards.
Prior to this role, he served as a Deputy Program Director at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. Matthew previously served as the Operations Officer at the Pacific Strike Team, a nationally designated special team with 60 personnel mandated to respond to oil spills, hazardous materials releases, and natural disasters across the country and around the world.
Matthew graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelors of Science in Marine Environmental Science. After graduation, Matthew was assigned as a Deck Watch Officer on board USCGC STEADFAST, home ported in Astoria, Oregon.
Recent activities
To promote its objectives, RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe conducts national and regional activities throughout the Wider Caribbean Region