President

Bro. Armell Thomas is a long standing employee at the Department of Health as a Senior Environmental Health Officer.

Bro. Thomas comes back to the BPSU as he was President of the Union from 2005-2011 and served as President of the Caribbean Public Services Association (CPSA) from 2006-2007.  He also presided over the 37th Annual Conference held in Bermuda in July 2007.

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Under Bro. Thomas' previous presidency with the BPSU, the Union participated in marches on the Government of the day in 2008 for unsettled BPSU negotiations and joined public service unions in support of the Police Service Association in protest of their outstanding contract talks.

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Bro. Thomas' aim is to continue to move the Union forward in this ever changing world.

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1st Vice President

Sis. Lalisha Simmons had devoted 14 years to the Civil Service within the Customs Department.  She is currently a Senior Customs Officer and has been a Shop Steward for Division 1 for 8 years, holding the positions of Assistant Secretary and Chairperson.

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The importance of trade unionism was instilled in Sis. Lalisha as a teenager as she observed her uncle, Bro. Ottiwell Simmons, advocating for Bermuda's workers.  Following his lead, she has continued to advocated for the rights of Bermuda's workers.

Within the BPSU, Sis. Lalisha has served as an active member of the Community Outreach Committee, the Education Committee and Chairperson of the Future Leader's Committee.

A quote Sis. Lalisha lives by is, "True leaders always practice the three R's: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all their actions".  She believes in a voice for all to bring about solidarity. 

2nd Vice President

Sis. Linda Bogle-Mienzer is a daughter of the soil who has worked at the Bermuda Police Service for the past 19 years as a Station Duty Officer.

She served as Shop Steward for the SDO since 2003 after the untimely death of SDO Gladys Saunders. Despite the unexpected start to her union career, she has steadily moved up the ranks to her current position of 2nd Vice President.

Along the way she has travelled extensively for the Union and currently holds the position of LGBTQ representative for Public Services International Caribbean Sub-region.

She prides herself in being a strong unionist and a voice for the workers. She can be seen throughout the workshops in her bowties and hats mingling with the membership at every opportunity.

In her spare time she's a keen cricket and tennis enthusiast. A huge fan of social media, her mantra is "Live Peeps Live, Don't Just Exist".

3rd Vice President

Sis. Nadine Henry is the Senior Youth Services Development Officer for the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation. Formerly a Social Studies teacher, Sis. Nadine transferred within the public service in 2006 to become a Community Education and Development Programme Coordinator. Shortly after she joined the BPSU and became a Shop Steward for the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.

Sis. Nadine was an involved unionist having served previously as the Division 7 Secretary, member of the BPSU - Government Negotiation Team, member of the Young Workers Committee (now Future Leaders) and Chair of the BPSU Women’s Committee. She has represented the BPSU overseas, presenting in Women’s Forums and served as the Education Chairperson for the Caribbean Public Services Association.

Sis. Nadine considers herself a servant of fellow mankind therefore she easily aligns herself with defending the rights of workers.

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Sis. Nadine’s mantra is, “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.” Marian Wright Edleman

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Recording Secretary

Sis. Ashley Smith is currently an Enforcement Officer within the Judicial Department, responsible for the Supervision of the Office of Family & Child Support and enforcement of Maintenance Orders in over 20 jurisdictions.  

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Sis. Smith has been the Secretary and Chairperson of Division 12 and served on the Future Leaders and Women's Committees.  She has represented BPSU both locally and overseas at UNI, CPSA and CLC.

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As Division Chair, she was responsible for members spanning eleven (11) different Departments/Sections of Government.  Sis Smith has participated in Government negotiations, Secretariat negotiations, grievance handling, disciplinary hearings, critical Health & Safety issues, decision making for the Union and more.

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She is a proud Public Servant, BPSU Member and Union Activist.  As an acknowledgement of her work as a Unionist, Sis. Smith was awarded 'Young Woman of Influence' by the BPSU Women's Committee on International Women's Day in 2018.

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Sis. Smith's biggest supporter is her 11-year-old daughter, and she keenly observes her mother serving the members fairly, transparently, effectively and most importantly in their very best interests.

Assistant Recording Secretary

Unionism has been something that was etched into my soul from a very young age. Marching in annual Labour Day parades and partaking in the weekend celebrations were something I looked forward to.

Watching the unionists of the day fight for equality for all, during a time when our people didn’t have the loudest voice in the Country, is something I’ll forever be grateful for. So, it was only right that once the opportunity afforded itself, I became more involved.

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Within the BPSU, Sis. Smith has been an active member of the Finance Committee and Bar Committee.  She also represented the BPSU overseas at the Caribbean Public Services Association and the Caribbean Congress of Labour.

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Sis. Smith was a Shop Steward for Division 1 (Customs Department) for six years and held the post of Secretary for four years. I hope to continue to assist in highlighting the importance of the Union and continuing the legacy set forth by our forefathers. 

Onward and Upward Together!

General Secretary

Bro. Edward G. Ball Jr. joined the Bermuda Public Services Union in November 1980.  Bro. Ball served as a Shop Steward, Divisional Chairperson for Division 5 –  Bermuda Hospitals Board, and served in all Vice-Presidents’ positions before being elected President in March 1988.

During his tenure as President, Bro. Ball was instrumental in the formation of the Union’s Women’s Committee and spearheaded many educational forums to enlighten the membership on matters such as the Human Rights Act 1981, What Makes News and Drug Testing in the Workplace, Pension Reform, Health & Safety, member of the drafting team for workers for the Employment Act 2000, etc.

As a Trade Unionist, Bro. Ball oversees all Negotiation Teams, Arbitrations, Governmental Boards, etc.  His day to day responsibility is to assist in setting policy for the Union.

He sat as member of the Economic Forum, the Base Lands Development Corporation (BLDC), the Immigration Board and the reform of the Workers Education, Long Term Residency Policy, Appeals Board, Bermuda Social Insurance, Labour Advisory Council, the Public Services Superannuation Board and Government Employees Health Insurance to name a few.