Ministry of National Security

Training & Personal Development Unit

4th Annual

LEADERSHIP
SYMPOSIUM

Unleashing The Leader in You!

Thursday, 23 July 2026
9am – 3:30pm
The National Training Agency  •  Gladstone Road

Biographies

Mrs. Desiree Tynes-Moss is a well-respected Human Resource Professional, Community Leader, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach and Mentor; with over 15 years expertise, spanning military training and operations (RBDF), government policy and compliance, employee labour relations, customer service, and organizational leadership within the public and private sectors.

A veteran of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Mrs. Tynes-Moss is a transformational leader by nature, and is a passionate advocate for personal growth and continued development.  She firmly believes that integrity, hard work and personal discipline, are the foundation of good character. Guided by a personal quote by John Maxwell which states: “Success is… knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others. John C. Maxwell; She finds joy in helping other to reach their full potential!

Mrs. Tynes-Moss attended the College of the Bahamas (now University of the Bahamas), and the Universidad of Campeche, Mexico, where she received an Advanced Certificate in Spanish; which led her to become co-founder of the Defence Force language cell, l where she taught Spanish to New Entry Recruits. She is also, Bahama Host Certified, and is the recipient of the coveted Most Outstanding Participant Award from the Ministry of Tourism, Bahamas. In her pursuit of excellence, her studies merged with her passion; people. She also holds the international Leadership Development Certification, MDP, and Youth Ministries Certification (YLM), from the Centre for Biblical Leadership, Certified Youth Leader (Bahamas), certification in the office of the Justice of a Peace, as well as Human Resources Management.
Her desires to multiply leaders, thus, empowering individuals to walk in purpose and lead with Godly character for global impact. This led her to establish, (as President and Founder); the Elite Group of Companies, and the Girl Rise Network Bahamas (A Mentoring Program for Young Ladies). Mrs. Tynes-Moss is also a budding author, Rotarian, experienced Toast Master, and the Women’s Ministry Director (Church of God of Prophecy – Seven Hills) Nassau, Bahamas.  and Community Leader. She is married to D. Leroy Moss and is the mother of two beautiful daughter Deonte and Dehavilla Anissa.

Currently she serves as an assistant training officer in the Training & Professional Development Unit of the Ministry of National security, empowering employees today to become Leaders of  tomorrow.

Standing on the paradigm that relationships and people are pinitol to the Leader’s legacy, her commitment to the call of Leadership, Purpose and impact remains steadfast! Knowing that “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more; you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

Dr. Melisa A. Hall, widely known as The Queen of Empowerment, is a leadership authority, corporate and commercial attorney, executive trainer, international speaker, ordained minister, and two-time best-selling author.

She holds an LLB, an LLM in International Commercial Law, and a Doctorate in Covenant Leadership. She is also certified as a leadership coach, trainer, and speaker with the John Maxwell Team and as a Jack Canfield Success Principles Trainer.

A proven transformational leader, Dr. Hall made history as the first female General Manager of The Bridge Authority, where her leadership contributed to a 93 percent increase in revenue, a 75 percent reduction in employee turnover, improved workforce performance, and stronger organizational systems.

Through Global Empowerment Services, she has delivered leadership and professional development training to senior executives of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, The Bridge

Authority Corporation, the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union, Endless Dream Vacation Club, Money Maxx, Living Waters Kingdom Ministries, Transformation Ministries International, just to name a few and has trained and more than 300 women leaders.

Dr. Hall is also the founder of the Business Money Women Success Club, a thriving leadership and empowerment community where women are equipped to connect, collaborate, increase their visibility, communicate their value, and expand their influence. She is passionate about empowering purpose-driven women to lead with confidence and live with purpose across motherhood, marriage, ministry, and the marketplace.
In ministry, she co-leads The Grace Centre alongside her husband, Pastor Cedric Hall, where they are committed to developing leaders, strengthening families, activating spiritual gifts, and empowering people to fulfil their God-given purpose.Dr. Hall has spoken internationally across Ghana, Nigeria, Paris, the United States, and The Bahamas. Her areas of expertise include transformational leadership, strategic decision-making, high-impact communication, team development, organizational alignment, employee engagement, and women’s leadership.

A devoted wife to Pastor Cedric Hall and proud mother of CJ, Nathan, and Justice, Dr. Hall exemplifies what it means to lead with grace, excellence, wisdom, and measurable impact.

Commodore (Ret.) Tellis A. Bethel is an accomplished national security leader, having devoted more than four decades to public service in defence, security governance, leadership development, and national policy. He currently serves as Head of the Security Forces Inspectorate within the Ministry of National Security, where he is responsible for strengthening professional standards, accountability, inspections, and institutional performance across the country’s security agencies.

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Commodore Bethel joined the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in 1981 after receiving a Government of The Bahamas scholarship to attend the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England. Throughout his distinguished naval career, he served in numerous operational, command, and executive appointments aboard patrol vessels, at Coral Harbour Base, and Defence Force Headquarters, ultimately becoming the Force’s first Deputy Commander Defence Force (2010-2015) before being appointed Commander Defence Force (2015-2020).

As Commander, he led a comprehensive programme of organizational modernization and transformation designed to enhance the Defence Force’s operational readiness, leadership capacity, and long-term strategic development. His tenure was marked by significant advances in maritime security operations, disaster preparedness and humanitarian response, infrastructure development, patrol vessel and surveillance capability acquisitions, regional military cooperation, environmental conservation, youth development through the Rangers Programme, and the expansion of command, control, communications, and coastal surveillance systems. Under his leadership, the Force played a critical role in national responses to Hurricanes Joaquin, Matthew, Irma, and Dorian, while continuing to strengthen The Bahamas! maritime security and sovereignty. Following his service as Commander, Commodore Bethel transitioned to the Ministry of National Security, where he continues to contribute to national security reform through the co-drafting of requisite legislation and development of a strategic framework for the promotion of excellence in governance, institutional accountability, professional standards, strategic policy development, and continuous improvement across the country’s security sector. Beyond his public service career, Commodore Bethel is actively engaged in national development and civic leadership. He is a Trustee of the Bahamas Historical Society, a member of the Bahamas National Trust’s Executive Council, the National Development Plan (Vision 2040) Steering Committee, and Chair of the Committee’s Bahamas Peace Plan Subcommittee. He also serves as a member of the Bahamas Civil Society Research and Policy Committee and as an Associate Pastor at Embassy International Church, reflecting his commitment to community development and nation-building.

An accomplished author and strategic thinker, Commodore Bethel has written eight books on Bahamian history, heritage, and national development, and has published articles on security, governance, and leadership. He is the originator of the Bahamas Peace Plan and the Lucayan Sea Initiative, both of which seek to advance sustainable national development while strengthening The Bahamas’ identity, security, and international profile.

Commodore Bethel holds a Master of Arts in Leading, Innovation and Change from York St John University (England) and is a graduate of the United States Naval War College Naval Staff Course in Newport, Rhode Island. He has also completed numerous military, executive leadership, and management programmes throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Pastor Mario is the husband of one wife (Erika Naomi Nee Lloyd). They have three beautiful children, (Alec, Rachelle & Madison) and 3 Grandchildren.

In November 1992, while attending World Harvest Bible College, Columbus, Ohio, Pastor Mario Moxey acknowledged the call of God upon his life to pastor a Church. This began the journey of Bahamas Harvest Church where he has been the Pastor since 1995.

Under the leadership of Pastors Mario and Erika, Bahamas Harvest Church is one of the fastest

growing churches in the region, attracting the un-churched into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pastor Mario, a pastor for the nation, truly possesses a heart for the Harvest and has a sincere desire to see life change wherever he goes.

Charlene Laing is an accomplished Information and Communications Technology (ICT) executive with more than 35 years of experience leading digital transformation, enterprise technology modernization, information management, and public sector innovation within the Government of The Bahamas.

As the Director of the Department of Information & Communications Technology (DICT), she provides strategic leadership for the Government’s ICT landscape, overseeing the delivery of technology services, digital initiatives, infrastructure, enterprise applications, procurement, and ICT governance. She leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for maintaining the technology environment that supports government operations while driving innovation to improve public service delivery and the ease of doing business.

Throughout her career, Ms. Laing has built a reputation as a visionary leader with a proven ability to transform organizations through technology. Her passion lies in digitizing business processes, designing information management solutions, and implementing systems that enable executives to make informed, data-driven decisions. She believes that modern technology should enhance both customer experience and employee productivity through efficient, accessible, and measurable digital services.

Prior to her appointment as Director, Ms. Laing served in several senior ICT leadership positions within the Department of Information Technology. During this time, she managed enterprise procurement for the Government of The Bahamas, led desktop support and Family Island technical operations, Training and was responsible for the assessment, acquisition, and lifecycle management of government technology assets, enterprise software agreements, and ICT infrastructure.

She also served on secondment as IT Manager, Solutions at the Parliamentary Registration Department, where she led the modernization of legacy systems by developing a new digitalplatform, implementing customer self-service kiosks, introducing electronic information displays, and designing analytical reporting tools that significantly improved operational efficiency.

Following Hurricane Dorian, Ms. Laing was seconded to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), where she designed and implemented a comprehensive information management solution to support national disaster response and recovery efforts. She also led the redevelopment of NEMA’s website, modernizing its ICT infrastructure, and created digital data collection platforms for government agencies, international partners, and relief organizations.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Laing spent more than two decades with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, where she was instrumental in modernizing the Ministry’s technology environment. She established its first Local Area Network, transforming operations from a small standalone computing environment into a fully integrated enterprise network. She managed over 2,000 computers and hundreds of networked devices while overseeing system administration, disaster recovery planning, budgeting, procurement, infrastructure development, staff training, and technical operations.

Among her many professional achievements, Ms. Laing has successfully designed and developed numerous enterprise databases and business management solutions; managed government-wide ICT procurement and technology modernization initiatives; implemented the Government’s ICT asset tracking and tagging system; developed standardized procurement processes, templates, and operational guidelines; negotiated and managed major enterprise software agreements, including Microsoft and IBM; compiled the Government’s centralized ICT expenditure database; and served on numerous procurement evaluation committees for Government agencies and internationally funded projects.

Ms. Laing holds a Bachelor of Business Data Processing from Florida Memorial College in Miami, Florida, and possesses an extensive portfolio of internationally recognized professional certifications. These include Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Microsoft Office Master, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (SQL Server), along with certifications in procurement, risk management, e-Government leadership, public procurement, and systems administration.

Known for her integrity, strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and commitment to excellence, Ms. Laing has dedicated her career to advancing digital government and strengthening national ICT capabilities. Her expertise spans digital transformation, enterprise architecture, ICT governance, information management, procurement, project management, systems design, business process improvement, vendor management, cybersecurity governance, and organizational modernization.

Ms. Laing remains committed to leveraging technology as a catalyst for innovation, transparency, operational efficiency, and improved public service delivery, ensuring thatgovernment services continue to evolve to meet the needs of citizens and businesses in an increasingly digital world.

Outside of her professional responsibilities, Ms. Laing enjoys crafting and other creative pursuits. She is the proud mother of two adult children and values spending time with family.

With nearly three decades of executive experience, he is the Managing Director and Consultant for Smith & Associates Private Security and Investigations, where he designs and executes industrial-grade risk mitigation, conflict resolution, and security science models across the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

He holds an impressive academic portfolio, including a Bachelor of Laws with Upper Second- Class Honours from The University of Law in the United Kingdom, a Master of Science in Counselling Psychology from Capella University, and a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology from the College of The Bahamas.

As a clinician and consultant, he has dedicated years to understanding human behavior, delivering therapeutic interventions, and facilitating leadership and emotional regulation training for major institutions, including the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Beyond his professional endeavors, he is a deeply committed civic leader and an active member of the Rotary Club of West Nassau.

Develop • Enrich • Include