Josephine Tamai

Mrs. Josephine Tamai began her career in the Belize Public Service in February 1991 as a Second Class Clerk. Having served the government and people of Belize for over 35 years, she steadily rose through the ranks of the public service, taking on increasingly complex responsibilities. From the post of Second Class Clerk, she was promoted to First Class Clerk, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Officer, and later to Chief Elections Officer, a post she has held for the past 15 years of her career.
From the onset, Mrs. Tamai knew that to get a promotion, she had no choice but to further her education. As the years went by, the public service became increasingly competitive, with educational qualifications being given priority over seniority. Mrs. Tamai always aimed to excel, and with the financial support of her parents (Paulino and Elia Castellanos), and her dream to give her family a decent life, she decided that she must make sacrifices to accomplish those dreams. The road was filled with numerous obstacles; however, she was adamant that nothing or no one would get in the way of her career. During those years, while furthering her education, she had no choice but to balance work, school, and family life. The road was never easy and came with many challenges; however, those very challenges made her more resilient and shaped her into the public officer she is today. Mrs. Tamai holds both a Certificate in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Business with a concentration in Management from Galen University.
Mrs. Tamai’s extensive experience in accounting, tax administration, human resource management and electoral management spans from working at various ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Education, Sub-Treasury Department, Immigration Department, Ministry of Investment and Public Utilities, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Belmopan Hospital, Office of the Services Commission, Department of General Sales Tax, Office of Governance, Ministry of the Public Service and the Elections and Boundaries Department. Over the years, her journey across the public service has given her a deep, systemic understanding of governance.
Having served as Belize’s Chief Elections Officer for the past 15 years, Mrs. Tamai has managed all aspects of Belize’s electoral processes. In addition to managing staff and the day-to-day operations of the Elections and Boundaries Department, Mrs. Tamai managed the complete re-registration of electors’ exercise in 2018, several signature verification exercises, and several general, municipal, village council, and by-elections. She also managed the conduct of referenda, including the referendum on the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute.
Mrs. Tamai has participated in training sessions on various election-related topics with the Organization of American States, the Commonwealth, and CARICOM. Additionally, she has done presentations to electoral management professionals for the CARICOM and Commonwealth Secretariats. In 2019, Mrs. Tamai served as CARICOM’s representative, along with the Commonwealth and the OAS, on a joint Electoral Reform Mission to Dominica. She has vastly expanded her knowledge on election-related matters through her participation in several election observation missions. As an electoral management expert, Mrs. Tamai has served as Chief and Deputy Chief of Missions in elections across the Caribbean and as a member of Commonwealth election observation missions in Ghana, and Sri Lanka.
At the heart of Mrs. Tamai’s journey, however, is her family. She credits much of her strength and motivation to her daughters, Avonly and Sylvia Tamai, who remain her pride and joy. Her career came at the expense of many sacrifices for her entire family. There were countless days and nights when her daughters did not see their mother. There were numerous school activities and precious family functions she could not attend because she had to be working long hours, including weekends and holidays. Mrs. Tamai knows that those precious moments will never return; however, despite those sacrifices, her family remained an important source of strength and motivation throughout her journey. Without them, this journey would never have been possible.
For those who know Mrs. Tamai personally, her love for Belize is undeniable. Her commitment to public service extends far beyond her professional determination. It has always been about serving her country, helping people, and leaving the public service better than she found it.
Mrs. Tamai encourages all public officers to give their absolute best in everything they do and to serve genuinely from the heart, with honesty, dedication, and pride. She believes that the greatest reward is witnessing citizens receive the help that they truly need. The Belize Public Service belongs to all of us, and the quality of the service public officers provide today will shape the Belize we leave for generations to come. Even when our public service careers eventually come to an end, we will be required to depend on the very public services we all helped to deliver. Therefore, every public officer has a responsibility to do their part, to uphold the trust placed in them, and to help build a Belize Public Service that we all can be proud of.