The Head of the Public Service, Cherie Whitter, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Carlita Lodge as the Director of the Department of Culture for the Ministry of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport, effective October 2025.
In this capacity, Ms. Lodge will work under the direction of the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport and will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and guidance for the Department of Culture.
Ms. Lodge joined the Department in 2015 as Cultural Programme Manager and has since led many of Bermuda’s most cherished cultural activities.
She has overseen the Bermuda Day Parade, Heritage Month, the Gombey Festival, and the Premier’s Concert, while also contributing to the National Cultural Heritage Policy and producing books and short documentaries that highlight Bermudian culture and people.
She has played a key role in Bermuda’s international cultural representation, including at CARIFESTA in 2017 and 2025.
Her work has been recognised with five Best of Bermuda Awards for Best Cultural Event. In 2022, she received the Public Service Rising Star Award, which recognises a young public officer who demonstrates a strong commitment to learning beyond their substantive role and shows clear potential for a successful career in the public service.
This recognition, together with her completion of two streams of the Government of Bermuda’s Leadership Development Programme in 2025, reflects the Government’s commitment to succession planning and its investment in developing leadership capacity across the public service.
Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Lodge worked at the Chewstick Foundation and the Fairmont Southampton. Earlier in her career, Ms. Lodge apprenticed under Ms. Ruth E. Thomas, MBE, Bermuda’s first Cultural Department head, who was then retired. That experience deepened her grounding in folklore and oral history.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Specialised Honours English from York University and a Master’s degree in Media and Communications from Brunel University.
Her dissertation, “Exploring Performative Culture: The Mediation of the Bermuda Gombey Image and the Disparity from its Cultural Significance,” continues to inform her work, particularly in ensuring that Bermuda’s traditions are both celebrated and understood within their full cultural context.
In her free time, Ms. Lodge is an active member of several grassroots and non-profit groups, and remains dedicated to uniting people through culture and community.