Commander Alvin Gayle serves as the Director-General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), having been seconded from the Jamaica Defence Force in November 2025. He possesses over twenty years of leadership expertise in areas including national security, operational planning, crisis management, disaster preparedness, maritime operations, and institutional resilience.

As Director-General, Commander Gayle has led the national coordination of Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa response, directing complex, multi-agency operations involving government entities, local authorities, the private sector, international partners, and humanitarian organisations. His leadership has concentrated on restoring access to impacted communities, enhancing national logistics and relief-distribution systems, supporting vital infrastructure, and promoting coordinated recovery planning.

Prior to his tenure at ODPEM, he served as the Executive Officer of the Jamaica Defence Force’s Maritime, Air, and Cyber Command beginning in April 2022. In this role, he also functioned as the Officer Conducting Exercise for Exercise Event Horizon from 2023 to 2025, overseeing complex national and regional security and emergency preparedness exercises. He previously commanded the 1st District Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, where he effectively led maritime security operations targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities, as well as illicit narcotics trafficking, among other responsibilities. During his tenure, he also headed the team responsible for establishing the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard’s 2nd District, thereby enhancing the country’s maritime operational capabilities.

Commander Gayle is an alumnus of the University of the West Indies and the United States Naval War College. He possesses master’s degrees in National Security and Strategic Studies, as well as in Defence and Strategic Studies. His professional career demonstrates consistent expertise in strategic leadership, inter-agency coordination, institutional development, and the management of complex national operations.