An award-winning civil servant has been announced as the director of the Department of Culture.

A government spokeswoman said Carlita Lodge will offer the department leadership and guidance through the role she stepped into this month.

She added: “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.”

Ms Lodge received the Public Service Rising Star Award in 2022 and her work earned five Best of Bermuda Awards for top cultural event.

She earned a specialised honours degree in English from York University, a master’s in media and communication from Brunel University, and studied history and folklore with Ruth Thomas, the Government’s first cultural affairs officer.

The spokeswoman said: “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.”

Ms Lodge replaces former director Kim Dismont-Robinson, who worked with the department for two decades.