Prefect

A prefect is a title used in various civilizations and contexts to denote a person charged with maintaining order or administration in a defined jurisdiction. The term derives from Latin praefectus, literally 'placed in front' or 'in charge'. Historically, the title was used in the Roman Empire and in later European administrations for officials charged with regional or provincial authority.

In modern France, the prefect (préfet) is the state's representative in a department or region, appointed by the central government. The prefect oversees the local implementation of national laws, oversees public order, civil protection, and state services, and coordinates with regional and local authorities.

In Italy, the prefect is the representative of the central government in a province or metropolitan city, supervising local administrative offices and coordinating with regional authorities.

In many schools, especially in the UK and Commonwealth, a prefect is a senior student appointed to help supervise students, enforce rules, and act as a liaison with staff. Duties vary by school and may be ceremonial as well as disciplinary.

In computing, Prefect is a workflow orchestration platform used to design, schedule, and monitor data pipelines. It began as an open-source project and includes both core components and a hosted cloud option.