Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n lawyer, politician and diplomat. She was formerly

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Saint Ann South Eastern and served as Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, Entertainment, and Culture.Kerri-Ann M. Smith, interview with Aloun Ndombet-Assamba.
/ref> She has served as High Commissioner for Jamaica in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

between 2012 and 2016.

Early life and education

Assamba was born in Spanish Town, St. Catherine her parents pulled up roots and went to live in Moneague, St. Ann along with her when she was a baby. Her parents then moved to Kingston with her when she was 13 years old. She was educated at Ferncourt High School, Merl Grove High School and the Convent of Mercy Alpha Academy, where she was deputy Head Girl. She then went on to study law at the University of the West Indies and the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

. She then studied Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

Career

Legal career

Assamba was legal advisor at the Jamaica Industrial Development Corporation (JIDC) between 1983 and 1987 and the Heinz Fellow in Strategic Management at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

between 1991 and 1992. She became a lecturer at the Mona School of Business and taught Mediation at the

. Between 1994 and 2002, Assamba was the General manager of the City of Kingston Co-operative

Credit Union A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provisi ...

(COK), from 1994 to 2002, and went on to serve as General Counsel & Chief Corporate Officer at Paymaster Jamaica Limited (2007-2008).

Political career

Aloun Ndombet-Assamba served as a Government Senator between 1998 and 2002 and then as

for Saint Ann South Eastern until 2007, when she was succeeded by

Lisa Hanna Lisa Rene Shanti Hanna (born August 20, 1975) is a Jamaican politician and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 1993, becoming the third Jamaican to win the title. A member of the opposition People's National Party, Hanna currently serves a ...

. Assamba served as

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Technology before becoming one of three women in the

Cabinet of Jamaica The Cabinet of the Government of Jamaica is the ultimate decision-making body of the executive within the Westminster system of government in traditional constitutional theory. The Cabinet of Jamaica is the principal instrument of government poli ...

as Minister of Tourism, Entertainment, and Culture. She has been involved with many voluntary sector organisations, including the United Way of Jamaica, the Jamaica Cancer Society, the Jamaican Bar Association, and the

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...

Diplomatic career

Assamba was ambassador to six European countries and was appointed as the Jamaican High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in May 2012 and served until May 2016."Assamba goes to London"
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 3 May 2012.

Awards

* Heinz Fellowship,

Veuve Clicquot Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin () is a Champagne house founded in 1772 and based in Reims. It is one of the largest Champagne houses. Madame Clicquot is credited with major breakthroughs, creating the first known vintage champagne in 1810, and ...

La Grande Dame Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndombet-Assamba, Aloun Living people Jamaican women lawyers University of the West Indies alumni Government ministers of Jamaica Women government ministers of Jamaica People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica Tourism ministers of Jamaica High Commissioners of Jamaica to the United Kingdom Jamaican women ambassadors Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Jamaican women politicians 21st-century Jamaican politicians 20th-century Jamaican lawyers 20th-century women lawyers