Dame Calliopa Pearlette Louisy (born 8 June 1946) is a Saint Lucian academic, who served as

governor-general of Saint Lucia The governor-general of Saint Lucia is the representative of the Saint Lucian monarch, currently Charles III. The official residence of the governor-general is Government House. The position of governor-general was established when Saint Lucia ...

from 19 September 1997, until her resignation on 31 December 2017. She is the first woman to hold the vice-regal office.

Biography

Born in the village of

Laborie Laborie is a village on the south coast of Saint Lucia. It was originally called l'Islet a Caret after the Loggerhead sea turtles that were found in the area. The name Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie who was the French governor of Saint L ...

, Saint Lucia, Louisy attended the Laborie Infant School and Primary Schools. In 1960 she proceeded to the Saint Joseph's Convent on the Javouhey Scholarship. In 1966, a year after the completion of her secondary education she was awarded the

Canadian International Development Agency The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) was a federal Canadian organization that administered foreign aid programs in developing countries. The agency was merged into the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2013 by the federal governmen ...

(CIDA) scholarship to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in English and French at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

at Cave Hill,

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. In 1972, she was awarded the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan to pursue a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in Linguistics, in the field of Didactics at

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montmo ...

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, Canada. In 1991, she proceeded to the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

in the United Kingdom, where she read for a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree in Education. Louisy has contributed significantly to the development of Education in Saint Lucia, having spent most of her professional life in the teaching profession. During the periods 1969–72 and 1975–76, she taught at the St Joseph's Convent. From 1976 to 1986, she served as a tutor of French, and was subsequently appointed as Principal of the St. Lucia A Level College. When the A Level College and Morne Technical School merged into the

Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Sir Arthur Lewis Community College is the only community college in the island country of Saint Lucia. The college was established in 1985 and is named after Saint Lucian economist and Nobel laureate Sir Arthur Lewis. Notable alumni * Sarah F ...

, she first served as Dean, and was subsequently appointed as the Vice Principal and Principal of the College. In 1999, Louisy was awarded the Honorary degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

(LL.D.) by the

. On 16 July 1999, she was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. In 2011, she received an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLB) from the University of West Indies.

Honours

National honours

– : Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint Lucia The Order of Saint Lucia is an order of chivalry established in 1986 by Elizabeth II. The Order comprises seven classes. In decreasing order of seniority, these are: * ''Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lucia'' (GCSL) * ''Knight/Dame Commander ...

(GCSL)