Hilda Cathy Heine (born April 6, 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician, who served as the eighth

President of the Marshall Islands The following is a list of presidents of the Marshall Islands, since the establishment of that office in 1979. The president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is the head of state and government of the Marshall Islands. The President is el ...

. Prior to assuming office, she served as the Minister of Education. She was the first individual from the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

to earn a

doctorate degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

, and the founder of the women's rights group Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI). Heine was the first woman to hold the presidency of the Marshall Islands. She is also the first female president of any

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

n country, and only the fourth woman to serve as

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

for any independent nation in

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

(following

Jenny Shipley Dame Jennifer Mary Shipley (née Robson; born 4 February 1952) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 36th prime minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999. She was the first female prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woma ...

and

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Early life and education

Heine was born on April 6, 1951, in

Majuro Atoll Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...

, Marshall Islands. She attended college in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where she earned her undergraduate degree at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 1970. She earned a master's degree at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

in 1975 and an educational doctorate at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

in 2004. She received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from

Fu Jen Catholic University Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private Catholic university in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and re-established in Taiwan in 1961 at ...

in 2019.

Career

Heine worked at

Marshall Islands High School Marshall Islands High School (also known as Majol Island or MIHS) is the main public high school located in Rita,McMurray, Christine and Roy Smith. ''Diseases of Globalization: Socioeconomic Transition and Health''. Routledge, October 11, 2013. ...

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...

from 1975 through 1982, serving both as a classroom teacher and as a counselor. In 2000, Heine founded Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI), a women's rights group. Since 2005, she had been Pacific Resources for Education and Learning's (PREL) Director at the Pacific Comprehensive Assistance Center. Heine participated in the 2009 with the Pacific Islands Climate Change Education Partnership. She has also been associated with the Leadership Pacific Advisory Board, the Commission on Education in Micronesia, and the Human Resources in Health Task Force. Representing

Aur Atoll Aur Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 42 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . It is located ...

in the

Nitijeļā The Legislature of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Nitijeļā ) has 33 members, elected for a four-year term in single-seat and five multi-seat constituencies. The last election was November 18, 2019. Elections in the Marshall Islands are officially ...

(Legislature), she became Minister of Education. In January 2016 Aelon Kein Ad member Casten Nemra was elected as

. Shortly afterwards Heine along with former Minister Thomas Heine and Wilbur Heine withdrew their support of Nemra and defected to the opposition. The decision was made after Thomas was not offered a positioned in the cabinet of Nemra. Nemra was shortly afterwards removed from office in a vote of no confidence, having been in office for only two weeks. Heine was chosen as the replacement candidate by the opposition. On January 27, 2016, as sole candidate, she received 24 votes with six abstaining and three absent from the 33 members of the Nitijeļā. Heine was sworn into office as President of the Marshall Islands on January 28, 2016. She became the first woman to hold the position. On November 12, 2018, Heine survived a

vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

with the outcome in votes being 16-16, falling short of the 17 votes needed. Heine and Kitlang Kabua, were the only two women elected in the

2019 Marshallese general election General elections were held in the Marshall Islands on 18 November 2019. Opponents of President Hilda Heine won a majority of seats. Background The 2015 Marshallese general election, 2015 elections saw a significant defeat for the government of i ...

. On January 6, 2020, she lost her bid for re-election in a 12-20 vote against

David Kabua David Kabua (born May 26, 1951) is a Marshall Islands, Marshallese politician who has served as President of the Marshall Islands since 13 January 2020. He has represented Wotho Atoll in the Legislature of the Marshall Islands since 2008 and serve ...

. Heine was Chancellor of the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public university, public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and ...

(USP) from 1 July 2019 to 12 January 2020. On 12 November 2021, the USP Council elected her as Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council for a three-year term beginning 1 January 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heine, Hilda 1951 births Female heads of state Education ministers of the Marshall Islands Living people Marshallese schoolteachers Members of the Legislature of the Marshall Islands People from Majuro Presidents of the Marshall Islands University of Hawaiʻi alumni University of Oregon alumni USC Rossier School of Education alumni Women government ministers of the Marshall Islands Women presidents Women heads of universities and colleges Female heads of government 21st-century Marshallese politicians 21st-century Marshallese women politicians

Early life and education

Career

Further reading

References

External links