Dame Marcella Althea Liburd, (born 10 July 1953) is a

Kittitian Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

politician who is the fifth governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis, serving since 2023. Trained as a teacher and then as a barrister and solicitor, Liburd was the first woman to serve as both the Speaker of the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Governor-General. She has served in various Ministerial positions including Acting Prime Minister and Chair of the Opposition for the Labour Party. She was the first woman to serve as Chair in the 81-year-old organization’s history.

Early life

Marcella Liburd was born on 10 July 1953 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts,

St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

to Anne Eliza (née Martin) and Clement Liburd. After attending Basseterre Girls School, Liburd graduated from Basseterre High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from 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 ...

in 1976.

Career

Liburd returned from abroad and began teaching at Basseterre and Cayon High Schools. She returned to her own studies, obtaining a Bachelor of Law with honours in 1992 from Norman Manley Law School (NMLS) where she continued her education, earning a Legal Education Certificate from NMLS in 1994. After Liburd's admission as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

for the Eastern Supreme Court in 1994, she began a political career. She was appointed as Secretary of the Labour Party in 1997. In 2004, she became Speaker of the National Assembly, the first woman to serve in that capacity in the country. Liburd served until 2008, when she ran as a candidate for Constituency No. 2, St. Kitts and was elected as a Member of Parliament. Liburd has drafted legislation that includes the Domestic Violence Act and Equal Pay Act. She has served as the Minister of Health, Social Services, Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, as well as Acting Prime Minister. In 2011, Liburd was featured in an exhibit promoted by various departments of the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis to highlight prominent women's accomplishments. In 2013, Liburd became the first woman elected as Chair of the Labour Party in its 81-year history. In 2015, the Labor Party was removed from office for the first time in twenty years, making her a member of the Opposition. She became the first woman deputy leader of the National Labor Party in 2018 and was appointed as Governor-General’s Deputy in 2022. Liburd was installed as the first woman to become Governor-General for the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis on 1 February 2023. Later that week, she was appointed

Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honou ...

Early life

Career

References

Citations

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See also