Jacqui Quinn-Leandro

Last updated

Jacqui Quinn-Leandro (born 1965) is a communications specialist from Antigua. She was the first woman to be elected to the Lower House of Parliament for Antigua and Barbuda. In 2005, she served as the first female acting prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda during a temporary absence of Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. After two terms as a Member of Parliament, she was appointed as senator.

Biography

Jacqui Quinn-Leandro was born on 20 November 1965 in the village of New Winthropes, St. George Parish, Antigua. She attended the Holy Trinity School, Golden Grove Primary, Five Islands Primary School, Ottos Comprehensive and the Antigua Girls' High School. She graduated with a bachelor's degree with honours from the University of the West Indies and went on to earn a master's degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Cambridge in England. Quinn-Leandro completed her Doctorate of Philosophy in Communications at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [1]

After completing her education, Quinn-Leandro returned to Antigua, working as the news anchor of Antigua & Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS) Television and head of news and current affairs from 1986 to 1997. She then served as the Human Resource and Marketing Officer of the Antigua & Barbuda Investment Bank (ABIA). Later, Quinn-Leandro began working as a communications consultant for such organizations as the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation, the Antigua Commercial Bank and the Hadeed Corporate Group. In 2004, she represented the United Progressive Party and won the seat as a Member of Parliament for the St. George Constituency [1] and became the first woman to be elected to the country's Lower House of Parliament. [2] She was appointed as Minister of Information and Public Administration. [3] In 2005, she served as the first female acting prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda during a temporary absence of Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. [4] Between 2006 and 2008, she served as president of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), a Pan-American organization which focuses on gender equality and the rights of women. In 2009, she was re-elected as MP, carrying over 57% of the vote in her district [1] and was appointed to serve as the Minister of Education, Youth and Gender Affairs. [5] Though she lost her 2014 re-election bid, Quinn-Leandro was appointed to serve the 2014 term in the Upper House of Parliament as a Senator. [2]

In 2012, Quinn-Leandro was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery to remove two lumps and an eight-month treatment regime before being declared cancer-free and returning to work. [6] She is the mother of two children. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigua and Barbuda</span> Country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies

Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign island country in the Caribbean. It lies at the conjuncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Antigua and Barbuda</span>

The politics of Antigua and Barbuda takes place in a framework of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, wherein the sovereign of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of state, appointing a governor-general to act as vice-regal representative in the nation. A prime minister is appointed by the governor-general as the head of government, and of a multi-party system; the prime minister advises the governor-general on the appointment of a Council of Ministers. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament. The bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Antigua and Barbuda</span>

The history of Antigua and Barbuda covers the period from the arrival of the Archaic peoples thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Antigua and Barbuda were inhabited by three successive Amerindian societies. The island was claimed by England, who settled the islands in 1632. Under English/British control, the islands witnessed an influx of both Britons and African slaves migrate to the island. In 1981, the islands were granted independence as the modern state of Antigua and Barbuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester Bird</span> Antiguan politician (1938–2021)

Sir Lester Bryant Bird was an Antiguan politician and athlete who served as the second prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2004. He was chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) from 1971 to 1983, then became prime minister when his father, Sir Vere Bird, the previous prime minister, resigned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Antiguan general election</span>

General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 23 March 2004. The result was a victory for the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), which defeated the incumbent Antigua Labour Party. Baldwin Spencer, leader of the UPP, replaced Lester Bird as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, with Bird being one of eight Labour MPs to lose his seat. Spencer became only the second Prime Minister from outside the Bird family or the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin Spencer (politician)</span> Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda

Winston Baldwin Spencer is an Antiguan politician who was the third prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 2004 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda</span> Head of state of Antigua and Barbuda

The monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Antigua and Barbuda. The current Antiguan and Barbudan monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Antigua and Barbuda. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Antigua and Barbuda and, in this capacity, he and other members of the Royal Family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Antigua and Barbuda. However, the King is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role.

Charlesworth Theophilus Samuel was an Antiguan politician.

Vere Bird Jr. was an Antiguan lawyer and politician who served as chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) and a government minister. He was the son of Vere Bird, the former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and brother of Lester Bird, who later held the same position.

Sir Robin Yearwood KGCN is an Antiguan politician and member of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP). Entering Parliament in 1976, Yearwood served as Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in the ALP administration until a cabinet reshuffle in 1987 saw him take over Vere Bird, Jr.'s portfolio for Aviation, Public Information and Public Utilities. Despite a failed attempt to oust the Prime Minister he retained this position, and kept it when he became Deputy Prime Minister on 9 September 2002 and Minister of Finance a year later. Following the ALP's loss in the 2004 election, Yearwood was one of only three ALP members left in the lower house, and became Leader of the Opposition. He held this position until 2006, when he was replaced with Steadroy Benjamin.

Asot Michael is an Antiguan politician and a Member of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda, elected from Saint Peter Constituency. He was also the Minister of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy under Prime Minister Gaston Browne. He was formerly a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party.

Sir Molwyn Joseph, KGCN, is an Antiguan politician and Chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP). First entering politics in 1984 when he was made a Minister without Portfolio in the government of Vere Bird, Joseph became Minister of Finance seven years later, renegotiating the Antiguan national debt and introducing fiscal reforms. After a 1996 scandal in which it was discovered he had used his position to import a 1930s Rolls-Royce for a friend, bypassing normal import duties and taxes, he was dismissed from the Bird administration, returning 14 months later to serve as Minister for Planning, Implementation and the Environment. Following the 1999 general election, he became Minister of Heath and Social Improvement before being made Minister of Tourism and the Environment a few months later. As Minister, Joseph attempted to improve the perception of Antigua as a tourist destination and invest in the industry, spending 2 million US dollars increasing the number of hotel rooms on the island and providing money for both Air Jamaica and Air Luxor to provide flights to the island.

Dame Bernice Lake was an Anguillan-born jurist and legal scholar whose career spanned more than forty years. In 1985, she became the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to be appointed Queen's Counsel. Lake was also the first graduate of the University of the West Indies to receive the honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaston Browne</span> Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda since 2014

Gaston Alfonso Browne is an Antiguan politician serving as the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda and leader of the Labour Party since 2014. Before entering politics, he was a banker and businessman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellie Robinson</span>

Dame Nellie Robinson, DNH, MBE,, was an Antiguan teacher and school founder who was a pioneer in education. She broke down colour and class barriers, believing that all children should have access to learning. As of 2017, she was the only woman to have received the Order of the National Hero from the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigua and Barbuda–Mexico relations</span> Bilateral relations

The nations of Antigua and Barbuda and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1984. Both nations are members of the Association of Caribbean States, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Organization of American States and the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Bird-Browne</span> Member of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda

Maria Vanessa Bird-Browne is a politician in Antigua and Barbuda. She was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for St. John's Rural East in the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda in 2018, becoming the youngest lawmaker in the country. She is the country's minister for housing, lands, and urban renewal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Walker</span> Antigua and Barbuda politician

Trevor Myke Walker is a Barbudan politician, current member of parliament for Barbuda, and former Cabinet Minister under the Baldwin Spencer administration. He is a member of the Barbuda People's Movement, a party that seeks the independence of Barbuda from Antigua and Barbuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Christian</span> Antiguan and Barbudan politician

Gail Christian is an Antiguan and Barbudan politician and senator. She is a senator of the Upper House of Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda. She was appointed senator by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

Royal tours of Antigua and Barbuda by its royal family have been taking place since the 20th century. Elizabeth II, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda, visited the country thrice: 1966, 1977, and 1985.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jacqui Quinn-Leandro". St. Michael, Barbados: Caribbean Elections. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 Gordon, Theresa (16 July 2014). "Quinn Leandro introspects on UPP defeat". St. John’s, Antigua: Antigua Observer. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Maher, Joanne; McIntyre, Philip (eds) (2004). Europa World Year. Taylor & Francis. p. 519. ISBN   978-1-85743-254-1.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  4. ↑ "Congratulations pour in for first woman acting prime minister of Antigua Barbuda". St. John's, Antigua: Caribbean News Now. 22 January 2005. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Dr.Hon.Jacqui Quinn-Leandro Takes a Look Back and Ahead". St. John’s, Antigua: Government of Antigua and Barbuda. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Malone, Tameika (30 July 2013). "Dr Jacqui Quinn-Leandro beats cancer rap". St. John's, Antigua: Antigua Observer. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.