Susan O'Bey

Last updated

Susan O'Bey is a politician in Saint Helena. She is currently chief secretary, one of the most senior roles in the island's government. [1] [2]

O'Bey, who is from the remote British Overseas Territory, [2] [3] began her career working in education, including as a school headmistress, before becoming a public servant. [4] [5] [6]

It was first announced that she would become chief secretary in May 2017. [3] She was temporarily sworn in as acting chief secretary in September 2017 while then-Chief Secretary Roy Burke was on leave. [7]

O'Bey was officially sworn in as chief secretary by the governor of Saint Helena in April 2018, replacing Burke, whose contract on the island had ended. [8] Then-Gov. Lisa Phillips described her as the "first substantive St. Helenian chief secretary." [3]

In her capacity as chief secretary, she served as a non-voting member of the island's Executive Council. [9] Since 2021, after the island's governance system referendum, the chief secretary is no longer on the council and Julie Thomas has taken office as the country's inaugural chief minister. [10] [11]

O'Bey previously served as Saint Helena's director of strategic policy and planning, [12] then as deputy chief executive for economic development for the island's Enterprise Saint Helena program. [13] [14]

She holds a master's in public policy and management from the University of York. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Helena</span> British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean

Saint Helena is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km west of mainland Africa, with Angola and Namibia being the closest nations, geographically. The island is located around 1,950 km (1,210 mi) west of the coast of southwestern South Africa, and 4,000 km (2,500 mi) east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Until 2018, the primary method of reaching Saint Helena was by booking a spot on the RMS St Helena—a cargo and post delivery vessel that also ferried visitors—which routinely made the 3,141 km, six-day journey from Cape Town, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Saint Helena</span>

Politics of Saint Helena takes place in a framework of limited self-government as a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, whereby the governor is the head of government. Saint Helena, an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, is a part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Martin (island)</span> Small island in the Caribbean

Saint Martin is an island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km (190 mi) east of Puerto Rico. The 87-square-kilometre (34 sq mi) island is divided roughly 60:40 between the French Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but the Dutch part is more populated than the French part. The division dates to 1648. The northern French part comprises the Collectivity of Saint Martin and is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Even though the island is an overseas possession of two European Union member states, only the French part of the island is part of the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Payette</span> 29th governor general of Canada, former CSA Astronaut (born 1963)

Julie Payette is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served from 2017 to 2021 as Governor General of Canada, the 29th since Canadian Confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Saint Helena</span> Representative of the monarch in Saint Helena

The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the monarch in Saint Helena, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The current governor of Saint Helena has been Nigel Phillips since 13 August 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collectivity of Saint Martin</span> French overseas collectivity, part of the island of Saint Martin in the Lesser Antilles

The Collectivity of Saint Martin, commonly known as simply Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France in the West Indies in the Caribbean, on the northern half of the island of Saint Martin, as well as some smaller adjacent islands. Saint Martin is separated from the island of Anguilla by the Anguilla Channel. Its capital is Marigot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint Maarten</span> Dutch Caribbean island country

Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of 34 km2 (13 sq mi), it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 56% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg. Collectively, Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.

Andrew Murray Gurr is a British retired politician who served as the Governor of Saint Helena from 2007 to 2011 and the Governor of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha from 2009 to 2011. He took up office on 11 November 2007 in a ceremony in Jamestown at which he declared his commitment to Saint Helena and dependencies in his inaugural speech. He took over from Michael Clancy with Chief Secretary Martin Hallam serving as acting Governor in the interim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha have gradually evolved over the years. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned in the entire territory through the Constitution Order 2009 and same-sex marriage has been legal on the islands since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha</span> Political structure of UK overseas territories

The politics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha operate under the jurisdiction of the government of the United Kingdom. The three parts of the territory—Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha—effectively form an asymmetric federacy and collectively constitute one of United Kingdom's fourteen overseas territories.

John Cranfield (born ?) is a Saint Helena politician. Cranfield and his wife, Vilma Cranfield, were invited as the official representatives of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha to the Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton in 2011. He is a former Justice of the Peace, and is currently the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Council of Saint Helena.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 2017. An ordinance to open marriage to same-sex couples in Saint Helena was passed by the Legislative Council in a 9–2 vote on 19 December 2017. It went into force the following day, and the first same-sex marriage was performed on 31 December 2018. Same-sex couples have also been able to marry on Ascension Island since 1 January 2017 and in Tristan da Cunha since 4 August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Joe Biden</span> Members of President Joe Bidens Cabinet

Joe Biden assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Saint Helena governance system referendum</span>

A two-part consultative referendum on changing the system of governance was held in Saint Helena on 17 March 2021. In the first question, voters were asked whether there should be a change. In the second, they were asked for their preference on the form of governance, choosing between a committee system and a ministerial system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Saint Helena general election</span>

General elections were held in Saint Helena on 13 October 2021 to elect the 12 members of the Legislative Council. They were the first elections after a March 2021 referendum on changing the governance system of Saint Helena from a committee system to a ministerial system. Following the election, the island's first Chief Minister, Julie Thomas, was elected by members of the Legislative Council on its first session on 25 October.

The Chief Minister of Saint Helena is the head of the Saint Helena Government. The chief minister is elected by the Legislative Council of Saint Helena, and is formally appointed by the Governor of Saint Helena, the representative of the British monarch.

Julie Dorne Thomas is the inaugural Chief Minister of Saint Helena.

Christine Scipio-O'Dean is a politician from Saint Helena, who was a supporter of the approval of same-sex marriage in Saint Helena.

References

  1. ↑ Dilworth, Jennifer; Stuart-Jones, Megan. "O'Bey, Susan". International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who– via Brill.
  2. 1 2 van Middelkoop, Daniel; Hogenstijn, Maarten (October 2018). "Saint Helena Island: flying future for lonely rock" (PDF). Geografie.
  3. 1 2 3 "SUSAN O'BEY APPOINTED AS CHIEF SECRETARY DESIGNATE". Saint Helena News Express. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Hogenstijn, Maarten; van Middelkoop, Daniel (April 2002). "Saints: Spatial identities of the citizens of Saint Helena". Utrecht University. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Henry, Sharon (14 August 2014). "Setting The Groundwork for Path in Life" (PDF). The Sentinel. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  6. ↑ Cooper, Glenda (20 July 1997). "Island airs good news on TV for children" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "SUSAN O'BEY SWORN IN AS ACTING CHIEF SECRETARY". Saint Helena News Express. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "SUSAN O'BEY SWORN IN AS CHIEF SECRETARY". Saint Helena News Express. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Exco Meeting - Tuesday, 11 February 2020". Saint Helena News Express. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "ST HELENA CHOOSES MINISTERIAL SYSTEM". Caymanian Times. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Inaugural Meeting of Legislative Council - Councillor Julie Thomas elected as Chief Minister". St Helena Government. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  12. 1 2 "York research brings benefits for St Helena". University of York. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "NEW DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT". St Helena Government. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. ↑ Wallis, Richard (6 February 2014). "O'Bey: The New Boss!" (PDF). The Sentinel. Retrieved 9 February 2021.


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.