The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has appointed its first woman Secretary General.
She is Belize national, Dr. Carla Natalie Barnett.
According to the CARICOM Secretariat, Barnett will replace Ambassador Irwin LaRocque who is completing his second term.
As a result, she will assume office on August 15, 2021 as CARICOM’s 8th Secretary General.
CARICOM Heads of Government, in congratulating Barnett, have hailed the historic moment for community.
Barnett was former Deputy Secretary General of CARICOM and served as vice president of the Belize Senate.
In addition, Barnett has served in various ministerial capacities in her country’s government.
She has also served as Financial Secretary of Belize and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Belize, as well as Vice-President (Operations) of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
According to a CARICOM release, Dr. Barnett attained her Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona Campus in Jamaica.
She also holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the UWI,
