Dame Jennifer Smith

Minister of Education
MP, St. George's North
Constituency #1

Contact

292-2264 jsmith@plp.bm

Dame Jennifer Smith has served the people of Bermuda with distinction over many years with thirty-one years of service as an outstanding Parliamentarian.

She led the Progressive Labour Party to two general election victories on November 9,1998 and July 24, 2003. Her service to Bermuda and its people was recognised in the June 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours when she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE).

When she made her debut as a candidate in 1972 (four years after universal adult suffrage was implemented), she became the youngest Bermudian woman ever to run in a general election. In December of 1980, she was appointed a member of the Upper House, the Senate, where she served for nine years before winning a seat in the Lower House, the House of Assembly.

Her singular achievements include: The first Bermuda Progressive Labour Party Premier; the first elected female Premier of Bermuda; the first Progressive Labour Party Minister of Education; the first female Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly; the first Bermudian Vice Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)

Over the years, she changed the constituency of St. George's North where she contested the seat, from a United Bermuda Party (UBP) stronghold to a Progressive Labour Party (PLP) stronghold. Under her premiership,the PLP's long established goal of single seat constituencies was finally realised. It is ironic that the boundary changes which resulted, changed her constituency to a marginal district.

Her extensive and wide ranging community service covers the entire spectrum of Bermudian life including service clubs, professional and international organizations, the arts, culture, medicine, and women's issues.

Elected as Deputy Speaker in 2003, Dame Jennifer served as Chair of: the House and Grounds Committee, the Private Bills Committee and the Committee of Chairman. In addition, she served as Chair of: the Bermuda Parole Board, the Stamp Design Advisory Board, the Historic Wrecks Advisory Board and Government Employees Health Insurance (GEHI) scheme. On 1 November 2010, she was reappointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Education.

She was educated at The Berkeley Institute and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.

She has been awarded three honorary doctorates: from her alma mater The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, from Morris Brown College, USA; and Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada.   She has also been the recipient of many awards, including the "Woman of Great Esteem" award from Q-Kingdom Ministries New York, USA; and an award from the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Washington, D.C. USA.

She is a member of the Richard Allen A.M.E. Church.