Lisa Hanna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lisa Hanna
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| Minister of Youth and Culture | |||||||||||||||
| In office 6 January 2012 – 7 March 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Portia Simpson-Miller | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Olivia Grange | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Olivia Grange | ||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Saint Ann South Eastern |
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| Assumed office 11 September 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Aloun Ndombet-Assamba | ||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||
| Born |
Lisa Rene Shanti Hanna
20 August 1975 St. Mary, Jamaica |
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| Political party | People's National Party | ||||||||||||||
| Spouses |
David Panton
(m. 1999; div. 2004)Richard Lake
(m. 2017) |
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| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Education | Queen's School, Jamaica | ||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of the West Indies | ||||||||||||||
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Lisa Rene Shanti Hanna, born on August 20, 1975, is a well-known Jamaican politician and former beauty queen. She made history by winning the Miss World 1993 title, becoming the third Jamaican to achieve this honor. As a member of the People's National Party, she has served as a Member of Parliament for Saint Ann South East since 2007. From 2012 to 2016, Lisa Hanna was Jamaica's Minister of Youth and Culture.
Contents
Lisa Hanna's Education Journey
Lisa Hanna attended Immaculate Preparatory School and then The Queen's School in Jamaica. At The Queen's School, she was the Head Girl, a leader among her fellow students. She was also named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Development Programme, showing her early commitment to helping others. Later, she earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in communications from the University of the West Indies.
Her Professional Life and Achievements
Becoming Miss World 1993
On November 27, 1993, Lisa Hanna won the prestigious Miss World pageant. This exciting event took place at the Sun City Resort in South Africa. Her victory brought great pride to Jamaica.
Career in Entertainment and Media
After her Miss World win, Lisa Hanna explored a career in entertainment. In 1998, she acted in the romantic comedy How Stella Got Her Groove Back. She also tried her hand at broadcasting in 2003, hosting a Jamaican talk show called Our Voices. She was also a guest presenter on the American TV program Extra. A year later, she returned to Jamaica and worked as a communications consultant for the Hilton Hotel in New Kingston.
Serving in the Jamaican Parliament
On September 3, 2007, Lisa Hanna was elected as a Member of Parliament for St. Ann South East. She was one of the youngest women to be elected to the Jamaican Parliament at that time. As an MP, she represented her community and worked on important issues. Before her party came to power, she was the opposition spokesperson for Information, Youth, and Culture.
When her party won the elections on December 29, 2011, Lisa Hanna was appointed as the Minister of Youth and Culture. In this role, she worked to improve the lives of young people in Jamaica.
Key Initiatives as Minister
During her time as Minister of Youth and Culture, Lisa Hanna led several important projects:
- She helped create the Green Paper for the National Youth Policy 2015–2030. This plan aimed to support young people by working with government, businesses, youth groups, and international partners.
- Her ministry improved the National Foster Care program. This allowed over 855 children to find safe homes with 800 families.
- The Ananda Alert System, which helps find missing children, was also strengthened. In August 2013, this system helped 85% of missing children return home safely.
- In 2016, Lisa Hanna shared Jamaica's plan for helping children at a UNICEF conference in New York City. That same year, Jamaica's ranking on the UNICEF Kids Rights Index improved significantly, moving up 52 places to 51st out of 163 countries.
- In 2015, she successfully worked to have Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was a major achievement, making it the first UNESCO World Heritage Site for Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Later Political Career and Columnist Role
In November 2020, Lisa Hanna ran for the leadership of the People's National Party but was not successful. Mark Golding was elected as the party's 6th President.
In 2021, Lisa Hanna began writing a weekly column for the Jamaica Observer newspaper. She shared her thoughts on various topics, from the importance of Jamaican agriculture to her wish for Bob Marley to be named a National Hero.
In March 2022, she joined APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council. Her role there involves focusing on food security, trade, the global economy, and gender issues in the Caribbean and Latin America. In August 2022, she announced that she would not be running in the next general election.
Lisa Hanna's Personal Life
Lisa Hanna was born in Retreat, St. Mary Parish. Her father, Rene Hanna, has Lebanese roots, and her mother, Dorothy Hosang, has African and Chinese heritage.
She married David K. Panton in 1999 in New York City. They had a son named Alexander, born in March 2001. They later divorced in 2004. In December 2017, Lisa Hanna married Jamaican businessman Richard Lake in St. Andrew, Jamaica. Together, they manage a business called Lydford Logistics, which handles manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping in Moneague, Jamaica.
See also
- Women in the House of Representatives of Jamaica
