Dr. Gale Rigobert (University of York) UK

Dr. Gale T C Rigobert obtained her first degree in Government with first class honours from the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, and was awarded a Swiss scholarship in 1996 to pursue a post-graduate diploma in at the Institute of International Relations, St. Augustine. During that period, she won a National Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarship and pursued a Master of Philosophy in International Relations at the University of Cambridge (1998) where she was awarded the title of Sir Patrick Sheehy Scholar. In 2007 she received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in International Relations from UWI St. Augustine and is the author of the book, Bridging the Digital Divide? Prospects for Caribbean Development in the New Techno-economic Paradigm. Dr. Rigobert has previously lectured at the University of the West Indies, served as a member of the Senate, and as an advisor on National Development to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and National Development. Dr. Rigobert’s “call” to politics long preceded her actual entry into the arena in April 2011, literally on the expiration of her one year’s secondment to the Government of Saint Lucia as Advisor on National Development. After a gruelling seven-month campaign, Dr. Rigobert emerged victorious in a three-way fight, beating two other women, incidentally! Dr. Rigobert made history by becoming the youngest and first female Leader of the Opposition in Saint Lucia on 1 February 2014. Following the success of her party (The United Workers Party) at the June 2016 national polls, she was appointed Minister of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development in Saint Lucia. Dr. Rigobert is passionate about infusing the formal curriculum with gender-sensitive learning, with the view to raising a new generation of citizens who have a heightened sense of gender awareness, gender-appropriate behaviours and the importance for the healthy co-existence of the genders. Dr. Rigobert is very cognizant of the overarching goal of sustainable development and what that means especially for small islands states (SIDS) such as Saint Lucia. In that regard, Education, Gender Relations and Innovation are intimately interwoven, and strategic to the quest to leverage science, technology and critical thinking to devise creative and innovative ways to improve the Saint Lucian economy and the wellbeing of the people.