Hilda Heine
| Hilda Heine | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 8th President of the Marshall Islands | |
|
Assumed office 28 January 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Casten Nemra |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hilda Cathy Heine 6 April 1951 Majuro, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (now Marshall Islands) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Tony Jetnil, Tommy Kijiner |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater |
University of Oregon University of Hawaii, Manoa University of Southern California |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Hilda Cathy Heine (born April 6, 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician, currently serving as the eighth President of the Marshall Islands. Prior to assuming office, she served as the Minister of Education. She was the first individual in the Marshall Islands to earn a doctorate degree, and the founder of the women's rights group Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI).
Heine is the first woman to hold the presidency of the Marshall Islands. She is also the first female president of any Micronesian country, and only the fourth woman to serve as head of government for any independent Pacific nation (following Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark of New Zealand and Julia Gillard of Australia). She is one of only three women currently serving in the Nitijeļā, the country's legislature, as of January 2016.
Heine attended college in the United States where she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon in 1970. She earned a master's degree at the University of Hawaii in 1975, and an educational doctorate at the University of Southern California in 2004.
Heine worked at Marshall Islands High School in Majuro from 1975 through 1982, serving both as a classroom teacher and as a counselor. In 2000, Heine founded Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI), a women's rights group. Since 2005, she had been Pacific Resources for Education and Learning's (PREL) Director at the Pacific Comprehensive Assistance Center. Heine participated in the 2009 with the Pacific Islands Climate Change Education Partnership. She has also been associated with the Leadership Pacific Advisory Board, the Commission on Education in Micronesia, and the Human Resources in Health Task Force.
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