Allyson Maynard Gibson
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Allyson Maynard Gibson KC (born 11 January 1957)Calvin Harris
"Behind the scenes on Bahamian documentary, "On the Wings of Men" with Senator Allyson Maynard Gibson"
TheBahamasWeekly.com, 1 September 2010.
is a Bahamian barrister, politician, and community rights advocate, particularly with regard to laws affecting women and children.Jeffarah Gibson
"Women Shine In A 'Man's World'"
''Tribune 242'', 23 February 2009.
From 2012 to 2017 she was the
Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
and Minister for Legal Affairs of The Bahamas, and leader of government business in the
Senate of the Bahamas The Parliament of The Bahamas is the bicameralism, bicameral national parliament of the The Bahamas, Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The parliament is formally made up of Monarchy of The Bahamas, the sovereign (represented by the Governor-General o ...
. From 2002 to 2007, she served as Minister of Financial Services and Investments in the
Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party (abbreviated PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. Philip Davis is the leader of the party. History The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton ...
(PLP) administration. She is the daughter of former deputy prime minister (1985–92) Clement T. Maynard., FORA.tv.


Early years and education

Zoe Camille Allyson Maynard was born in
Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...
, in 1957, to Clement T. Maynard and Zoë Maynard, as the only daughter of their five children, her brothers being Julian (who died of
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
in 1995),"Right Back Before 1967 -- Sir Clem's Book"
bahamasuncensored.com, 29 July 2007.
Peter, David and Clement III. She attended
Barry University Barry University is a private Catholic university in Miami Shores, Florida. Founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, it is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and is located within the Archdiocese of Miami. Th ...
in
Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, where she earned a B.Sc. (Management, Marketing & Economics) in 1975, aged 18, the youngest graduate in Barry's history at the time."Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients"
Barry University.
"Breakfast Presentation: Sen. The Hon. Z.C. Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Attorney General & Minister of Legal Affairs"
International Business & Finance Summit (IBFS). Archived a
17 January 2015.
/ref> She then continued her studies in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, at the London School of Economics & Political Science, attaining her LL.B (Hons.) in 1979 and the LL.M in 1980, followed by graduate studies at the
Council of Legal Education The Council of Legal Education (CLE) was an English supervisory body established by the four Inns of Court to regulate and improve the legal education of barristers within England and Wales. History The council was established in 1852 by the Inns o ...
in London, between 1979 and 1980. She was
admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in the U.K. and Wales in July 1980, and to the Bahamas bar in December 1980.


Law career

She went into private practice as senior partner in the law firm Gibson & Company, a partner with Maynard & Co. and an associate with Seligman, Maynard & Co. She was also an articled clerk to David Goldberg in Chambers of Milton Grundy,
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
, London, England. She has spoken of being encouraged to become involved with politics by Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, first prime minister of the Bahamas: "He felt it was very important for those who had a voice, for those who had a commitment to our country to get involved.... I'm humbled to think that he saw a little bit of talent in me."


Political career and public service

At the 2 May 2002 general election, she was elected as a member of Parliament representing the New Providence South–Pinewood constituency, and in the new Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government was appointed to the Cabinet as the first Minister of Financial Services and Investments. In the 2007 Bahamian general election, Byron Woodside was declared winner in the Pinewood election court recount by 49 votes against Maynard Gibson. Following the PLP victory in the May 2012 general election, she was sworn in as attorney general, holding the office until the change of government after the general election in May 2017. She is also vice-chair of the
Caribbean Financial Action Task Force The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) is an organization of states and territories of the Caribbean Basin that have agreed to implement common counter-measures against money laundering. CFATF has associate status within the Financial ...
and the second vice-chair of REMJA (the Attorneys General of Central and Latin America). Over the years, her work has included significant legal reforms, such as statutory maternity leave with guaranteed employment upon return to the workplace after confinement, protecting the identities of rape victims and
domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
and sexual harassment laws. Well known as an advocate for the rights of women and children, she was president (2009–11) of the
International Women's Forum The International Women's Forum (IWF), founded in 1974 as the Women's Forum of New York, is an invitation-only women's organization with some 7,800 members. Its mission is "to support the women leaders of today and tomorrow". The IWF hosts two co ...
(IWF) and the IWF Leadership Foundation, is also a past president of the Nassau (Bahamas) chapter of The Links, Incorporated, a member of
Zonta International Zonta International is an international service organization with the mission of Building a Better World for Women and Girls, in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5. Alan Axelrod, ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Frate ...
(an organization with the mission of advancing the status of women), and is regularly involved with voluntary work connected with the empowerment of girls and women and a variety of social issues. She has been associated with many voluntary groups including the Chance Foundation (working on education reform), the Anglican Church Women, the Bahamas Women's Forum and, as founding director, the Yellow Elder Community Library Association and the Senior Citizen's Centre. She outlined her principles in a 2009 interview:
"'...I believe that women and men must work together to build a better country and a better world,' she said. 'I am a part of a loving family that has for generations been dedicated to public service. My grandmother Meta Davis Cumberbatch has been called the mother of the arts in the Bahamas. (My grandmother) Georgiana K. Symonette, was the secretary of the Women's Suffrage Movement. My mother, Zoe, Lady Maynard, served in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, was the first female juror in the Bahamas and was a trade unionist, among other community involvement. (These women) gave me living examples of being agents of positive change. I hope to be a similar example to my daughters, Zoe and Demetra. Also my husband Max, whose family also continues to be involved in public service, is a tower of strength,' said Senator Maynard-Gibson."


Honours

In 2011, Maynard Gibson was honoured by the
All-China Women's Federation The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) is a women's rights people's organization established in China on 24 March 1949. It was originally called the All-China Democratic Women's Foundation, and was renamed the All-China Women's Federation in 195 ...
for "Outstanding Contributions to Women’s Leadership". In 2013, she featured on a list celebrating the top 100 women of influence from diverse backgrounds working in fields ranging from government to philanthropy across the major international financial centres (IFCs). The following year she was named again on a similar list, "The 2014 IFC Power Women Top 200", which focuses on influencers and professionals, and "recognises women of achievement who are opinion formers, helping to promote business excellence in their home jurisdiction and consolidating the reputations of the financial services industry globally." In July 2014, at the 66th Alpha Kappa Alpha Boulé in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
, she was inducted as an Honorary Member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...
sorority (ΑΚΑ), to which her daughter Zoe also belongs. In January 2015, she became the first woman to be appointed a
Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
in the Bahamas. On 19 February 2015, she was honoured with Barry University's Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing "distinguished professional achievements and contributions to society through service".Oswald Brown
"Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson Among Alumni Honoured by Barry University"
''The Bahamas Weekly'', 20 February 2015.


Personal life

She is married to Maxwell E. Gibson and they have two daughters, Zoe and Demetra."Local medical student becomes a new member of the Student National Medical Association’s (SNMA) Board of Directors"
, TheBahamasWeekly.com, 21 September 2011.


References


External links


''Be Bold Bahamas''
website - a blog by Allyson Maynard Gibson. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maynard Gibson, Allyson 1957 births Living people 20th-century Bahamian lawyers 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century Bahamian lawyers 21st-century Bahamian politicians 21st-century Bahamian women politicians 21st-century women lawyers Alumni of the London School of Economics Attorneys general of the Bahamas Bahamian Anglicans Bahamian King's Counsel Female finance ministers Female justice ministers Finance ministers of the Bahamas Justice ministers of the Bahamas Members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas Members of the Senate of the Bahamas People from Nassau, Bahamas Progressive Liberal Party politicians Women government ministers of the Bahamas Zonta International people