Emmalin Celina Pierre (born 23 August 1975) is a Grenadian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who has been leader of the New National Party since 2024 and a member of the Grenadian parliament since 2003, first serving in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

before being elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. She has previously served as Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Religious Affairs, and Information. Born in Birchgrove, St. Andrew's, She studied at

Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University () is a public university in Edinburgh, Scotland. Napier Technical College, the predecessor of the university, was founded in 1964, taking its name from 16th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher John Napie ...

earning a master's degree in business administration and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at

Walden University Walden University is a private for-profit online university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and specialist degrees. The university is owned by Adtalem Global Education, which purchased the un ...

. Emmalin was first appointed to the

in 2003, before being elected to the

in 2013. She has served as Minister for Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs (2003 - 2008), and Minister for Education, Human Resource Development, Information, and Religious Affairs (2013 - 2022). Pierre was elected as the first female Leader of the New National Party (NNP) at the party’s national convention on Sunday, 15 December 2024. Her election as leader came after

Keith Mitchell Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for mo ...

, who had led the party since 1989, announced he would be stepping down.

Early life

Born and raised in Birch Grove and grew up in an agricultural household. As a child she spent her weekends and after school harvesting

Nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...

and

Cocoa bean The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao tree ...

. Her professional journey commenced as a young journalist, transitioning into a teaching role and subsequently assuming the position of Deputy Director of Youth. Additionally, she held various voluntary roles including Regional Coordinator for the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Youth Program, President of the

Leo clubs Leo clubs are a youth organization of Lions Clubs International. As of 2025, Leo Club operates in over 140 countries often collaborating with United Nations over impactful projects. Leo clubs encourage youths to develop leadership qualities by ...

of St. George and St. Andrew, President of the National Youth Council, and a host of television and radio programmes aimed at youth empowerment. She later went on to serve as a government minister.

Early political career

Appointed to the

Senate of Grenada The Senate is the Upper chamber of the bicameral Parliament of Grenada. Together with the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, it meets in the New Houses of Parliament in the capital St. George's. The President of the Senate is Senat ...

in 2003 at the age of 27, she served as the country's minister for Youth Development during her time as a senator. She was defeated in the 8 July 2008 elections in the constituency of Saint Andrew South East by newcomer

Patrick Simmons Patrick Simmons (born October 19, 1948) is an American musician best known as a founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers, with whom he was inducted as into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he h ...

of the NDC. After 2008 she worked throughout the Caribbean as a consultant on youth development with a specific focus on developing youth policies. Pierre faced Patrick Simmons again in the general election on February 19, 2013, and won by 795 votes. On March 3, 2013, she was sworn in again as Grenada's Minister of Youth, with additional responsibility for Sport and Ecclesiastic Affairs. She is Grenada's first female minister of sports. She defeated Patrick Simmons in the general election on March 13, 2018. She again retained her seat in the 2022 election. Emmalin has been the first candidate to win the St. Andrew South-east constituency consecutively. She now serves as an opposition member in the

Political leader (2024-present)

She was elected as the first female political leader of the New National Party (NNP) on December 15. Since 1989, Dr. Keith Mitchell has served as the NNP's leader. He was elected political leader at a convention where he ran against the party's first leader, Herbert Blaize.

Opposition leader (2025–present)

On February 21, Dr. Right Hon.

resigned as Leader of His Majesty's Opposition and wrote to Governor General

Cécile La Grenade Dame Cécile Ellen Fleurette La Grenade, (born 30 December 1952) is a Grenadian food scientist who has served as governor-general of Grenada since 2013. Early life and career La Grenade was born in La Borie, located in Saint George Parish, ...

of his decision. On March 4, Emmalin Pierre received her instrument of appointment by Governor General

to be Leader of His Majesty's Opposition.

Electoral history

References

External links

Candidate profile on party website
* http://www.peogrenada.org/ * https://nowgrenada.com/2024/12/emmalin-pierre-elected-nnp-political-leader/ Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Members of the Senate of Grenada Government ministers of Grenada New National Party (Grenada) politicians Women government ministers of Grenada 21st-century Grenadian women politicians 21st-century Grenadian politicians {{Grenada-politician-stub