Lisa Shoman, SC (born 1964) is a

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

an lawyer and politician and the Foreign Minister of Belize from 2007 to 2008. She was previously the Permanent Representative of Belize to the

Organisation of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...

and served concurrently as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

from 24 August 2000 until 5 June 2007, when she was appointed Foreign Minister. She was the first woman Ambassador of Belize to the United States. At the same time she was made a member of the

Senate of Belize The Senate is one of the chambers of the National Assembly of Belize. It has 13 members appointed for a five-year term by the Governor General of Belize. Establishment and appointment Senators are appointed by the Governor General in the fol ...

on the recommendation of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Said Musa Said Wilbert Musa (, born 19 March 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Belize from 28 August 1998 to 8 February 2008. Early life and education Said Wilbert Musa was born in 1944 in San Ignacio in the Cayo D ...

Early life

Lisa Shoman was born in 1964. She is the eldest of three daughters born to commercial pilot and businessman Yasin Shoman and Hilda Shoman (née Hoy). She completed her primary and secondary education in her native Belize, followed by legal studies at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

(Mona Campus) and the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

Career

Shoman was called to the bar in October 1988, and appointed

Crown Counsel Crown counsel are lawyers, generally in Common Law jurisdictions, who provide advice to the government and acts as prosecutors in cases. In various jurisdictions their title can vary and they could also be known as the Queen's Advocate, King's Adv ...

in the Office of the

Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members of ...

(July 1988), serving for over a year before entering private practice. She was elected the first female president of the Bar Association of Belize in 1996. While in her mid-30s, Shoman was appointed to Chair the Board of Directors of Belize Telecommunications Limited (1998–2000). In December 2009, she was elevated to the rank of

Senior Counsel The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel ( post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...

by the then Chief Justice of Belize, Dr

Abdulai Conteh Abdulai Osman Conteh (born 5 August 1945) is a lawyer and politician from Sierra Leone. He is a former vice president of Sierra Leone, who served under President Joseph Saidu Momoh before he was ousted by the military junta in 1992. Conteh later ...

. Her first national appointment came in 2000 when she became Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Belize to the Organization of American States on August 25, 2000, and she served concurrently as High Commissioner of Belize to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

until 2003. She was also appointed Belize’s Ambassador to the

in August 2000. During her tenure, Shoman served as Vice-Chair of the Permanent Council of the OAS. In June 2007, then Prime Minister

appointed her to the

, and made her the country’s first female

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

& Foreign Trade. Shoman held this position until Musa’s party, the

People's United Party The People's United Party (PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2020 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean House ...

, ceded power in 2008, when she returned to private practice. Shoman has remained an active advocate, heading the legal team challenging controversial constitutional changes proposed by the ruling United Democratic Party. When Prime Minister

Dean Barrow Dean Oliver Barrow, SC PC (born March 2, 1951) is a politician from Belize who served as prime minister of Belize from 2008 until 2020 and as leader of Belize's United Democratic Party. An attorney by profession, Barrow served as Belize' ...

alleged that his predecessor, Said Musa had secretly diverted public funds and charged him with theft, Shoman was on the legal team that ensured Musa’s acquittal. The then Leader of the Opposition,

Johnny Briceño John Antonio Briceño (born 17 July 1960) is a Belizean politician who is the 5th and current Prime Minister of Belize since 12 November 2020, and the leader of the People's United Party (PUP) since 2016. He was Leader of the Opposition from 200 ...

appointed Shoman as a Senator for a second time in 2009.

Personal life

In 2009, Shoman married Caribbean writer Joey Clarke.

References

A Tribute to Lisa Shoman on her appointment to Foreign Minister of Belize

Decoration of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoman, Lisa 1964 births Living people Belizean lawyers Female foreign ministers Women government ministers of Belize Members of the Senate (Belize) People's United Party politicians Foreign ministers of Belize Government ministers of Belize Permanent Representatives of Belize to the Organization of American States Ambassadors of Belize to the United States High Commissioners of Belize to Canada People associated with the Norman Manley Law School Belizean women diplomats Women ambassadors