Reema Harrysingh-Carmona (born 22 November 1970) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

who served as the First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 until 2018. She is the wife of the fifth President of the Republic of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

Anthony Carmona Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona (born 7 March 1953) is a Trinidadian politician who was the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2018. Previously, he was a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, and he ser ...

Early life

Reema Harrysingh Carmona was born in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

. Her father, the late Cobee Harrysingh, was a retired engineering contractor and her mother is Savitri Seeteram-Harrysingh. She was the daughter of Indo-Trinidadian parents, and attended St. Brigid's Girls' Roman Catholic and Iere High School, both in

Siparia Siparia is a town in southern Trinidad, in Trinidad and Tobago, south of San Fernando, southwest of Penal and Debe and southeast of Fyzabad. History Also called "The Sand City", Siparia was originally a non- Mission Amerindian settlement. ...

, Trinidad and Tobago. After passing ninth, she passed

'O' Level O' Level were a British punk and indie band, founded in 1976 by Ed Ball with friends John and Gerard Bennett. The group's name refers to the 'O'-Level of the British General Certificate of Education. History Along with the early Television ...

from the

Caribbean Examinations Council The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is an examination board in the Caribbean. It was established in 1972 under agreement by the participating governments in the Caribbean Community to conduct such examinations as it may think appropriate a ...

. She migrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

where she attended Cairine Wilson High School in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. She subsequently attended the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

, from which she obtained a degree of

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. She and the President Carmona have two children, Christian (b. 1999) and Anura (b. 2002). Her religious affiliation is

Sanātanī ''Sanātanī'' (Devanagari: ) is a modern term used to describe Hindu duties that incorporate teachings from the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Agamas and other Hindu religious texts and scriptures such as the ''Ramayana'' and its many versions, a ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, although her husband President Anthony Carmona is a

Roman Catholic Christian The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international instituti ...

Cocoa panyol The Panyols are a pardo or moreno (tri-racial) ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago of Afro-European-Indigenous descent, primarily of mixed South American Amerindian, Trinidad and Tobago Amerindian, Afro-Trinidadian, Afro-Venezuelans and Sp ...

descent. Harrysingh-Carmona lived in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

before relocating to Trinidad.

Career

After 11 years in Canada, Harrysingh-Carmona returned to Trinidad and Tobago, where she worked both at the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation (PLIPDECO) and the Small Business Development Corporation.

First Lady

She is married to Anthony Carmona, who is 17 years her senior and who served as the fifth president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2018. In 1997, they exchanged vows in the Catholic La Davina Pastora Church in south Trinidad. Her social work includes support for the Diabetes Association, Children Obesity prevention, and Autism Awareness, among others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrysingh Carmona, Reema 1970 births First ladies of Trinidad and Tobago American people of Indian descent People from Hoboken, New Jersey Trinidad and Tobago economists Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent Living people