The Government is considering appointing Chief Education Officer, Lou-Anne Gilchrist, as this country’s ambassador to the United States, multiple sources have told iWitness News.
iWitness News has been reliably informed that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance are at advanced stages of their discussions regarding the potential appointment.
However, the talks have not yet reached the level of the Cabinet, where a final decision will be made, a source who spoke on condition of anonymity told iWitness News.
Gilchrist is a career educator who has taught at the secondary and post-secondary levels in St. Vincent before being transferred to the management level of the Ministry of Education in 2009.
If she is appointed, Gilchrist will replace La Celia Prince who served for several years as SVG’s envoy in Washington, DC before leaving the foreign service for a post at the Organization of American States.
The Unity Labour Party has appointed a number of women to diplomatic posts since coming to office in 2001.
They include Margaret Hughes-Ferrari, who was the country’s ambassador to the United Nations, and I. Rhonda King, who is Kingstown’s current UN envoy.
The talk of Gilchrist’s possible appointment comes as Kingstown has recalled its envoys for the annual national consultation on heads of missions and consulates from Aug. 15-19.
The consultation is the first since the Unity Labour Party was re-elected to a fourth consecutive five-year term last December.
The consultation also comes as SVG prepares to further discuss with Taiwan the establishment of a diplomatic presence in Taipei.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said last week that he will further discuss this with Taipei when he visits the Asian capital in October.