Hon. Olivia Grange is the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. She has been the Member of Parliament for St. Catherine Central since 1997.
She was appointed Minister of Information, Youth, Sports & Culture, with responsibility for Women and Gender Affairs, Entertainment, Community Development and Special Projects in 2007.
She also served as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister 1985-1989; Government Senator and Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture 1983-1985. In 2015, Ms. Grange was awarded the Order of Distinction, in the rank of Commander (CD), for her contribution to the Jamaican Music Industry, Cultural Development and Public Service.
In June 2009, she had the distinction of being appointed the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) first Champion for Culture, with responsibility for advocating, among other things, capacity building for cultural industries, cultural institutions and individual artists.
Minister Grange has had a long career as a cultural activist, working at the grassroots level in developing and managing talent. She is an artist, director, event planner and an ardent supporter and promoter of Jamaica’s creative and cultural industries. She is also a pioneer contributor to the development of the Reggae and Dancehall Music Industry in Jamaica, Canada and the United States.
As a founding member and Director of the Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers (JACAP), Ms. Grange has been instrumental in introducing policy initiatives in Jamaica to support the development of the cultural industries and advance “brand Jamaica” in the international market. She also assisted in developing the Jamaican Copyright Legislation. She co-founded Contrast, Canada’s first black community newspaper and was the Chief Executive Officer of Specs Limited and Spec-Shang Music.
She also served as Executive Director, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC); Arts Officer, Institute of Jamaica; Cultural Director, West Kingston Community Cultural Development Programme; and Public Relations Officer, West Kingston Trust.
Minister Grange has a long career as a community activist and politician committed to the promotion of youth and women’s affairs with a particular focus on job creation and improved health care.
Special Olympics Global Leadership Coalition for Inclusion
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Dr. Timothy Shriver
Chairman, Special Olympics International -
Didier Drogba
Global Ambassador, Special Olympics International -
Nyasha Derera
Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger and Chair of the Global Athlete Congress, Special Olympics International -
Ambassador Vassilis Kaskarelis
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece -
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director General, World Health Organization -
Her Excellency Pastor Dorcas Rigathi
Second Lady, Republic of Kenya -
The Honorable Clifton Grima
Minister of Education, Republic of Malta -
Madam Sujing Zhao
Vice President, China Disabled Persons’ Federation, People’s Republic of China -
William Alford
Law Professor, Harvard University -
The Honorable Olivia Grange
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Jamaica -
His Excellency Sarkhad Zulpkhar
Deputy Minister, Labour and Social Protection, Mongolia -
The Honorable Samantha Sacramento
Minister of Equality, Government of Gibraltar -
Douglas X. Alexander
Chairperson, Lions Club International Foundation -
Ásmundur Einar Daoason
Minister of Education and Children, Iceland -
Ian McFarlane
Director, Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) -
The Honorable Helena Dalli
European Commissioner for Equality -
The Honorable Miomir Vojinovic
Minister of Education, Montenegro -
Gillian Triggs
Assistant High Commissioner, United Nations Refugee Agency -
Dr. Eric Nkansah
Director General, Ghana Education Service (GES) -
Ambassador Ahmed Alattar
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Federal Republic of Germany -
His Excellency Dr. Ashraf Sobhy
Minister of Youth and Sports, the Arab Republic of Egypt
