H.E. Sir Rodney Williams GCMG KGN KStJ MBBS PhD (h.c.)
Sir Rodney Williams was appointed Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda on August 14th 2014 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Born on Antigua on November 2nd 1947, Sir Rodney was educated in Antigua & Barbuda before qualifying as a medical doctor at the University of the West Indies, before returning to Antigua to practice.
In 1984, he was elected to the Parliament of Antigua & Barbuda, serving as the MP for St Paul until 2004. During this period he was, at various times, a government minister.
In 2014 he was nominated by the Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, Gaston Browne, to replace Dame Louise Lake-Tack as Governor General.
Sir Rodney is married to Lady (Sandra) Williams and the couple have three sons. His personal interests are lawn tennis, music and reading.
In 2014, Her Majesty the Queen of Antigua appointed Sir Rodney as a Knight Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George and as a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. As Governor General, Sir Rodney is Grand Master of Antigua’s Orders of Chivalry.
Sir Rodney and Lady Williams serve as patrons of 24 charitable organizations.
Who is the Governor General?
The Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda is appointed by Her Majesty The Queen of Antigua & Barbuda on the advice of the Prime Minister, as described in the country’s Constitution. As Her Majesty’s representative, the Governor General is granted many powers of The Queen to carry out the duties of the Head of State.
What does the Governor General do?
The Governor General carries out many constitutional, ceremonial, and other important functions. This includes signing Acts of Parliament to make them law, appointing Prime Ministers, and accrediting diplomats sent to Antigua & Barbuda by foreign countries.
H.E. Lady Williams BA MSc Dip. M MCIM
Sandra Williams was born in St. John’s, Antigua in July, 1963. She attended primary school in Antigua, Canada and Guyana — and secondary school both in Guyana and in north Wales.
Lady Williams then pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages and Classics at St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, Canada. She graduated cum laude, and soon after was awarded a Commonwealth scholarship to pursue a Master of Science degree in Tourism Studies at the University of Surrey. She received a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and is a full member of the Institute.
Lady Williams held several senior management positions, including Tourism Marketing Executive for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States based in Frankfurt, Germany; Director of Tourism for Antigua and Barbuda based in London, United Kingdom; and Director of Marketing for Caribbean Star / Caribbean Sun Airlines.
In December 2014, Lady Williams started the Halo Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization managed by a voluntary Board of Directors.