Joy Grant
Audrey Joy Grant | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 5, 1951 Belize City, British Honduras |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, diplomat, politician |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Governor of the Central Bank of Belize (2016–2021), Senator in Belize, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology and Public Utilities |
Audrey Joy Grant (born 1951) held the position of governor at the Central Bank of Belize between 2016 and 2021. She served as a Senator in Belize and led the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, and Public Utilities. Initially pursuing a career in economic development, she subsequently concentrated on environmental preservation, directing initiatives throughout the Caribbean aimed at safeguarding forest and marine habitats.
Biography
Grant was born on 5 February 1951 in Belize City, British Honduras. After completing her secondary education locally, she spent a year working at Barclay’s Bank. She then pursued higher education at the University of Alberta, Canada, where she obtained a commerce degree followed by an MBA specializing in International Finance. Her professional journey included a role at the Caribbean Development Bank in Barbados, where she contributed to economic development efforts across thirteen Caribbean countries before relocating to Washington, DC to serve at the Belize Embassy.
In 1989, Grant returned to Belize to co-establish and lead the conservation organization Programme for Belize, which successfully protected more than 300,000 acres of tropical rainforest by designating them as reserves. This program received two sustainability certifications for its responsible ecoforestry management practices focusing on Belizean mahogany. After dedicating over ten years to Programme for Belize, she assumed the role of Vice President and Managing Director for the Atlantic Conservation Region at the Nature Conservancy in 2001. In this capacity, she managed conservation activities spanning twenty states in the US along with ten countries in Central America and the Caribbean. Two years later, she initiated a marine basin conservation project covering an area from Cuba to Venezuela.
Grant departed from the Nature Conservancy in 2005 to become senior director at the Natural Capital Project. In 2008, she was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belgium and concurrently served as Ambassador to Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the European Commission until 2012. Additionally, she was selected in 2011 to participate on a United Nations committee responsible for establishing the Green Climate Fund.
In 2012, Prime Minister Dean Barrow named Grant as a Senator in Belize and appointed her as the inaugural Minister of Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities. The ministry’s mission was to promote sustainable development by integrating energy policies with science and technology frameworks within national governance.