'Mayann E. Francis',
ONS,
BA,
MPA, is the
Lieutenant Governor of the
Canadian province of
Nova Scotia.
Born in the Whitney Pier district of
Sydney, Nova Scotia, the daughter of Archpriest George A. Francis and Thelma D. Francis, she is a graduate of
Saint Mary's University and completed graduate studies at
New York University.
On June 20, 2006, she was appointed by
Governor General Michaëlle Jean, on the advice of
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to the office of
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia; she assumed office on
September 7 2006. Francis is the first
Black Canadian and the second woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
She was the director and
CEO of the
Nova Scotia Human Rights Commissionfrom 1999-2006. She also served as Nova Scotia's provincial ombudsman from December 2000 until December 2003, the first woman to be appointed to that post. Previously, she has been a pioneer in senior positions with the Government of
Ontario,
Dalhousie University and the District Attorney's office in
Kings County, New York.
She is a past member of
United Way/Centraide, the Mascoll Foundation, the board of governors at University College of Cape Breton (now
Cape Breton University), the general council of the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind and currently sits on Nova Scotia's Voluntary Planning Board. Ms. Francis has been recognized for her outstanding achievements with a Harry Jerome Award, an award from the Multicultural Education Council of Nova Scotia and a Golden Jubilee Medal. She is a member of the
African Orthodox Church, a church formed in the late 19th century mainly for the Black community of North America.
She has been profiled in numerous publications, including ''Millennium Minds: One Hundred Black Canadians'', the ''Who's Who in Black Canada'', ''Canadian Who's Who'' and ''
The Globe and Mail''. She is a past monthly columnist with ''
The Chronicle-Herald''.
References
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Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces Mayann E. Francis as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia