Cabinet Ministers
Desmond Bannister was born on the 28 October, 1958. Following his early education in The Bahamas he completed studies leading to an Associates Degree at Miami Dade Community College in Florida and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from Grinnell College in Iowa.
He studied at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados where he obtained an LL.B degree and went on to complete his Legal Education Certificate at the Norman Manley Law School in Kingston, Jamaica. He was called to The Bahamas Bar in 1988.
Mr. Bannister served as Crown Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General between 1988 and 1991 when he joined the law offices of Evans & Co. He is presently senior partner at The Law Partnership.
He has been engaged as a part-time lecturer for The Bahamas Bar, at The Bahamas Institute of Bankers and at The College of The Bahamas and has served as Acting Stipendiary & Circuit Magistrate.
A lifelong sports enthusiasts, Mr. Bannister was elected as President of The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations in December, 1999
He was appointed to the Senate on the 21st May, 2002.
A divorcee, Mr. Bannister is the father of two children Dominique and Danielle.
Larry Cartwright, the Member of Parliament for Long Island and Ragged Island, was born on January 19, 1948 in Gray’s, Long Island to Delbert and Emma Cartwright (nee Wells).
He received his early education at Gray’s Public School and later earned his Teaching Certificate from The Bahamas Teacher’s College in 1968. He completed a Bachelors of Arts in Education at the University of the West Indies in 1980.
Mr. Cartwright has served his community as a teacher, principal, community leader and churchman. Having devoted 31 years to public school teaching, he ended his career as principal of the NGM Major High School in Buckley’s Long Island.
An experienced farmer, Mr. Cartwright was involved in livestock, vegetable, citrus and banana cultivation from 1987 to 2000 and turned to fishing during the period 1999 – 2001.
Mr. Cartwright remains active on the Long Island Sailing Club and in the Long Island Association and is the founder of the Earlie Knowles Memorial Regatta for juniors.
He is a member of the Vestry of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and a member of the Anglican Council of Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mr. Cartwright is married to the former Theresa Antoinette “Ann” Cartwright and the couple has three sons.
JOHN K F DELANEY was born 19 April 1964, the seventh of eight children of Remona Delaney (nee Burrows) and the late John F Delaney, businessman.
Educated locally at Palmdale Primary School and St. Augustine’s College, Mr. Delaney, a lawyer, was trained in the United Kingdom where he earned a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Birmingham, a Master of Laws from the University of London, and was admitted to the Bars of England & Wales in 1987 as a Barrister of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. The same year he was admitted a Counsel and Attorney of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas.
Mr. Delaney has practised continuously at the law firm of Higgs & Johnson of which he is a partner since 1994, Managing Partner since 2007 and, as of 2009, Global Managing Partner with oversight of the firm’s combined Bahamas and Cayman operations. Mr. Delaney specializes in commercial litigation and financial services law and has for years been cited by international legal directories as a leader in his field.
Mr. Delaney is a member of The Bahamas Bar Association of which he is a past (1995-1997) Vice President, and Vice Chairman of The Bahamas Bar Council. He is a member of the International Bar Association, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators - London, and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
Mr. Delaney formerly served as: Senator (FNM) 2005 – 2007; Director of the National Insurance Board; Director of the Bahamas Financial Services Board; member of the Road Traffic Authority; and evening lecturer at the College of The Bahamas and the Bahamas Institute of Bankers. He is presently Co-Chairman of The Bahamas Trade Commission.
John Delaney is married to the former Daphne Dean. He is the father of one son, Amorae, and twin daughters Dana and Maya.
Earl Deveaux was born in Staniard Creek, Andros, where he attended the All-Age school. He attended Queen’s College on an academic scholarship, where he graduated as Head Boy.
He completed a Bachelors Degree at the University of Miami and was named in Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges for leadership and academics. His Master’s Degree was earned at Penn State University. He earned a Certificate in Regional Planning at the United Nations Centre for Regional Planning in Nagoya, Japan.
He has served as Director of Agriculture.
Mr. Deveaux is a former Member of Parliament for North Andros and the Berry Islands. He served as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ambassador for the Environment and Minister for Labour and Immigration in the Free National Movement Government.
Mr. Deveaux is widely published on environmental, agricultural and social issues.
A devout Methodist, he is married to the former Barbara Clancy of Long Island, New York. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Dion Foulkes was born at Nassau on October 9, 1956, to Sir Arthur and Mrs. Naomi Foulkes.
He attended St. Thomas More Primary School and R. M. Bailey High School in Nassau, and graduated from Indiana University in the United States with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with a minor in Accounting. He is a lawyer and member of the Bahamas Bar.
Mr. Foulkes entered politics at the age of 15 and has risen steadily through the ranks from the Torchbearers, youth arm of the Party, to Minister in the FNM Cabinet.
He was elected to Parliament for the Blue Hills Constituency in 1992, and again in 1997.
He served as FNM Assistant Secretary General, Secretary General, Chairman and Deputy Leader.
He was Minister of State for Education, Minister of Education, and Minister of Labour and Maritime Affairs in the FNM Government.
A Roman Catholic, he is married to Emma Jane (nee Thompson) of Crown Haven, Abaco, and they have five children.
Grand Bahamian Neko Grant, 56, has been a resident of Freeport for 35 years. He has a special affinity with the community he feels privileged to represent in Parliament.
A member of the Free National Movement from an early age, he remains committed to building upon the many accomplishments of the FNM in office particularly as they impact Grand Bahama.
He was educated at the West End Public School and later attended St. John’s College in Nassau. He holds a diploma in Business Management from La Salle Extension University, Chicago, and a diploma in International Management from the European Institute of Business Administration.
Neko joined Burns House in 1975 and has served in several management positions. He presently serves as Group Manager, Northern Bahamas for The Burns House Group of Companies.
He has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Lucaya for some 21 years.
He served as Vice President and Director of the Grand Bahama Amateur Softball Association, Vice President and Commissioner of the Grand Bahama Baseball Association, and President of the Bahamas Softball Federation.
He was inducted into the International Softball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Neko Grant and his wife Barbara are the parents of two adult children, Nekcarla Melissa an Attorney and Neko Carlson II, an Architect.
When he can find time, he enjoys playing softball and going fishing.
Charles Maynard was born at Nassau in 1970, the son of Andrew (Dud) and Isadora Maynard.
Mr. Maynard graduated from Queen’s College and later from the College of The Bahamas in 1988.
He has worked with an agro-business development company participating in comprehensive research in the profitability of sustained agricultural and animal husbandry in The Bahamas.
Mr. Maynard’s biggest accomplishment has been in helping to develop the Corner Hotel, a thriving business in the heart of City 2000. The hotel has been one of the benchmarks of Bahamian-owned and operated hospitality properties.
Mr. Maynard’s keen interest in the promotion of Bahamian culture led him to develop a Bahamian products and services enterprise. Though still not developed to its full potential, this business has helped pave the way for the creation of a viable Junkanoo industry.
He has been involved in cultural activities for most of his life, but Junkanoo is really his first love. He has played different roles in a number of leading Junkanoo groups.
Over the years Mr. Maynard has involved himself in a number of community projects and has developed good working relationships with a wide range of community partners. For over six years he has served on the Carmichael Police Consultative Committee.
An Anglican, Mr. Maynard is the father of two daughters.
Fifty-two year old Hubert Minnis, a medical doctor by profession, was born in Bain Town to Rosalie North and Randolph Minnis.
He was educated at Our Lady’s Primary School, Western Junior and St Augustine College, Nassau and the University of Minnesota, USA.
An Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, he is married to the former Patricia Beneby and is the father of three sons: Tremaine, Jamil and Runako.
After obtaining his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the West Indies and MRCOG from London in 1985, Dr. Minnis returned home and began serving the Bahamian people as a physician at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
There he served as a Consultant and Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and as Deputy Chief of Staff.
Dr Minnis is a former President of the Medical Association of The Bahamas, Member of the Medical Council and Chairman of the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas, and an associate lecturer at the University of West Indies in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dr. Minnis worships at Resurrection Catholic Church.
Kenneth Russell was born in Bailey Town, Bimini on 22 October, 1953 to Osworth and Eunice Russell and received his early education in Bimini and Freeport, Grand Bahama. He completed studies at the C.R. Walker Technical College and The Bahamas Teacher’s Institute in New Providence. He later pursued business studies at Nova Southern University.
Between 1973 and 1976, Mr. Russell was engaged as an industrial arts teacher in the Government-operated school system at Eight Mile Rock High.
In 1976 he joined The Bahamas Oil Refinery Co. Ltd and was engaged in a variety of positions with the company until 2001.
A former chairman and vice-chairman of the Free National Movement, High Rock Constituency Association, Mr. Russell was elected to the House of Assembly for the High Rock constituency in 1997, and relected to a second term in 2002.
He was a member of the Housing Commission for Grand Bahama from 1992 to 1998, and a member of the Local Government Council for Freeport from 1996 until his election to Parliament.
He served as Chairman of the Town Planning Committee for New Providence and The Bahamas between 1997 and 2001, and as a Cabinet Minister with responsibility for Public Works between 2001 and 2002. He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1996, and presently provide those services to the Grand Bahama community.
Mr. Russell is married to the former Georgina Bridgewater and the couple has four children. The family worships at the Church of God of Prophesy.
Brent Symonette is the Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Deputy Leader of the Free National Movement and the incumbent Member of Parliament for the newly constituted St. Anne's Constituency.
He is the son of the late Sir Roland Symonette, the first Premier of The Bahamas and the late Lady Symonette.
Mr. Symonette started his education at St Andrew’s School in Nassau, then attended Leys School, Cambridge, England. He pursued higher education at Brunel University, London, England, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with Honours in Politics and Law. He was called to the Bar as a member of the Inner Temple, London and to The Bahamas Bar in 1978.
A former FNM Senator, he has served in the FNM Government as Minister of Tourism and Attorney General.
The Deputy Leader has also served as Chairman of the Hotel Corporation, Chairman of the Airport Authority, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, and as Opposition Whip in Parliament.
Mr. Symonette is married to the former Robin Mactaggart of Nassau and the couple has three children.
Tommy Turnquest was born on 16 November 1959, the only son of former Governor General Sir Orville Turnquest and Lady Turnquest.
He has served as president of the Torchbearers Association and Leader of the Party.
He was elected to Parliament in August 1992 and again in March 1997 and now serves as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
In the FNM Government, he served as Parliamentary Secretary, Chairman of the National Hurricane Relief Committee, Minister of State for the Public Service and Labour, Minister for Public Works, Minister for the Public Service, Immigration and National Insurance, and Minister for Tourism.
Senator Turnquest attended St. Anne’s School in Nassau, and later Malvern College in England, the University of Western Ontario Business School in Canada and graduated with an Honours Degree in Business.
Prior to entering full-time politics, he served as a senior banking official for 11 years with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), during which time he was admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB).
He is married to the former Shawn Carey, an educator, and the couple has three children: Carey, Robert and Erin.
He worships at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Stapledon Gardens.
