Lorraine Symonette Armbrister

Permanent Secretary Lorraine Symonette-Armbrister joined the Public Service in September, 1982, as a Trainee Executive Officer in the Ministry of Education. During her almost forty four year Public Service career, she has served at four ministries, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, the Ministry of Transport and Local Government, and the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. She has served as Permanent Secretary in Housing, Education, and in the Ministries of Transport and Aviation and Transport and Local Government.
 
Mrs. Armbrister has served three different stints at Education. While at Education during the tenure of Minister Ivy Dumont, (early 1990s) Mrs. Armbrister worked in collaboration with the then Industrial Training College (now BTVI) and was instrumental in assisting with the establishment of the Conch Shell Jewelry and Souvenir Manufacturing project. which permitted many small Bahamian entrepreneurs to learn the craft of making jewelry from conch shells, and to establish their own businesses. During her third stint at Education during the tenure of the Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd, (2018 – 2021) Mrs. Armbrister was a part of a team which saw the establishment of the One Network Project, which provided for the digitization of the educational sector, and the Computerization of Primary Schools initiative. This period also saw the establishment of the Educational Management Information System and the Learning Management System.
 
During the tenure of the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin (Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training 2018 – 2026), Mrs. Armbrister also served as Permanent Secretary, during which time a number of transformational achievements were realized, including the testing and remediation of all students, the development of Special Education assessments for students, the commissioning of a study by UB to determine the factors impacting Learning, the commissioning of a first ever Bahamas History Text, the Reform of The Bahamas High School Diploma, in collaboration with the RBPF, the introduction of the School Resource Officers program in public schools to curb violence, and the development of the Bahamas Polytechnic Training Institute.
 
While at the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, (June 2010 – 2017) also under the tenure of the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin, Mrs. Armbrister served as a part of a team which had the following achievements: the modernization of the Road Traffic, Port Department and Aviation Sectors, the procurement of solar lights for airports all across The Bahamas, and the procurement of Doppler radars for detecting severe weather events throughout The Bahamas, (Department of Meteorology), and the negotiation of a first ever Agreement with the US Govt. (FAA) for the payment of overflight fees for US aircraft flying over Bahamian airspace. There were also considerable achievements in the Bahamas Maritime Authority. Mrs. Armbrister has also served in the Ministry of Transport and Local Govt. under the Hon. Frankie Campbell 2017- 2018), during which period a number of Junior Local Government Councils and Jr. Road Safety Councils were established in govt. schools throughout the Family Islands.
 
Mrs. Armbrister has served three stints at the Ministry of Housing, under the Hon. George Mackey, the Hon. Algernon Allen, and the Hon. Kenneth Russell. During her second tenure, Mrs. Armbrister was appointed as The Bahamas’ first Female Chief Housing Officer in the Department of Housing. While at Housing, she worked as part of a team which established numerous government subdivisions for hundreds of Bahamian families.  
 
 Mrs. Armbrister is the daughter of Baldwin and Vernice Symonette, (both deceased), and is married to Mr. Cadwell Ron Armbrister. She graduated from SAC in 1977. She has one son, Medgar Symonette a step daughter Rhonda Armbrister-Cash, step son-in law Jarvin Cash, and grandchildren Jacob Symonette, and Taraje and Tyesha Cash. She also has two brothers, Paul and Craig Symonette, a sister Marie Symonette, and a nephew, Alvarez Symonette. Mrs. Armbrister is a life-long Roman Catholic, and attends St. Francis Xavier Cathedral.  She enjoys gardening, reading, travelling and singing in her church choir.