His Excellency The Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, was appointed Governor-General of Jamaica on February 26, 2009. He is the sixth person and fifth Jamaican to hold this position since Independence in 1962.

His Excellency The Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, was appointed Governor-General of Jamaica on February 26, 2009. He is the sixth person and fifth Jamaican to hold this position since Independence in 1962. According to the Constitution of Jamaica, he is Her Majesty’s representative and exercises the executive authority either directly, or through officers subordinate to him.

Born on the 7^th of February 1951, Sir Patrick spent his formative years in the farming community of Fruitful Vale, Portland, with his parents, Ferdinand and Christiana Allen, and attended the Fruitful Vale All-Age School. Having decided to be an educator, he went on to the Moneague Teachers’ College, and after graduation held positions as teacher and principal at schools in St Mary.   In 1985, he graduated with the B.A. degree (Hons – History) from Andrews University in Michigan, USA, going on to complete the MA in Religion (Systematic Theology) in 1986, earning a PhD in Education (Administration and Supervision) in 1998 from the same institution.

Sir Patrick is no stranger to public service in Jamaica. He has served on the boards of the Government’s Public Broadcasting Commission, the Police Civilian Oversight Authority, and the Strategic Review Implementation Oversight Committee of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

He also served as Chairman of the Boards of the Northern Caribbean University, the Andrews Memorial Hospital, and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), and was a Vice Chairman of the Board of the Bible Society of the West Indies.

Sir Patrick has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 28 years in various capacities, including Principal, Pastor, Departmental Director, Conference, and Union President respectively.

He was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on June 12, 2009.  Sir Patrick is a member of the Order of the Nation (ON), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG), and Commander of the Order of Distinction (CD).

His other awards and accomplishments include:

·         An Honorary Doctor of Public Service from Northern Caribbean University

·         An Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Andrews University.

·         An Honorary Doctorate from Oakwood University.

·         Being listed in ‘Who is Who’ in American Universities and Colleges (1985)

·         Membership in the Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Alpha Theta andAlpha Mu Gamma Honors Societies.

Sir Patrick believes that the journey from obscurity to national life is achievable by any Jamaican young person who works ‘diligently and creatively, thinks generously and honestly’.  Even if a person is not visible in his or her work, that person should have a sense of satisfaction and pride of a job well-done because he achieved his potential and gave his best contribution to life.

Sir Patrick enjoys badminton, track and field, basketball and cricket.  He and Her Excellency the Most Honourable Lady Allen were married on July 20, 1975. They have three adult children and four grandchildren.