Daurene Lewis

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Dr. Daurene E. Lewis, CM, DHumL, MBA, is a Canadian politician, educator, and community leader.

Born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Dr. Lewis is a descendant of black United Empire Loyalists who settled in Annapolis Royal in 1783. She is a descendant of Rose Fortune, the first female police officer in Canada.

In 1984, Dr. Lewis was elected Mayor of Annapolis Royal, making her the first female black mayor in North America.

Trained as a Registered Nurse, Dr. Lewis holds a Diploma in Teaching in Schools of Nursing from Dalhousie University, a Masters of Business Administration from Saint Mary's University, and in 1993 was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Mount Saint Vincent University.

In 1994 Dr. Lewis was added to the Nova Scotia Black Cultural Centre Wall of Honour. In 1995, she was recipient of the United Nations Global Citizenship Award. In 1998 she received the Progress Club of Halifax Woman of Excellence award for Public Affairs and Communication.

In 1988, Dr. Lewis entered provincial politics, making an unsuccessful bid to represent Annapolis West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. She was the first black woman in Nova Scotia to run in a provincial election.

In 2002 was made a Member of the Order of Canada. That year she also received the YWCA volunteer award, and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal.

Dr. Lewis She is the former Executive Director of the Centre for Women in Business at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is currently on the Board of Directors of Canada Post.