In the 2007 general election, as a member of the People's National Party, Hanna contested and won the seat for St. Ann South East. Hence, positioning her as a Member of Parliament for that Constituency.[7] She is one of the youngest women to be elected to the Jamaican Parliament.[8] In addition to her duties as constituency representative she served as opposition spokesperson on Information, Youth and Culture up to December 2011.[9] In the 29 December 2011 polls her party was elected into power. She was subsequently appointed as Minister of Youth and Culture.
During her tenure as Minister of Youth & Culture, Hanna developed the Green Paper for the National Youth Policy 2015-2030. This policy aimed to address the needs of all young people through partnerships with the public sector, private sector, youth organizations, NGOs, faith-based organizations, academia and with Jamaica’s international development partners.[10]
Under Hanna’s ministry, the National Foster Care programme was revamped, allowing the placement of over 855 children with 800 families. [11]
Hanna’s ministry also bolstered the Ananda Alert System which allowed 85% of missing children to be returned safely to their homes in August 2013.[12]
In 2016, Hanna shared her strategy for tackling the needs of Jamaican children at a UNICEF conference in New York City. That same year, Jamaica moved up 52 places on the UNICEF Kids Rights Index to be ranked 51 out of 163 countries. [13]
In 2021, Hanna became a weekly columnist for the Jamaica Observer, where she opined on an array of topics, from the value-added opportunities of Jamaican Agriculture to her desire to see Bob Marley named National Hero.[15][16]
In March 2022, Hanna was appointed to APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council (IAC). Her role is to expand the Caribbean and Latin American focus in the areas of food security, trade, global economy and matters concerning gender and the security related to gender.[17]
Lisa Hanna was born in Retreat, St. Mary Parish to Rene Hanna of Lebanese descent and Dorothy Hosang of African and Chinese descent. Hanna married David K Panton, in 1999 in New York City.[19] Hanna and Panton had a son, Alexander, born in March 2001.[19] They divorced in 2004 in Atlanta.[19] In December 2017, Hanna married Jamaican businessman Richard Lake in St. Andrew, Jamaica.[20] Together Richard Lake and Lisa Hanna run Lydford Logistics a contract manufacturing, commercial warehouse and shipping operation in Moneague, Jamaica.
^Shakespeare-Blackmore, Keisha (7 September 2007). "Women in the House". The Jamaica Gleaner. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
.jpg)
Jamaica
