JG - Brenda LaGrange Johnson - 'The best job in the world'

Jamaica Gleaner

Brenda LaGrange Johnson - 'The best job in the world'

Published: Sunday January 11, 2009

Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor

Brenda LaGrange Johnson admires the patriotism of Jamaicans, especially the fact that the national anthem is played and sung so many times. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Many said she had big shoes to fill following the departure of her predecessor, the petite dynamo, Ambassador Sue Cobb. But outgoing Ambassador Brenda LaGrange Johnson has proved herself up to the task of carrying out the diplomatic responsibilities on behalf of her government since she arrived in 2006.

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"She has made many new friends, seen many places and cemented new memories, so it's not surprising that she describes hers as, "the best job in the world".

When she returns to the United States, Ambassador Johnson will retire from the State Department, but will continue with the Council of American Ambassadors, a group of Republican and Democratic presidential appointees who are involved in all the activities they carried out when they were ambassadors, under the umbrella of the State Department, after their tours of duty."

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"An area of concern for me is to see our people in long lines in the sun outside the embassy. Are there plans in place to get a facility to house them in the shade while they wait?

Yes, there are plans, it's all a matter of budget and approvals, but we will definitely change that. We have architectural plans done already and we are awaiting funding. It's not just here in Jamaica, but also in Barbados and Haiti. When the designs are being done in Washington, they don't understand how the sun and rain can be crippling in the tropics, but we are going to change that."