This Caribbean Born National Makes History As The New Master of University College, Oxford

News Americas, WASHINGTON, Fri. Aug. 9, 2019: A Caribbean national was recently named as the new master of the University College, Oxford, the oldest college of the university in the UK. She is also the first female master and the first black head of an Oxford college.

Georgetown, Guyana-born Baroness Valerie Amos, 65, replaces Sir Ivor Crewe who will be stepping down as Master on July 31, 2020 after twelve years in the role.

Baroness Amos will take up the post officially on August 1, 2020.

“I am honored to have been appointed as Master of University College Oxford,” commented the Baroness. “I look forward to taking up my role next year and joining a community which prides itself on providing an outstanding scholarly environment, excellent teaching and world-class research. Univ has been engaged in opening up access and opportunity through its Opportunity Programme and I also look forward to making a contribution to that work.”

Upon taking up the Mastership, Baroness Amos will step down from her current position at SOAS University of London, a role that she took up in 2015. Prior to that she served as Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN from 2010-2015, and held senior roles in government and the public sector.

She has been a Labour Life Peer since 1997 and served in the Cabinet from 2003 to 2007 as Secretary of State for International Development and subsequently as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council.

Before joining the House of Lords, she worked in local government and as Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission and was an adviser to the Mandela Government on leadership and change management issues. She was UK High Commissioner to Australia before joining the UN in 2010.

Baroness Amos was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2016 for her services to the United Nations and emergency relief in conflict areas.