GRACE ANN Stewart McFarlane has been appointed as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice.

The appointment took effect in June 2022 after a recommendation by the Public Service Commission.

Stewart McFarlane was assigned as acting permanent secretary in March 2021, following the reassignment of Sancia Bennett Templer to the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Commerce.

Prior to her acting assignment, Stewart McFarlane’s substantive role was chief technical director in the ministry, a position she held since 2016.

Her other roles have included senior director of the Children’s Affairs Policy Division, Ministry of Education, and regional director at the then Child Development Agency (CDA), now the Child Protection and Family Services Agency.

While at the CDA, Stewart McFarlane formed part of the committee responsible for the operationalisation of the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR). She was later seconded to the OCR as registrar where she spearheaded the establishment of the National Children’s Registry.

Stewart McFarlane is a holder of a bachelor’s degree in social work from The University of the West Indies and a master of business administration, Nova Southeastern University.

The permanent secretary also completed a post-graduate diploma in public sector senior management at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND). Additionally, she was among the first cohort of public sector workers, in 2016, to participate in MIND’s Public Sector Senior Leadership Development Programme.

A ministry statement said Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck and the staff at the ministry welcomed the appointment of Stewart McFarlane as she advances the mission of delivering quality justice services to the citizens of Jamaica.