Tekarei Russell

Biography:

Tekarei Russell born in 1937 is an I-Kiribati former politician. She became a secondary school teacher in 1959 and was the first woman to be elected to the House of Assembly of Kiribati when she was elected MP for South Tarawa in 1971. Re-elected in 1975 she was appointed Minister for Health and Family Planning serving from 1975 to 1977 whereupon she retired from politics and returned to teaching. She was subsequently awarded the Pride of Kiribati medal.