Hilda Heine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 8th and 10th President of the Marshall Islands | |
| Assumed office 3 January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | David Kabua |
| In office 28 January 2016 – 13 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Casten Nemra |
| Succeeded by | David Kabua |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hilda Cathy Heine 6 April 1951 Jaluit Atoll, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (now Marshall Islands) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Thomas Kijiner Jr |
| Relations | Carl Heine (grandfather) |
| Children | Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner |
| Education | |
Hilda Cathy Heine (born 6 April 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician. She has been serving as the president of the Marshall Islands since 2024, having previously served from 2016 to 2020. Heine was the first woman to lead any sovereign country in Micronesia and the first person from the Marshall Islands to earn a doctorate. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a teacher and counselor at Marshall Islands High School and then as a women's rights activist with her organization Women United Together Marshall Islands.
Heine's political career began when she was elected to the Nitijeļā in 2011 and appointed Minister of Education. The legislature selected her for the presidency two weeks into the session in January 2016 after a motion of no confidence removed her predecessor, Casten Nemra. Her defection to the opposition alongside her two sons, also legislators, was pivotal in Nemra's removal. After becoming president, Heine became active in the international politics surrounding climate change. She survived a motion of no confidence in 2018 following a dispute regarding the designation of Rongelap Atoll, with later investigation determining that some of her opponents in this motion had been bribed by developers who wished to use the atoll.
Heine was removed from the presidency in January 2020 when the legislature voted in favor of David Kabua. Over the following years she served as a board member of the East–West Center and pro-chancellor of the University of the South Pacific in addition to her role as a legislator. Heine returned to the presidency in 2024 after defeating Kabua in the selection process.