John O Smith was born in Region 7, Bartica and completed his Secondary Education at Queens College in Georgetown.

Upon leaving school, he worked at the Ministry of WORKS AND HYDRAULICS for 4 years as a Class Clerk. In those formative years, he lived and worked in several areas across Guyana; serving as a Government Official for a number of years.

In 1975, he attended the University of Guyana to pursue a Bachelor’s of Arts (BA) Degree in History and graduated with honors, - before pursuing his call as a Minister of Religion. He attended the Assemblies of GOD Bible College and subsequently obtained a Diploma in Theology.

Disciplined in his call to minister, he went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology and a Master of Arts (MA) in Ministerial Studies. He was later conferred a DOCTOR of DIVINITY in 2006 from St. Thomas College in Florida USA.

Presently, Bishop John Smith serves as Senior Pastor for Central Assembly of God Church and General Bishop of the Assemblies of God in Guyana. He has been in the ministry since 1968 and held several positions in the Fellowship including a Teacher at the Bible College for over 30 years,-teaching in Belize, Jamaica, Bahamas, Curacao and Aruba.

Over the years, he served as Secretary of the World Assemblies Of God Fellowship, International Council, Member of the World Evangelical Alliance, Chairman for the Evangelical Association of the Caribbean, Chairman of the Guyana Evangelical Fellowship and a Founding Trustee of the International Third World Fellowship led by the late Dr.Myles Munroe and Chairman of the Caribbean Fellowship of the Assemblies.

During the course of his ministry, Bishop Smith also attended numerous conferences in over 60 countries. In Guyana, he is well known for hosting the radio broadcast “Christ Is the Answer” and the weekly telecast “Family Forum”.

He was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honor in May 2016 and is a proud husband, father and grandfather.

Major General Ret. Norman McLean was born on November 23, 1935 and was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the British Guiana Volunteer Force in 1957.The following year, he left to become a cadet officer in the British Guiana Police Force as one of the first local cadet officers. During his service in the force, he attended and successfully completed courses at the police college in the United Kingdom and the International Police Academy in Washington, USA and rose from the rank of Cadet Officer to the Assistant Commissioner.

Major General McLean was later seconded to the Guyana National Service upon its formation as the first Director General in 1947.On July 12, 1979 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier of the Guyana Defense Force and appointed Chief of Staff and Coordinator of the joint service. He was promoted to Major General in 1985. His academic qualifications include a diploma in Public Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Public Management from the University of Guyana, and a Masters Degree in Security Management from the University of Leicester, UK.

He was awarded the Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service, the Independence Medal, the Military Service Star, and the Medal of Service. Major General McLean retired on December 1, 1990.

Since his retirement, Major General McLean has been lending his expertise to various organizations and civil society groups in the country. The most recent being his appointment as Deputy Chairman on the Ethnic Relations Commission where he represents the Private Sector Organizations.

Rajkumarie Singh has been an educator for most of her life. She has been in the teaching profession since 1971 and is currently the Principal of Cove and John Ashram Hindu College- a private secondary school located at Cove and John on the East Coast of Demerara.

She is also Coordinator of the Under-graduate English programme at the National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) and Master Trainer for Education Management Region 4, NCERD.

Sis Raj as she is fondly called, is a devoted Hindu and an active member of the Guyana Sevashram Sangha-Cove and John Ashram.

Besides being a Commissioner on the Ethnic Relations Commission, she serves as a Commissioner on the Rights of the Child Commission.

Commissioner Rajkumarie Singh spends a lot of her time working with women and ensuring that young people develop themselves both academically and spiritually.

She is a justice of Peace!

Commissioner Neaz Mohamed Subhan has decades of experience in the Media and the performing Arts, - which makes him a household name in Guyana.

His career in the media started as Editor of “News Today”, - a news and current affairs program aired on CNS-Channel 6 and subsequently Managing Editor at Guyana News Network (GNN) for its online Newspaper.

From 2007 up until June 2015, Mr.Subhan held the position as Director for the Government Information News Agency (GINA), before serving in several managerial posts at the National Communications Network (NCN), formerly GTV. There, he served in the capacity of Special Projects Manager, News Editor, Assistant Television/Radio Coordinator, Programme Manager, Head of Graphics and Coordinator for “Guyana Today”,- the morning talk show which he also co-hosted for 10 years.

In addition, Commissioner Subhan hosted other television talk shows including “The Factor” and “Let’s Talk”.

Presently, he is the Television & Radio Manager for Television Guyana CH-28/Radio Guyana Inc.

Subhan’s experience in local theatre is enormous, which has seen him being an accomplished stage/film director and actor for many years. He has been listed on the International Movie Data Base (IMDB) for his appearances in some popular Guyanese films. Apart from that, he has written a number of stage plays including a unity play,-“I AM US”. He won “Best Playwright Award” in 2013 for the play “When Chocolate Melts” and directed numerous stage plays including some popular Bollywood movies adapted for stages like “Tulsidas”, “Dosti” and “Bhagban”.

Commissioner Subhan authored a number of short stories and poems and for a number of years wrote, produced and directed the annual satirical television series, “This Is We”.

His social involvement with several non-governmental organizations over the years, especially the Indian Action Committee (IAC) has led to his nomination as Commissioner on the Ethnic Relations Commission ERC where he sits as representative for the Indo-Guyanese Constituency. Worthy to mention also, is that he was a former Member of Parliament.

Norris Emanuel Witter hails from No.65 Village Corentyne, Berbice.

His Professional Career dates back to 1969 as a School Teacher at Christianburg Secondary School, Linden.

After spending 3 years in the teaching profession, Commissioner Witter took up the position of Junior Manager at the Guyana Rice Board.

It was not long after that that his love for the local Trade Union Movement grew and he became a full time Trade Unionist in 1983.

He then went on to serve as President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, in two non- consecutive terms.

Presently, Commissioner Witter is the President of the General Workers Union.

Apart from being an avid Trade Unionist, Norris Witter is a sport enthusiast and enjoys listening to music by well-known artists such as Bob Marley, Sam Cook, Aretha Franklin and Miriam Makeba.

He is also happily married with four children.

Roshan Khan was born on April 1st 1955 and grew up on the Corentyne Coast in Region 6, Berbice.

He is a well-known and respectable businessman; who has made a name for himself in the local security sector.

Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Rk’s Group of Companies and Co-Founder of RK’s Family Human Development Foundation.

Commissioner Khan is a Peace Ambassador who was awarded the world peace medal; and currently sits as the National Chairman of the Universal Peace Federation (Guyana Chapter).

He was trained in Canada as a Police Technologist and served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve.

In his formative years, he served in the Guyana National Service as Trainee Instructor and a Career Guidance Counselor.

A devout Muslim, Haji Roshan Khan is the producer of the program Electric Mosque and sits on the Ethnic Relations Commission representing the rights of the Islamic Community in Guyana. He also has affiliation with the Guyana Hindu Sansad.

In his spare time, Commissioner Khan enjoys acting in locally produced movies and writing poems.

He is a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

Ruth Howard is a Human Resource Specialist and her career spans for more than twenty (20) years in the HR field.

Her academic pursuits started in 1987 at the Government Technical Institute where she obtained an Ordinary Diploma in Commerce. She then attended the Critchlow Labour College and pursued a diploma in Industrial Relations.

It was between the years 1995- 2002 she read for a diploma and then a Bachelor’s degree in Public Management at the University of Guyana.

Subsequent to this achievement, she received a certificate in Project Management from the Institute of Distance & Continuing Education (IDCE), after which she obtained her Masters in Executive Business Administration from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business.

She is currently employed at Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as a Deputy Human Resources Manager.

Over the years, Commissioner Howard has received numerous training in the areas of leadership and performance management.

Because of her vision to see women get full representation regardless of their status, ethnicity, religion or affiliation; she is committed to dedicating her time and energies toward achieving this goal, as Commissioner on the ERC. She is also Secretary to the Women’s Advisory Council of the Guyana Trades Union Congress.

Commissioner Ruth is happily married.

Ashton Simon was born at Paramakatoi Village, Pakaraima Mountains, Region 8.

He was educated in Georgetown at Christ Church Secondary School and received his tertiary education from the University of Guyana and the American University of Peace Studies where he obtained a MBA in Strategic Project Management.

Currently, he holds the position of Indigenous Relations Specialist within the Ministry of Natural Resources and serves on the Board of Directors for the Amerindian Land Titling Project.

Commissioner Ashton Simon is the Founder and President of the National Amerindian Development Foundation.

He has a military background and once held the portfolio of Army Communications Specialist in the Guyana Defense Force.

He served in various capacities in both civil and private sectors.

His concept that education is the driver to propel, promote and develop Indigenous Peoples general status, is a generating factor for his advocacy on Indigenous Rights on the Ethnic Relations Commission.

Mr. Simon was once a recipient of the Pakarimas Award for services to society by Caribbean Voice- a local Non-Governmental Organization.

Commissioner Simon is an untiring, enthusiastic ambassador for Amerindians and other Guyanese throughout Guyana.

Barrington Braithwaite is a Guyanese Artist and Writer whose work spans thirty five years of writing, illustrating and the creation of comic books for local newspapers and books that he has self-published.

It was his fascination for comic books that sparked his interest in the arts and it was during his years of schooling that he drew comic books for all his friends at school. This experience eventually led to him release his first publication, “The Shrouded Legacy” in 1981.

Braithwaite's work is exclusively Guyanese, revolving around folklore and the immense history of Guyana's long colonial experience. His influences however are universal as his work spans across cultures and his comic book heroes are infused with the Afro Caribbean and their experiences.

Wanting to learn the business of art from an early age, his years of contribution to the arts in Guyana have resulted in national recognition. Braithwaite was awarded the Medal of Service (MS) for his long and outstanding contributions in the arts, especially as an illustrator and folklorist.

Mr. Braithwaite has worked on a number of projects in the last 20 years including Legend of the Silk Cotton Tree and Shadow of the Jaguar which went on to be Guyana’s signal dramatic performance during the tenth Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA)

Commissioner Braithwaite sits on the Ethnic Relations Commission representing the interests of all Afro-Guyanese.

He is happily married and has four children.

Deodat Persaud is a youth leader, Pandit, mentor, motivational speaker, volunteer and an advocate for social justice. He represents the Youth Constituency on the Ethnic Relations Commission. He has been employed at the Guyana Elections Commission since 2005 and is currently an Assistant Registration Officer.

Commissioner Persaud was born in Canefield Settlement, in East Berbice and attended President’s College. This institution exposed him in his early life to Guyanese of various backgrounds; thus, instilling in him the belief that racial harmony is an achievable goal. When he completed President’s College, he returned to Berbice and formed the Golden OM Dharmic Youth Organization (GODYO). His role as President of GODYO allows him to work with young people to address as social issues, youth empowerment, and community services through art, drama, and music. He is Chairman of the East Berbice Praant of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and also volunteers at The Caribbean Voice-NGO.

In 2015, he was awarded the Arapaima Award for his advocacy in Suicide Prevention. In 2015 also, the Department of Culture recognized him for his volunteer work in Region 6. In 2016, he was selected for a 3 weeks Know India Programme; a cultural exchange programme attended by 40 youths from across the world. In 2017, he joined over 25000 youths across the world for the 19th World Youth and Student Festival in Russia.

Pandit Persaud has attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management and Commonwealth Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Guyana. He is completing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration,

He lives and works in Berbice. He is passionate about youth development and firmly believes that youths must be given the 'green light' to initiate conversations that will ultimately bring good to the world and is committed to ensuring that the work of the ERC involves young people.