Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 2021. Prior to becoming the youngest Speaker of the House, she was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Financial Services & Commerce, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education. She served in the capacity of Acting Minister of Financial Services, Commerce, Investment, Innovation and Social Development and as acting Minister of Education.
Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks has over 15 years of experience in the legal profession, first working as a Financial Services Paralegal in the private sector and, more recently, as Research Paralegal at the Cayman Islands Law Reform Commission.
Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks was elected and duly installed as the youngest Speaker of the House of Parliament on 7 December 2022. By virtue of her Speakership role, she was the Chair of the Parliament Management Council, the President of the CPA Cayman Islands Branch, and Chairperson of the CPA Cayman Islands Youth Parliament Organising Committee.
After the Special Meeting of the 2023-2024 Session held on 14 November 2023, Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks tendered her resignation as the Speaker and became a Minister. In her former capacity as the Speaker of the Parliament, she was committed to modernising the Parliament and the Standing Orders. Her emphasis was geared towards the Parliament operating efficiently and effectively as an autonomous institution.
Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks is also deeply passionate about her community. As well as representing the constituency of West Bay Central, she is a founding director of the United Against Bullying Foundation, a non-profit organisation that focuses on the prevention and education of bullying behaviour. She is also a director of the Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium, a non-profit organisation that focuses on supporting at-risk youth.