Long-time social services department chief retires

Department of Children and Family Services Director Deanna Look Loy has retired after 33 years in the Cayman Islands civil service.  

A recruitment process is under way to find a replacement for the director, who has been in the post since 1994.  

Mrs. Look Loy started her career as a Spanish teacher at the Cayman Islands High School in 1975 after earning a degree in Spanish and history from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. She returned to UWI two years later to pursue a diploma in education.  

Following a short stint with the Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago, she returned to Grand Cayman where she took the position as Spanish department head at the Cayman Islands Middle School – now the George Hicks High School.  

By the late 1980s, Mrs. Look Loy had been appointed as assistant secretary with the Ministry of Health, Education and Social Services, where she assisted with the implementation of Caribbean Examination Council exams and served as the secretary for the Education Council. 

Not long after becoming Children and Family Services Director, she was faced with providing services to 1,200 Cuban refugees housed at “tent city” in the Fairbanks area.  

Throughout her 17 years with the department she spearheaded the development and implementation of several initiatives, including the 1996 Study of the Family in the Caymanian Society. 

Data gathered during that study informed the development of various programmes including the establishment of Community Development Services, the National Parenting Programme and a probation and aftercare programme for adult offenders.  

Later she established the Community Development Unit and oversaw research aimed at identifying the needs of older persons within the Cayman Islands. 

Mrs. Look Loy was awarded the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour in 2005 for her work in the community and civil service following Hurricane Ivan in 2004. 

“We’ve lost a stalwart in Ms Look Loy,” said Community Affairs Minister Mike Adam. “She was fearless, dedicated and faced many challenges with her trademark enthusiasm and exuberance.  

“There is no doubt that she has made an indelible mark on the social fabric of the Cayman Islands and many of our lives. She will be missed and we wish her all the very best.”