Ministry of the Environment and Housing
Senior Environmental Officer
Dr. Rhianna Neely is a passionate ambassador for a better tomorrow. For most of her life she has been acquainted with academic excellence; but at the age of 14 she became aware of the importance of helping others do the same. This prompted her to sign up as a Scouts Leader. It was during this time that her special ability to organize people and events became evident. Dr. Neely began her tertiary level education at the College of The Bahamas and onto Florida A&M University, where she was the first student in the history of the Environmental Sciences Institute (now the School of the Environment) to complete a degree with a focus in Environmental Education. She was also among the first to be chosen as a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow and a Clinton Global Initiative Ambassador from FAMU.
She is presently, Head of the Climate Change Unit in the Ministry of the Environment. Where she and her all woman team oversaw two award winning solar and energy efficiency installations in Nassau. She’s involved with several environmental advocacy groups and serves with versatility in her church’s music department, a key organizer for the Englerston Community Band and as President of the Royal Representatives Youth Group whose initiatives are geared towards preparing children to attend and succeed at college. Dr. Rhianna believes that it is the responsibility of each generation to open doors of greater opportunity for the next generation, and this can only be accomplished if we are willing to invest our time and resources in them. She is married to Samuel Murphy and they have one daughter, Shannon and one son, Ryan.