High Commissioner, His Excellency the Honourable Burchell Whiteman , OJ, is a graduate of Munro College, the University College of the West Indies and Birmingham University in England.

He has served as a teacher and principal for thirty years and was the founding Principal of the Browns Town Community College.
He entered representative politics and was elected Member of Parliament for North West St. Ann in 1989 and again in 1993. He was appointed Senator in 1998 and again in 2002.

High Commissioner Whiteman served as Minister of State from 1989 to 1992, then Minister of Education, Youth and Culture between 1992 and 2002. He was the Minister of Information and Leader of Government Business in the Senate. He was Senior Advisor to the Governor-General of Jamaica.

Minister Whiteman has received a number of awards including the Order of Jamaica, Methodist Layman of the Year Award, Super Lion Award from Chancellor Hall, and the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil service to education in the region and Honorary Fellow of the Commonwealth of Learning 2006.

He was a board member of the Commonwealth of Learning, and a Member of the Electoral Advisory Committee, Jamaica.

High Commissioner Whiteman is Married to Joline and they have two adult daughters.