Dr. Hazel Campayne has dedicated her life as a tireless advocate of social justice, human rights, peace and democracy in Guyana, the Caribbean, Canada and internationally. She has earned the reputation of being a true patriot of Guyana with an indomitable spirit, who made great sacrifices - at the risk of her own personal security - to promote peace, justice and democracy in Guyana. Dr. Campayne never faltered in her commitment to these principles even after she left Guyana in 1980 to join the Guyanese community in Canada, where she was a founding member of the Canada Guyana Forum which champions the cause of social justice for Guyanese in Guyana and in Canada.

Dr. Campayne's career in Guyana as an educator can only be described in superlatives. As the Headmistress of St. Rose's High School, Sister Hazel (as she was fondly known) was highly respected as a strict disciplinarian and talented educator who inspired her students to strive not only for academic excellence but also for the highest levels of achievement in other aspects of life, including community service, sports and culture. In the 1990s, through the Canada-Guyana Forum, Dr. Campayne was instrumental in implementing the Education Renewal Project that established an educational programme for youth in the Tiger Bay area of Georgetown.

In Canada, Dr. Campayne was recently appointed by the Ontario Government to the new Ontario Bicentenary Commemorative Committee on the Abolition of the Slave Trade. She is a member of the National Diversity Committee and the coordinator for the local parish group of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, an international organization promoting development and social justice. Dr. Campayne is a member of the Ontario Black History Society, the Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada and the Ecumenical Network for Women's Justice, and was a member of the delegations which monitored the historic 1992 elections in Guyana and the 1994 elections in South Africa.

An accomplished academic with a Doctorate Degree in Theology, two Master's degrees, two post-graduate certificates and a Bachelor's degree obtained in Canada, England and Jamaica, Dr. Campayne has been awarded several national and international scholarships and other accolades. In 1975, the United Nations International Year of Women, she was honoured as Woman of the Year by the Rotary Club for her work in Education, especially with Youth.

An alumnus of Bishop's High School, Dr. Campayne is originally from Port Mourant, Berbice.