After an unprecedented 46 years of loyal service to the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), the organization’s longest-tenured employee, Claudette Martin Ladoo, has officially retired, closing a remarkable chapter that tracked the utility provider’s growth from its early foundational days to its modern iteration.
APUA made the formal retirement announcement in an official public statement, honoring the extraordinary professional milestone Ladoo achieved during her tenure with the agency. “Today, we proudly celebrate an extraordinary milestone at APUA,” the authority’s statement reads. “After an incredible 46 years of dedicated service, Mrs. Claudette Martin Ladoo officially retires as our longest serving employee.”
Ladoo launched her career with APUA back in 1979, starting her journey as an entry-level member of the agency’s Billing Department, which has since been restructured and renamed the Data Processing Department. Over the course of her nearly five-decade career, she steadily advanced through the organizational ranks, ultimately earning the senior leadership position of Accounts Receivable Controller. For generations of APUA workers, Ladoo was far more than a colleague: she emerged as a core, beloved figure across the entire organization, universally recognized as a pillar of unwavering commitment, consistent professional excellence, and impeccable work ethic.
APUA’s statement emphasizes that Ladoo’s time with the agency spanned the full arc of its institutional development, from its small, formative early years to the large, established public utility it operates as today. Throughout that evolution, she left an indelible mark on every team she led and every new staff member she mentored. “Her journey spans the early, formative years of APUA to the organization we are today. Along the way, she has inspired generations with her warmth, humility, and unwavering dedication,” the statement notes.
Beyond her day-to-day contributions to the utility’s operations, APUA highlighted the lasting legacy Ladoo leaves for current and future APUA employees. The agency framed her decades-long career as a powerful reminder that meaningful, lasting impact in public service is not built through short-term gains, but through consistent effort, institutional pride, and a genuine, abiding passion for serving the community. “Mrs. Ladoo’s legacy reminds us that true greatness is built over time, through consistency, pride, and a genuine passion for service,” the statement reads.
On behalf of every current and former member of the APUA team, organizational leadership extended their sincere gratitude for Ladoo’s 46 years of service, and shared warm wishes for a restful, fulfilling retirement that honors her decades of hard work. “On behalf of the entire APUA family, we thank you for 46 remarkable years and wish you a fulfilling and well-deserved retirement.”
Ladoo’s official final day of service with APUA was April 20, 2026.