Gloria Marilyn Shillingford is a Dominica

Dominica

Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...

n educator and a politician in the Labour Party

Dominica Labour Party

The Dominica Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Dominica.-History:Founded in 1955 by Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Emmanuel Christopher Loblack, it is the oldest political party in Dominica. It first contested general elections in 1961, winning seven of the eleven seats. In the next...

. She has served in the House of Assembly of Dominica

House of Assembly of Dominica

The House of Assembly is the legislature of Dominica. It is established by Chapter III of the Constitution of Dominica, and together with the President of Dominica constitutes Dominica's Parliament. The House is unicameral, and consists of twenty-one Representatives, nine Senators, and an...

 since 2005.

Shillingford graduated from Teikyo-Westmar University with a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

. She began working as a teacher in 1979, and eventually became principal of St. Andrews High School. She remained in education until she entered electoral politics.

She ran unsuccessfully for the Wesley

Wesley, Dominica

Wesley is a village in northeastern Dominica. It has a population of 1,756 people....

 seat in the House of Assembly in the 2005 general election

Dominican general election, 2005

The 2005 Dominican General election was held in Dominica on 5 May 2005. After a hard campaign the Dominica Labour Party was re-elected winning a majority of seats...

. She was subsequently appointed as a Senator that year. Shillingford again contested the Wesley constituency in the 2009 general election

Dominican general election, 2009

A parliamentary election was held in Dominica on 18 December 2009, to elect the 21 Representatives of the House of Assembly. The incumbent Dominica Labour Party increased its majority to 18 of 21 seats, winning a third term.-Key:...

. She won the seat on 18 December 2009, with 809 votes against 734 received by Ezekiel Bazil

Ezekiel Bazil

Ezekiel Bazil is a Dominican politician in the United Workers' Party. He has served in the House of Assembly of Dominica since 2010.Bazil earned numerous certifications in the insurance industry and worked in Barbados and Antigua...

 of the UWP (52.4% to 47.6%).

Shillingford has also served as the Minister for Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs, and as Secretary General of the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

Dominica Commission.