Joyce Sylvester

Dutch politician

Joyce Sylvester

Member of the Senate
In office
10 June 2003 – 9 June 2015
Personal details
Born|

Joyce Juanita Sylvester

(1965-09-19) 19 September 1965 (age 58)[1]
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Political party| Labour Party
Alma mater| Utrecht University
University of Amsterdam
Free University in Amsterdam
Website| www.joycesylvester.nl

Joyce Juanita Sylvester (born 19 September 1965) is a Dutch politician and administrator.[2] A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), she served as a member of the Senate from 2003 to 2015.

## Early life, education and professional life[edit]

Sylvester was raised in a family with 3 sisters. Her parents had emigrated from Surinam to the Netherlands early 60s. Her mother was managing caretaker of the Amsterdam mayoral residence. After completing her secondary education, Sylvester studied both Communication and Information Management at Utrecht University and Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. She obtained her PhD in 2000 from the faculty of law of the VU University of Amsterdam with a doctoral dissertation on “Privatization in Practice”. After her studies she worked as a journalist for the newspaper Het Parool, at Migrant Television Amsterdam, as financial policy officer at the Dutch Ministry of Transport and as a civil servant with the municipality of Amsterdam. After obtaining her PhD she worked in the private sector.

End 2019 she appeared in the list of the Volkskrant Top 200 Most Influential Dutch People.[3]

## Public service[edit]

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In 2003 Sylvester was elected as a senator in the Parliament of the Netherlands, representing the Dutch Labour Party. In the Senate, she engaged in finance, economic affairs, culture, and agriculture. In the senate elections of 2007, she kept her seat on the basis of preference votes. In 2011 she was in ninth place on the candidate list and was reelected again. As senator she acted as secretary of the Labour Party Senate faction, chair of the Senate Committee on Social Affairs and Welfare, and deputy chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and General Affairs.

From October 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009 she was appointed as acting mayor of the town of Anna Paulowna, in the province of North Holland, replacing the outgoing mayor Arnoud-Jan Pennink. Joyce Sylvester was the first black woman in the Netherlands taking on this role. In September 2009 Sylvester was appointed as acting mayor of the town of Naarden until its amalgamation to the new municipality Gooise Meren in January 2016.

Since February 1, 2016 Sylvester is working as delegate ombudsman at the Dutch High Council of State National Ombudsman.

Sylvester holds various other positions. She is, inter alia, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Foundation Early Music Utrecht, member of the supervisory board of the “Stedelijk Museum” of Amsterdam and chairperson of the Foundation of Cooperating Relief Agencies, which in the Netherlands is known by its colloquial name Giro555.

## Publications[edit]

Joyce Sylvester wrote several books:

* Joyce Sylvester, "De praktijk van privatisering: dissertatie" (2000)
* Joyce Sylvester i.s.m. Jan Jurriens, "Strategievorming van verzelfstandigde organisaties" (2001)
* H.J. de Ru, J.A.F Peters, J.J. Sylvester, "Monografieën Overheid en Markt, De Wet markt en overheid, beschouwingen over een omstreden wetsvoorstel", (2003), SDU Uitgevers BV, Den Haag, ISBN 9054093609

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Dr. J.J. Sylvester (PvdA)". Eerste Kamer. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
2. ^ "AFRO-EUROPE: Joyce Sylvester - First black woman mayor in the Netherlands". 4 September 2009.
3. ^ "Volkskrant Top 200 Most Influential Dutch People".

## External links[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Members of the Senate of the Netherlands (2011–2015)

Senate, 7 June 2011 - 8 June 2015

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
(VVD: 16)|

* Hermans
* Beckers
* Bröcker
* Broekers-Knol (President)
* Bruijn
* Dupuis
* Duthler
* De Graaf
* De Grave
* Huijbregts-Schiedon
* Van Kappen
* Kneppers-Heynert
* Knip
* <Van Rey>
* Schaap
* Schouwenaar
* Swagerman

Labour Party
(PvdA: 14)|

* Barth
* Beuving
* Duivesteijn
* Ter Horst
* Koning
* Koole
* Linthorst
* <Meurs>
* <Noten>
* Postema
* <Putters>
* Schrijver
* Sent
* Sylvester
* Vlietstra
* De Vries
* <Witteveen>
* Van Zandbrink

Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA: 11)|

* Brinkman
* Van Bijsterveld
* Essers
* Flierman
* Franken
* Hoekstra
* Van der Linden
* Lokin-Sassen
* Martens
* Terpstra
* De Vries-Leggedoor

Party for Freedom
(PVV: 10)|

* Faber
* Van Beek
* Van Dijk
* Frijters-Klijnen
* <De Graaf>
* <De Graaff>
* <Klever>
* Kok
* Kops
* Popken
* Reynaers
* Sørensen
* Van Strien

Socialist Party
(SP: 8)|

* Kox
* Elzinga
* Gerkens
* Meijer
* Quik-Schuijt
* Reuten
* Ruers
* Slagter-Roukema
* <Smaling>
* <Vliegenthart>

Democrats 66
(D66: 5)|

* Van Boxtel
* Backer
* Engels
* De Graaf
* Scholten

GreenLeft
(GL: 5)|

* Thissen
* De Boer
* Ganzevoort
* Strik
* Vos

Christian Union
(CU: 2)|

* Kuiper
* Ester

Reformed Political Party
(SGP: 1)|

* Holdijk

50PLUS
(50+: 1)|

* Nagel

Party for the Animals
(PvdD: 1)|

* Koffeman

Independent Senate Group
(OSF: 1)|

* De Lange

Bold signifies the Parliamentary leader (first mentioned)

Bold also signifies the President
Brackets () signifies a temporary absent member
Italics signifies a temporary member
<> signifies a member who prematurely left this Senate

See also: Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2015–present

See also: Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2012–present

See also: Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2010–2012
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