Valerie Woods Smith (born in 1973) is a

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

an politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Representatives since December 2020.

Education

Woods has a BSc in Business Administration from

Le Moyne College Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college in DeWitt, New York.http://www.ongov.net/planning/haz/documents/Section9.7-TownofDeWitt.pdf It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946 and named after Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. At its fo ...

in Syracuse, New York and a master's degree in Tourism Administration from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Career

Woods has worked as the Manager of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Country Manager of Chukka and Director of Tourism. In 1999, she was appointed acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism. She joined the Board of Friends for Conservation and Development in December 2019. Woods is a member of the

People's United Party The People's United Party (PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2020 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean House ...

. In March 2016, she was appointed by party leader

Johnny Briceño John Antonio Briceño (born 17 July 1960) is a Belizean politician who is the 5th and current Prime Minister of Belize since 12 November 2020, and the leader of the People's United Party (PUP) since 2016. He was Leader of the Opposition from 20 ...

to one of their three designated Senate seats. Her appointment was a surprise to some, as her husband had challenged Briceno to step down in 2011. Woods has been an outspoken advocate against discrimination on the basis of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

or sexuality. In August 2016, she initiated a meeting between the

LGBTI Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (such as genitals, gonads, and chromosome patterns) that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, ...

community and government officials after the Supreme Court overturned Section 53 of the Criminal Code, which punished same-sex relationships with up to ten years in prison. In December 2018, she called for the government to do more to address

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partne ...

. In April 2019, she

abstain Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with ...

ed from voting on the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill as she favoured taking Guatemala to the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

. She said, "If my head is to roll, let it roll." She was replaced in the Senate in August that year. After the 2020 Belizean general election brought the PUP to power for the first time in 17 years, Woods was unanimously elected Speaker of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

on 11 December 2020 after being proposed by newly elected

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Briceño and Deputy Prime Minister

Cordel Hyde Cordel Hyde (born 20 August 1973) is a Belizean politician. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister of Belize since 16 November 2020. He is a member of the People's United Party, he has represented the Lake Independence constituency in the Be ...

. In her

inaugural address In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...

, she said, "...whіlе Веlіzе ѕtіll hаѕ muсh wоrk tо dо іn gеttіng mоrе wоmеn еlесtеd tо Раrlіаmеnt, І rесоgnіzе thаt mу nоmіnаtіоn аnd thаt оf thе Рrеѕіdеnt оf thе Ѕеnаtе, Ноn. Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, ѕіgnаlѕ а rесоgnіtіоn оf thе сrіtісаl іmроrtаnсе оf hаvіng mоrе wоmеn іn lеаdеrѕhір." Woods is also Chair of Caribbean Women in Leadership.

Personal life

Woods is married to Godfrey Smith, former Attorney-General of Belize and a judge of the Supreme Court of Saint Lucia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Valerie Living people 1973 births Le Moyne College alumni George Washington University alumni People's United Party politicians Members of the Senate (Belize) Speakers of the House of Representatives (Belize) Women legislative speakers 21st-century Belizean women politicians 21st-century Belizean politicians